A Chandra survey of nearby spiral galaxies

Abstract We present results from a Chandra survey of 11 nearby, face‐on spiral galaxies. 24 observations totalling 900 ks of new and archival Chandra data reveal more than 1000 X‐ray point sources associated with the galaxies, diffuse emission, and hundreds of serendipitous sources. We discuss source populations and luminosity functions and show that the slope of the X‐ray luminosity function is correlated with the star formation rate in the galaxies. We also discuss ultraluminous X‐ray sources in comparison with sources within the Milky Way. Finally, we discuss ongoing work on source classification based upon X‐ray colors and spectra, position within the host galaxies, and multiwavelenth counterparts.