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PhD Thesis (PDF) - Department of Astronomy - University of Virginia

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Chapter 7<br />

Summary and Future Directions<br />

7.1 Summary<br />

We have used the Chandra X-ray Observatory to resolve the X-ray content <strong>of</strong><br />

nearby early-type galaxies into low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and diffuse inter-<br />

stellar gas. In particular, we present detailed studies <strong>of</strong> the LMXBs and diffuse gas in<br />

four early-type galaxies and a study <strong>of</strong> the connection between LMXBs and globular<br />

clusters (GCs) in eleven early-type galaxies. We now summarize our results organized<br />

by scientific topic.<br />

7.1.1 Luminosity Functions <strong>of</strong> Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries<br />

Chandra allows us to measure the luminosity functions (LFs) <strong>of</strong> LMXBs in early-<br />

type galaxies for the first time. These complement the LFs derived for LMXBs in<br />

the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxy, local galaxies that are still undergoing star-<br />

formation. Among LFs fit to early-type galaxies, Sarazin et al. (2001) first presented<br />

a broken power-law fit with a break at 3 × 10 38 ergs s −1 , near the Eddington limit <strong>of</strong><br />

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