Letter to the Editor

High-energy sources before INTEGRAL^*

INTEGRAL reference catalog

¹ INTEGRAL Science Data Center, Chemin d'Écogia 16, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
² code 662, NASA/GSFC, Greenbelt, 20771 Maryland, USA
³ Observatory of Geneva, 51 chemin des Maillettes, 1290 Sauverny, Switzerland

Corresponding author: K. Ebisawa, ebisawa@obs.unige.ch

Received: 9 July 2003
Accepted: 1 September 2003

Abstract

We describe the INTEGRAL reference catalog which classifies previously known bright X-ray and gamma-ray sources before the launch of INTEGRAL. These sources are, or have been at least once, brighter than ~1 mCrab above 3 keV, and are expected to be detected by INTEGRAL. This catalog is being used in the INTEGRAL Quick Look Analysis to discover new sources or significantly variable sources. We compiled several published X-ray and gamma-ray catalogs, and surveyed recent publications for new sources. Consequently, there are 1122 sources in our INTEGRAL reference catalog. In addition to the source positions, we show an approximate spectral model and expected flux for each source, based on which we derive expected INTEGRAL counting rates. Assuming the default instrument performances and at least ~ 10⁵ s exposure time for any part of the sky, we expect that INTEGRAL will detect at least ~700 sources below 10 keV and ~400 sources above 20 keV over the mission life.