Exploring a New Population of Compact Objects: X-ray and IR Observations
of the Galactic Centre
ArXiv 0808.0519 (2008)
Authors:
Reba M Bandyopadhyay, Andrew J Gosling, Stephen E Eikenberry, Michael P Muno, Katherine M Blundell, Philipp Podsiadlowski, Valerie J Mikles, Curtis DeWitt
Abstract:
I describe the IR and X-ray observational campaign we have undertaken for the
purpose of determining the nature of the faint discrete X-ray source population
discovered by Chandra in the Galactic Center (GC). Data obtained for this
project includes a deep Chandra survey of the Galactic Bulge; deep, high
resolution IR imaging from VLT/ISAAC, CTIO/ISPI, and the UKIDSS Galactic Plane
Survey (GPS); and IR spectroscopy from VLT/ISAAC and IRTF/SpeX. By
cross-correlating the GC X-ray imaging from Chandra with our IR surveys, we
identify candidate counterparts to the X-ray sources via astrometry. Using a
detailed IR extinction map, we are deriving magnitudes and colors for all the
candidates. Having thus established a target list, we will use the multi-object
IR spectrograph FLAMINGOS-2 on Gemini-South to carry out a spectroscopic survey
of the candidate counterparts, to search for emission line signatures which are
a hallmark of accreting binaries. By determining the nature of these X-ray
sources, this FLAMINGOS-2 Galactic Center Survey will have a dramatic impact on
our knowledge of the Galactic accreting binary population.
