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Predicting ultraluminous X-ray source demographics from geometrical beaming

Predicting ultraluminous X-ray source demographics from geometrical beaming
Predicting ultraluminous X-ray source demographics from geometrical beaming
The ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) population is known to contain neutron stars, but the relative number of these compared to black hole primaries is unknown. Assuming classical super-critical accretion and resultant geometrical beaming, we show that the observed population ratio can be predicted from the mean masses of each family of compact objects and the relative spatial density of neutron stars to black holes. Conversely - and perhaps more importantly - given even a crude estimate for the spatial densities, an estimate of the fraction of the population containing neutron stars will begin to constrain the mean mass of black holes in ULXs.
1365-2966
l69-l71
Middleton, Matthew
f91b89d9-fd2e-42ec-aa99-1249f08a52ad
King, Andrew
2a77e13b-8146-4d87-87a4-5e9bf7761231
Middleton, Matthew
f91b89d9-fd2e-42ec-aa99-1249f08a52ad
King, Andrew
2a77e13b-8146-4d87-87a4-5e9bf7761231

Middleton, Matthew and King, Andrew (2017) Predicting ultraluminous X-ray source demographics from geometrical beaming. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 470 (1), l69-l71. (doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slx079).

Record type: Letter

Abstract

The ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) population is known to contain neutron stars, but the relative number of these compared to black hole primaries is unknown. Assuming classical super-critical accretion and resultant geometrical beaming, we show that the observed population ratio can be predicted from the mean masses of each family of compact objects and the relative spatial density of neutron stars to black holes. Conversely - and perhaps more importantly - given even a crude estimate for the spatial densities, an estimate of the fraction of the population containing neutron stars will begin to constrain the mean mass of black holes in ULXs.

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Accepted/In Press date: 17 May 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 May 2017
Published date: September 2017

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Local EPrints ID: 414471
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/414471
ISSN: 1365-2966
PURE UUID: c862dcee-acb4-4afd-99bd-b7817bbe1edd

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Date deposited: 29 Sep 2017 16:31
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 14:32

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Author: Andrew King

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