Hunting for Neutron Star with the Swift Satellite
Abstract
We are currently pursuing a long-term project to identify new isolated neutron stars from the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Bright Source Catalog using short observations with NASA's Swift satellite. We select our targets via catalog cross-correlation as being likely, on general grounds, to possess a high X-ray to optical/IR/radio flux ratio. These sources are then observed with Swift on a time-available basis; each 1000s observation yields an improved X-ray position and simultaneous UV/optical image, enabling ready discrimination of stellar-type sources, active galaxies, and candidate compact objects. With more than 100 targets observed we have identified several candidate INSs, including our first demonstrated compact object, 1RXS J141256.0+792204. We have also identified other interesting sources including two previously unidentified galaxy clusters, several active galaxies and stars with extreme X-ray properties, and a number of candidate quiescent X-ray binaries. I will review the status of our survey and summarize the results to-date.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2007
- Bibcode:
- 2007AAS...21110210S