# Predicting ULX demographics from geometrical beaming

## TL;DR

This paper models the population ratios of neutron star and black hole ULXs based on geometrical beaming and accretion physics, providing a method to estimate their relative numbers and black hole masses.

## Contribution

It introduces a predictive framework linking ULX demographics to compact object masses and spatial densities under super-critical accretion assumptions.

## Key findings

- Population ratio depends on mean masses and spatial densities.
- Estimating neutron star fraction constrains black hole masses.
- Model offers a new way to interpret ULX demographics.

## Abstract

The ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) population is known to contain neutron stars, but the relative number of these compared to black hole primaries is unknown. Assuming classical super-critical accretion and resultant geometrical beaming, we show that the observed population ratio can be predicted from the mean masses of each family of compact objects and the relative spatial density of neutron stars to black holes. Conversely - and perhaps more importantly - given even a crude estimate for the spatial densities, an estimate of the fraction of the population containing neutron stars will begin to constrain the mean mass of black holes in ULXs.