Properties of the Galactic population of cataclysmic variables in hard X-rays

M. Revnivtsev, S. Sazonov, R. Krivonos, H. Ritter, R. Sunyaev
2008 Astronomy and Astrophysics  
We measure the spatial distribution and hard X-ray luminosity function of cataclysmic variables (CVs) using the INTEGRAL all-sky survey in the 17-60 keV energy band. The vast majority of the INTEGRAL detected CVs are intermediate polars with luminosities in the range 10^32-10^34 erg/sec. The scale height of the Galactic disk population of CVs is found to be 130+90-50 pc. The CV luminosity function measured with INTEGRAL in hard X-rays is compatible with that previously determined at lower
more » ... es (3--20 keV) using a largely independent sample of sources detected by RXTE (located at |b|>10deg as opposed to the INTEGRAL sample, strongly concentrated to the Galactic plane). The cumulative 17-60 keV luminosity density of CVs per unit stellar mass is found to be (1.3+/-0.3)x10^27 erg/sec/Msun and is thus comparable to that of low-mass X-ray binaries in this energy band. Therefore, faint but numerous CVs are expected to provide an important contribution to the cumulative hard X-ray emission of galaxies.
doi:10.1051/0004-6361:200810213 fatcat:yqsf6b2xpngothpd76zzolavmy