ChaMPlane: Measuring the Faint X-ray Binary and Stellar X-ray Content of the Galaxy

Grindlay, J. E.; Edmonds, P.; Garcia, M. R.; McClintock, J. E.; Murray, S. S.; Zhao, P.; Cool, A.
Bibliographical reference

American Astronomical Society, 196th AAS Meeting, #37.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 32, p.734

Advertised on:
5
2000
Number of authors
7
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
The Chandra Multiwavelength Plane (ChaMPlane) Survey is a project to identify a large sample of serendipitous X-ray sources located to arcsec precision in deep (≳ 30 ksec) galactic fields (b < ~ 10 degree) imaged by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Our primary goal is to identify Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) and quiescent Low Mass X-ray Binaries (qLMXBs), primarily black hole X-ray novae in quiescence, in order to constrain and ultimately measure the luminosity functions of each. Secondary objectives are to determine the Be X-ray binary (BeHMXB) content and stellar coronal source distributions in the Galaxy. CVs and qLMXBs are identified by their ubiquitous Hα excess as ``blue'' objects in the R vs. (Hα - R) plane down to R ~ 24 using the wide-field (37 arcmin) MOSAIC-II camera on the CTIO/KPNO 4m telescope. Photometry to <5% (R) and <10% (Hα ) would then allow discovery of Hα emission lines with EW(Hα ) > 10 Angstroms from objects with absolute magnitudes Mv ~ 8 at d ~ 10 kpc, allowing for Av ~ 1. This criterion should include most moderately-reddened qLMXBs and CVs in the Galaxy, from the optical search alone. However having the Chandra serendipitous survey sources in the central half ( ~16 arcmin) of the MOSAIC-II field, each located to ~1-2 arcsec, enables initial classification of objects as CVs vs. qLMXBs or BeHMXBs from their X-ray/optical flux (Fx/Fv) vs. EW(Hα ) values. A pilot survey has been successfully conducted at the CTIO 4m in March, 2000 (see our paper ``Optical Imaging of Serendipitous Chandra Field Sources in the Galactic Plane'' in this meeting).