Since ultraluminous X-ray sources are typically found in late-type systems, particularly in inter-acting or starburst galaxies, they are thought to be associated with young stellar populations. Wefind a significant population of ULXs in our sample of 94 nearby elliptical and lenticular galaxies,using the superior resolution of the Chandra X-ray observatory, far exceeding the number expectedfrom background AGN. We show that though some of these ULXs are associated with young stellarpopulations in the cores of early-type galaxies, not all of the host galaxies show evidence of recentor ongoing star formation. We suggest that these ULXs come from a variety of sources, some beingbright LMXBs, while some of them correspond to nuclei of recently accreted dwarf galaxies.
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