On the nature of the break in the X-ray luminosity function of low-mass X-ray binaries
arXiv:1011.5024 · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201014726
Abstract
We analyze a flux-limited sample of persistent and bright (with 2-10 keV fluxes exceeding 1.4e-10 erg/s/cm2) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in our Galaxy. It is demonstrated that the majority of binary systems with X-ray luminosities below logL(erg/sec)~37.3 have unevolved secondary companions (except for those with white dwarf donors), while systems with higher X-ray luminosity predominantly harbor giant donors. Mass transfer in binary systems with giants significantly shortens their life time thus steepening the X-ray luminosity function of LMXBs at high luminosity. We argue that this is the reason why the LMXB luminosity function constructed in the last years from observations of sources in our and distant galaxies demonstrates a break at logL(erg/sec)~37.3.
6 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in A&A
References in corpus (11)
- A catalogue of low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy, LMC, and SMC (Fourth edition)
- INTEGRAL/IBIS all-sky survey in hard X-rays
- Models of Type I X-ray Bursts from GS 1826-24: A Probe of rp-Process Hydrogen Burning
- A study of the population of LMXBs in the bulge of M31
- Comparing GC and Field LMXBs in Elliptical Galaxies with deep Chandra and Hubble data
- Models for Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Elliptical Galaxies NGC3379 and NGC4278: Comparison with Observations
- Detection of the radial velocity curve of the B5-A0 supergiant companion star of Cir X-1?
- Low-mass X-ray binaries in the bulge of the Milky Way
- Luminosity functions of LMXBs in Centaurus A: globular clusters versus the field
- On the ultra-compact nature of 4U1822-000
- Scientific Productivity with X-ray All-Sky Monitors
Cited by in corpus (29)
- A Swift survey of accretion onto stellar-mass black holes
- Population of persistent high mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way
- Population Synthesis for Symbiotic X-ray Binaries
- Metallicity Effect on LMXB Formation in Globular Clusters
- Ultra-compact X-ray binaries as dual-line gravitational-wave sources
- Modeling X-ray binary evolution in normal galaxies: Insights from SINGS
- Population synthesis of classical low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galactic Bulge
- The Galactic LMXB Population and the Galactic Centre Region
- Population synthesis on high-mass X-ray binaries: prospects and constraints from the universal X-ray luminosity function
- The Chandra Local Volume Survey I: The X-ray Point Source Populations of NGC 55, NGC 2403, and NGC 4214
- Formation and Evolution of Galactic Intermediate/Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
- Probing the X-Ray Binary Populations of the Ring Galaxy NGC 1291
- Accurate Localization and Identification of Six Hard X-ray Sources from Chandra and XMM-Newton data
- Period--luminosity relation for persistent LMXBs in the near-infrared
- On the nature of the brightest globular cluster in M81
- Discovery of the near-infrared counterpart to the luminous neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary GX 3+1
- On the origin of the metallicity dependence in dynamically formed extragalactic low-mass X-ray binaries
- The Luminosity Function of Low Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Globular Cluster System of NGC 1399
- The Megasecond Chandra X-Ray Visionary Project Observation of NGC 3115 (III): luminosity functions of LMXBs and dependence on stellar environments
- Donors of Persistent Neutron-star Low-mass X-ray Binaries
- Decades' long-term variations in NS-LMXBs observed with MAXI/GSC, RXTE/ASM and Ginga/ASM
- Sample of optically unidentified X-ray binaries in the Galactic bulge. Constraints on the physical nature from infrared photometric surveys
- On the rapid orbital expansion in the compact low-mass X-ray binary 2A 1822371
- Relativistic stellar jets: dynamics and non-thermal radiation
- The Chandra Local Volume Survey: The X-ray Point Source Population of NGC 404
- Nature of donors in ultra-luminous X-ray binaries powered by neutron stars
- Multiwavelength survey of X-ray sources in the Sculptor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy
- Effects of variability of X-ray binaries on the X-ray luminosity functions of Milky Way
- A NuSTAR Census of the X-ray Binary Population of the M31 Disk