A survey of the bright galactic bulge X-ray sources.
Abstract
Fifteen bright galactic bulge sources were observed by the RMC experiment on Ariel V intermittently over the period 1975-78. These data have been analysed with interesting results: all sources are found to show positive correlation between hardness and intensity at least some of the time and a number show in addition a long-term, monotonic spectral softening. Several sources appear to have lower intensity limits and the two brightest also have intensity ceilings which may be plausibly identified with the Eddington limit. The properties of each source are expressed as a series of parameter values, allowing quantitative intercomparison of the sources which shows that GX339-4 is quite different to the others. Also, significant correlation is found to exist between some of the parameters. Finally, a model for these sources which may account for many of the results we obtain, is developed on the basis of a low mass neutron star binary.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- November 1982
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/201.3.769
- Bibcode:
- 1982MNRAS.201..769P
- Keywords:
-
- Ariel 5 Satellite;
- Astronomical Models;
- Binary Stars;
- Galactic Bulge;
- Neutron Stars;
- Spaceborne Astronomy;
- X Ray Sources;
- Data Correlation;
- Data Reduction;
- Eddington Approximation;
- Energy Spectra;
- Fourier Analysis;
- Parameterization;
- Astrophysics