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Young rotation-powered pulsars as ultraluminous X-ray sources in star-forming galaxies

  • Osservatorio Astronomico Roma

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Nearby, (mostly) star-forming galaxies have revealed a number of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) with super-Eddington luminosities. This contribution discusses the possibility that a fraction of them could be young, Crab-like pulsars, the X-ray luminosity of which is powered by rotation. The pulsar birth parameters estimated from radio pulsar data are used to compute the steady-state pulsar X-ray luminosity distribution as a function of the star formation rate (SFR) in the galaxy. The fraction of sources with Lx ≳ 1039 erg/s correlates with the SFR, ranging from ∼ 10% in optically dull galaxies, to a few in starbursts galaxies. Furthermore, the X-ray luminosity of a few percents of galaxies is found to be dominated by a single bright pulsar with Lx ≳ 1039 erg/s, roughly independently of its SFR. Observational diagnostics that can help distinguish a young pulsar population in ULXs are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationINTERACTING BINARIES
Subtitle of host publicationAccretion, Evolution, and Outcomes
Pages434-441
Number of pages8
DOIs
StatePublished - May 21 2005
EventINTERACTING BINARIES: Accretion, Evolution, and Outcomes - Cefalu, Sicily, Italy
Duration: Jul 4 2004Jul 10 2004

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume797
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Conference

ConferenceINTERACTING BINARIES: Accretion, Evolution, and Outcomes
Country/TerritoryItaly
CityCefalu, Sicily
Period07/4/0407/10/04

Keywords

  • Cosmic X-ray sources
  • Neutron stars
  • Pulsars
  • Starburst galaxies

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