The Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey

The Chandra Galactic Bulge Survey (GBS) is a shallow but wide survey of two approximately 6x1 degree strips of the Galactic Bulge about a degree above and below the plane. The survey by design targets regions where extinction and crowding are manageable and optical counterparts are accessible to detailed follow-up. Our strategy is based on going deep enough to detect quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), but no deeper in order to avoid an excess of cataclysmic variables (CVs), while covering a large area to maximize the numbers of recovered objects. The primary goals of the GBS are to test predictions of binary evolutionary models through number counts and period distributions of detected sources, and to greatly expand the sample of LMXBs suitable for detailed optical follow-up including mass determination. We have identified 1234 X-ray sources most with optical counterparts, and expect these to be divided evenly between quiescent LMXBs, magnetic CVs, and R CVn stars, with smaller numbers of other source types. We are actively pursuing multiwavelength follow-up including searches for optical, infrared, and ultraviolet counterparts, measurement of variability, and optical spectroscopy. I will summarize the goals of the project and highlight some of the results obtained so far. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. AST-0908789