ROSAT PSPC Galactic Center Soft X-Ray Source Catalog: 107 Point Sources

A catalog of 107 point-like X-ray sources derived from a systematic analysis of all ROSAT PSPC observations of the Galactic Center region performed in 1992-1993. The table was created by the NASA HEASARC in March 2012 based on CDS Catalog J/A+A/368/835. Analyses were performed in four different energy ranges using a maximum likelihood method on merged photon lists.

Use Cases

• Identifying and cataloging X-ray point sources based on detection likelihood thresholds mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing spectral hardness and absorption characteristics based on the four defined energy bands (soft, medium, hard, total).
• Cross-matching X-ray sources with known stellar and binary objects, as 41 sources have positional associations.
• Studying the population of low-accretion-rate X-ray binaries in the Galactic Center region, as suggested by the description of unidentified sources.

Strengths

• Contains 107 distinct point-like X-ray sources.
• 41 sources have positional associations with already classified objects, including 20 foreground stars and 5 known Low Mass X-ray Binaries.
• Sources were detected using a maximum likelihood method with a strict threshold (likelihood >10) to minimize false positives.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The majority of the sources in the catalog remain unidentified.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on CDS Catalog J/A+A/368/835.

Collection Method

Systematic analysis of ROSAT PSPC observations using a maximum likelihood method on merged photon lists in four energy bands.

Time Range

Observations performed in 1992-1993.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 20:07:35.485591; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Galactic Center region.