A Deep Chandra ACIS Survey of M83
  We have obtained a series of deep X-ray images of the nearby galaxy M83 using
Chandra, with a total exposure of 729 ks. Combining the new data with earlier
archival observations totaling 61 ks, we find 378 point sources within the D25
contour of the galaxy. We find 80 more sources, mostly background AGN, outside
of the D25 contour. Of the X-ray sources, 47 have been detected in a new radio
survey of M83 obtained using the Australia Telescope Compact Array. Of the
X-ray sources, at least 87 seem likely to be supernova remnants (SNRs), based
on a combination of their properties in X-rays and at other wavelengths. We
attempt to classify the point source population of M83 through a combination of
spectral and temporal analysis. As part of this effort, we carry out an initial
spectral analysis of the 29 brightest X-ray sources. The soft X-ray sources in
the disk, many of which are SNRs, are associated with the spiral arms, while
the harder X-ray sources, mostly X-ray binaries (XRBs), do not appear to be.
After eliminating AGN, foreground stars and identified SNRs from the sample, we
construct the cumulative luminosity function (CLF) of XRBs brighter than 8
10$^{35}$ ergs/s. Despite M83's relatively high star formation rate, the CLF
indicates that most of the XRBs in the disk are low mass XRBs.
