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Title: Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess

Abstract

If millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are responsible for the excess gamma-ray emission observed from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, the same region should also contain a large population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In this study, we compile and utilize a sizable catalog of LMXBs observed in the the Milky Way's globular cluster system and in the Inner Galaxy, as well as the gamma-ray emission observed from globular clusters, to estimate the flux of gamma rays predicted from MSPs in the Inner Galaxy. From this comparison, we conclude that only up to $$\sim$$4-23% of the observed gamma-ray excess is likely to originate from MSPs. This result is consistent with, and more robust than, previous estimates which utilized smaller samples of both globular clusters and LMXBs. If MSPs had been responsible for the entirety of the observed excess, INTEGRAL should have detected $$\sim$$$$10^3$ LMXBs from within a $$10^{\circ}$$ radius around the Galactic Center, whereas only 42 LMXBs (and 46 additional LMXB candidates) have been observed.

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Fermi National Accelerator Lab. (FNAL), Batavia, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
OSTI Identifier:
1342210
Report Number(s):
FERMILAB-PUB-16-609-A; arXiv:1701.02726
Journal ID: ISSN 1475-7516; 1508466
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-07CH11359
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 2017; Journal Issue: 05; Journal ID: ISSN 1475-7516
Publisher:
Institute of Physics (IOP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS; 72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS

Citation Formats

Haggard, Daryl, Heinke, Craig, Hooper, Dan, and Linden, Tim. Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. doi:10.1088/1475-7516/2017/05/056.
Haggard, Daryl, Heinke, Craig, Hooper, Dan, & Linden, Tim. Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2017/05/056
Haggard, Daryl, Heinke, Craig, Hooper, Dan, and Linden, Tim. 2017. "Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/1475-7516/2017/05/056. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1342210.
@article{osti_1342210,
title = {Low mass X-ray binaries in the Inner Galaxy: implications for millisecond pulsars and the GeV excess},
author = {Haggard, Daryl and Heinke, Craig and Hooper, Dan and Linden, Tim},
abstractNote = {If millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are responsible for the excess gamma-ray emission observed from the region surrounding the Galactic Center, the same region should also contain a large population of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). In this study, we compile and utilize a sizable catalog of LMXBs observed in the the Milky Way's globular cluster system and in the Inner Galaxy, as well as the gamma-ray emission observed from globular clusters, to estimate the flux of gamma rays predicted from MSPs in the Inner Galaxy. From this comparison, we conclude that only up to $\sim$4-23% of the observed gamma-ray excess is likely to originate from MSPs. This result is consistent with, and more robust than, previous estimates which utilized smaller samples of both globular clusters and LMXBs. If MSPs had been responsible for the entirety of the observed excess, INTEGRAL should have detected $\sim$$10^3$ LMXBs from within a $10^{\circ}$ radius around the Galactic Center, whereas only 42 LMXBs (and 46 additional LMXB candidates) have been observed.},
doi = {10.1088/1475-7516/2017/05/056},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1342210}, journal = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics},
issn = {1475-7516},
number = 05,
volume = 2017,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}