TY - JOUR
T1 - A limit on the number of isolated neutron stars detected in the ROSAT Bright Source Catalogue
AU - Rutledge, Roberte E.
AU - Fox, Derek W.
AU - Bogosavljevic, Milan
AU - Mahabal, Ashish
PY - 2003/11/20
Y1 - 2003/11/20
N2 - The challenge in searching for non-radio-pulsing isolated neutron stars (INSs) is in excluding association with objects in the very large error boxes (∼13″, 1 σ radius) typical of sources from the largest X-ray all-sky survey, the ROSA T All-Sky Survey Bright Source Catalogue (RASS BSC). We search for candidate INSs using statistical analysis of optical (USNO-A2), infrared (IRAS), and radio (NVSS) sources near the ROSAT X-ray localization and show that this selection would find 20% of the INSs in the RASS BSC. This selection finds 32 candidates at declinations δ > -39°, among which are two previously known INSs, 17 sources that we show are not INSs, and 13 the classification of which are as yet undetermined. These results require a limit of less than 67 INSs (90% confidence, full sky, assuming isotropy) in the RASS BSC. This limit modestly constrains a naive and optimistic model for cooling neutron stars in the Galaxy.
AB - The challenge in searching for non-radio-pulsing isolated neutron stars (INSs) is in excluding association with objects in the very large error boxes (∼13″, 1 σ radius) typical of sources from the largest X-ray all-sky survey, the ROSA T All-Sky Survey Bright Source Catalogue (RASS BSC). We search for candidate INSs using statistical analysis of optical (USNO-A2), infrared (IRAS), and radio (NVSS) sources near the ROSAT X-ray localization and show that this selection would find 20% of the INSs in the RASS BSC. This selection finds 32 candidates at declinations δ > -39°, among which are two previously known INSs, 17 sources that we show are not INSs, and 13 the classification of which are as yet undetermined. These results require a limit of less than 67 INSs (90% confidence, full sky, assuming isotropy) in the RASS BSC. This limit modestly constrains a naive and optimistic model for cooling neutron stars in the Galaxy.
KW - Stars: neutron
KW - X-rays: stars
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U2 - 10.1086/378040
DO - 10.1086/378040
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0346896406
SN - 0004-637X
VL - 598
SP - 458
EP - 473
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal
IS - 1 I
ER -