luminosity function of faint point sources in the Milky Way

We assess contribution to the X-ray (above 2 keV) luminosity of the Milky Way from different classes of low-mass binary systems and single stars. We begin by using the RXTE Slew Survey of the sky at |b| > 10 to construct an X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of nearby X-ray sources in the range 10 erg s < Lx < 10 34 erg s (where Lx is the luminosity over 2–10 keV), occupied by coronally active binaries (ABs) and cataclysmic variables (CVs). We then extend this XLF down to Lx ∼ 10 27.5 erg s using the Rosat All-Sky Survey in soft X-rays and available information on the 0.1–10 keV spectra of typical sources. We find that the local cumulative X-ray (2–10 keV) emissivities (per unit stellar mass) of ABs and CVs are (2.0± 0.8)× 10 and (1.1±0.3)×10 erg s M ⊙ , respectively. In addition to ABs and CVs, representing old stellar populations, young stars emit locally (1.5± 0.4)× 10 erg sM ⊙ . We finally attach to the XLF of ABs and CVs a high luminosity branch (up to ∼ 10 erg s) composed of neutron-star and black-hole low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), derived in previous work. The combined XLF covers ∼ 12 orders of magnitude in luminosity. The estimated combined contribution of ABs and CVs to the 2–10 keV luminosity of the Milky Way is ∼ 2× 10 erg s, or ∼3% of the integral luminosity of LMXBs (averaged over nearby galaxies). The XLF obtained in this work is used elsewhere (Revnivtsev et al.) to assess contribution of point sources to the Galactic ridge X-ray emission.