Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Scientific paper
2010-03-20
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
35 pages, accepted for publication in ApJS.
Scientific paper
Using new and archival observations made with the Swift satellite and other facilities, we examine 147 X-ray sources selected from the ROSAT All-Sky-Survey Bright Source Catalog (RASS/BSC) to produce a new limit on the number of isolated neutron stars (INSs) in the RASS/BSC, the most constraining such limit to-date. Independent of X-ray spectrum and variability, the number of INSs is <=48 (90% confidence). Restricting attention to soft (having an effective temperature of < 200 eV), non-variable X-ray sources -- as in a previous study -- yields an all-sky limit of <=31 INSs. In the course of our analysis, we identify five new high-quality INS candidates for targeted follow-up observations. A future all-sky X-ray survey with eROSITA, or another mission with similar capabilities, can be expected to increase the detected population of X-ray-discovered INSs from the 8 to 50 in the BSC, to (for a disk population) 240 to 1500, which will enable a more detailed study of neutron star population models.
Fox Derek B.
Letcavage Ryan
Rutledge Robert E.
Shevchuk Andrew S. H.
Turner Monica L.
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