paper

Hard X-ray luminosity functions of cataclysmic variables: Joint Swift/BAT and Gaia data

arXiv:2202.05809 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stac417

Abstract

Cataclysmic variables (CVs) are the most numerous population among the Galactic objects emitting in hard X-rays. Most probably, they are responsible for the extended hard X-ray emission of the Galactic ridge and the central Galactic regions. Here we consider the sample of CVs detected in the all-sky hard X-ray Swift/BAT survey which were also detected by Gaia and thus have reliable distance estimates. Using these data, we derive accurate estimates for local number density per solar mass () and luminosity density per solar mass () for objects in the sample. These values appear to be in good agreement with the integrated Galactic ridge X-ray emission and Nuclear Stellar Cluster luminosities. Analysis of the differential luminosity functions and confirms that there are two populations of hard X-ray emitting CVs. Intermediate polars dominate at luminosities , whereas non-magnetic CVs and polars are much more numerous but have lower luminosities on average. As a consequence, the contribution of these populations to the observed hard X-ray luminosity is almost equivalent.

arXiv comment10 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables. Published in MNRAS in 2022. A typo in Eq. (3) has been corrected

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