ChaMPlane Galactic Bulge and Center X-Ray Source Catalog

The result indicates that the GB X-ray population is highly concentrated at the center, more heavily than the stellar distribution models. It extends out to more than 1.4 degrees from the GC, and the projected density follows an empirical radial relation inversely proportional to the offset from the GC. They also compare the total X-ray and infrared surface brightness using the Chandra and Spitzer observations of the regions.

The radial distribution of the total infrared surface brightness from the 3.6-micron band images appears to resemble the radial distribution of the X-ray point sources better than that predicted by the stellar distribution models. Assuming a simple power-law model for the X-ray spectra, the closer to the GC, the intrinsically harder the X-ray spectra appear, but adding an iron emission line at 6.7 keV in the model allows the spectra of the GB X-ray sources to be largely consistent across the region.

This implies that the majority of these GB X-ray sources can be of the same or similar type. Their X-ray luminosity and spectral properties support the idea that the most likely candidate is magnetic cataclysmic variables (CVs), primarily intermediate polars (IPs). Their observed number density is also consistent with the majority being IPs, provided the relative CV to star density in the GB is not smaller than the value in the local solar neighborhood.

This table was created by the HEASARC in January 2010, based on the electronic version of Table 2 from the reference paper, which was obtained from the Astrophysical Journal web site. This is a service provided by NASA HEASARC .