The BeppoSAX WFC X-ray source catalogue

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive catalogue of 253 X-ray sources detected by BeppoSAX's Wide Field Cameras over six years, providing valuable data on their properties and variability.

Contribution

It offers the first complete systematic analysis and cataloging of WFC X-ray sources from BeppoSAX's entire operational period.

Findings

Catalog includes 253 X-ray sources from 8253 detections.

Provides statistical properties and variability history of calibration sources.

Demonstrates the WFCs' sensitivity and sky coverage over six years.

Abstract

We present the catalogue of X-ray sources detected by the two Wide Field Cameras (WFCs) in complete observations on board BeppoSAX during its 6 years of operational lifetime, between April 1996 and April 2002. The BeppoSAX WFCs were coded mask instruments sensitive in the 2-28 keV energy band with a 40x40 square degree fields of view, pointing in opposite directions and perpendicularly to the BeppoSAX Narrow Field Instruments (NFI). The WFCs were usually operated simultaneously to NFI observations, each lasting up to several days. WFCs observed thus the entire sky several times with a typical sensitivity of 2 to 10 mCrab. A systematic analysis of all WFC observations in the BeppoSAX archive has been carried out using the latest post-mission release of the WFC analysis software and calibrations. The catalogue includes 253 distinct sources, obtained from a total sample of 8253 WFC detections. We describe the basic statistical properties of the sample and present a six-year history of two celestial calibration X-ray sources.