Schedule Jan 17, 2009
Low Mass X-ray Binaries in M31 GCs
Mark Peacock (Univ. Southampton)

We present the results of K-band observations of the M31 GC system obtained using the Wide Field Camera on the UK Infrared Telescope. We discuss the properties of these GCs including new estimates of their structural parameters and stellar collision rates. These GCs are known to be a rich source of Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) and using these data we explore the properties of the GCs which host these systems. We show that LMXBs are located predominantly in GCs with relatively high masses and stellar collision rates. We show a linear relationship between the formation of LMXBs and stellar collision rate. This is consistent with the formation of LXMBs through dynamical interactions with little direct dependence on the neutron star retention fraction or cluster mass.

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