A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Population of persistent high-mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way
Authors: Lutovinov AA, Revnivtsev MG, Tsygankov SS, Krivonos RA
Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS
Publication year: 2013
Journal: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Journal name in source: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Journal acronym: MON NOT R ASTRON SOC
Number in series: 1
Volume: 431
Issue: 1
First page : 327
Last page: 341
Number of pages: 15
ISSN: 0035-8711
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt168(external)
Abstract
We present results of the study of persistent high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Milky Way, obtained from the deep INTEGRAL Galactic plane survey. This survey provides us a new insight into the population of HMXBs because almost half of the whole sample consists of sources discovered with INTEGRAL. It is demonstrated for the first time that the majority of persistent HMXBs have supergiant companions and their luminosity function steepens somewhere around similar to 2 x 10(36) erg s(-1). We show that the spatial density distribution of HMXBs correlates well with the star formation rate distribution in the Galaxy. The vertical distribution of HMXBs has a scale-height h similar or equal to 85 pc, that is somewhat larger than the distribution of young stars in the Galaxy. We propose a simple toy model, which adequately describes general properties of HMXBs in which neutron stars accrete a matter from the wind of its companion (wind-fed NS-HMXBs population). Using the elaborated model we argue that a flaring activity of the so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients, the recently recognized sub-sample of HMXBs, is likely related with the magnetic arrest of their accretion.
We present results of the study of persistent high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Milky Way, obtained from the deep INTEGRAL Galactic plane survey. This survey provides us a new insight into the population of HMXBs because almost half of the whole sample consists of sources discovered with INTEGRAL. It is demonstrated for the first time that the majority of persistent HMXBs have supergiant companions and their luminosity function steepens somewhere around similar to 2 x 10(36) erg s(-1). We show that the spatial density distribution of HMXBs correlates well with the star formation rate distribution in the Galaxy. The vertical distribution of HMXBs has a scale-height h similar or equal to 85 pc, that is somewhat larger than the distribution of young stars in the Galaxy. We propose a simple toy model, which adequately describes general properties of HMXBs in which neutron stars accrete a matter from the wind of its companion (wind-fed NS-HMXBs population). Using the elaborated model we argue that a flaring activity of the so-called supergiant fast X-ray transients, the recently recognized sub-sample of HMXBs, is likely related with the magnetic arrest of their accretion.
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