Abstract
We analyze two sets of archival Chandra observations of the giant elliptical galaxies NGC 4472 (M49) and NGC 4486 (M87) to identify point sources. We use this data, in combination with the results of optical observations to: Estimate the fraction of globular clusters (GCs) hosting low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), and the fraction of LMXBs in GCs. Generate X-ray point source and globular cluster X-ray source luminosity functions. Identify luminous supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) and look for correlations with optical counterparts. We identify a total of 211 X-ray sources in NGC 4472, and 55 sources in NGC 4486. Of the X-ray sources in NGC 4472, we find 20 or more significant associations with globular clusters. We also identify 25 SSS candidates in NGC 4472 and 3 in NGC 4486. The fraction of bright LMXBs in GCs is similar to the fraction that would be observed in M31 at Virgo distances. This work was supported in part by NSF grant AST-9731923 to the SAO Summer Intern program.