The Chandra Galactic Center Survey detected -800 X-ray point-like sources in the 2°× 0.8° sky region around the Galactic Center. We study the spatial and luminosity distributions of these sources accord...The Chandra Galactic Center Survey detected -800 X-ray point-like sources in the 2°× 0.8° sky region around the Galactic Center. We study the spatial and luminosity distributions of these sources according to their spectral properties. Fourteen bright sources detected are used to fit jointly an absorbed power-law model, from which the power-law photon index is determined to be -2.5. Assuming that all other sources have the same power-law form, the relation between hardness ratio and HI column density NH is used to estimate the NH values for all sources. Monte Carlo simulations show that these sources are more likely concentrated in the Galactic center region, rather than distributed throughout the Galactic disk. We also find that the luminosities of the sources are positively correlated with their HI column densities, i.e., a more luminous source has a higher HI column density. From this relation, we suggest that the X-ray luminosity comes from the interaction between an isolated old neutron star and interstellar medium (mainly dense molecular clouds). Using the standard Bondi accretion theory and the statistical information of molecular clouds in the Galactic center, we confirm this positive correlation and calculate the luminosity range in this scenario, which is consistent with the observation (10^32 - 10^35 erg s^-1).展开更多
We present a new determination of the Galactocentric distance by a pure kinematical model. Two subgroups of components from the Galactic thin disk, the O-B5 stars and the Galactic open clusters, were selected for our ...We present a new determination of the Galactocentric distance by a pure kinematical model. Two subgroups of components from the Galactic thin disk, the O-B5 stars and the Galactic open clusters, were selected for our analysis. On the basis of kinematical data of around 1200 O-B5 stars, we obtained an estimated value of Ro=8.25-4-0.79 kpc, while a similar evaluation from 270 Galactic open clusters gives Ro=7.95-4-0.62 kpc. Considering the scatter of Ro given by individual investigators with different methods, our present determinations agree well with the best value proposed by Reid.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘The Chandra Galactic Center Survey detected -800 X-ray point-like sources in the 2°× 0.8° sky region around the Galactic Center. We study the spatial and luminosity distributions of these sources according to their spectral properties. Fourteen bright sources detected are used to fit jointly an absorbed power-law model, from which the power-law photon index is determined to be -2.5. Assuming that all other sources have the same power-law form, the relation between hardness ratio and HI column density NH is used to estimate the NH values for all sources. Monte Carlo simulations show that these sources are more likely concentrated in the Galactic center region, rather than distributed throughout the Galactic disk. We also find that the luminosities of the sources are positively correlated with their HI column densities, i.e., a more luminous source has a higher HI column density. From this relation, we suggest that the X-ray luminosity comes from the interaction between an isolated old neutron star and interstellar medium (mainly dense molecular clouds). Using the standard Bondi accretion theory and the statistical information of molecular clouds in the Galactic center, we confirm this positive correlation and calculate the luminosity range in this scenario, which is consistent with the observation (10^32 - 10^35 erg s^-1).
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘We present a new determination of the Galactocentric distance by a pure kinematical model. Two subgroups of components from the Galactic thin disk, the O-B5 stars and the Galactic open clusters, were selected for our analysis. On the basis of kinematical data of around 1200 O-B5 stars, we obtained an estimated value of Ro=8.25-4-0.79 kpc, while a similar evaluation from 270 Galactic open clusters gives Ro=7.95-4-0.62 kpc. Considering the scatter of Ro given by individual investigators with different methods, our present determinations agree well with the best value proposed by Reid.