Large-scale attractors: the direct effect on the X-ray background

We study the direct effect of large-scale inhomogeneities (they generate a velocity of ∼ 500 km s-1 at the Local Group) on the X-ray background (XRB). These attractors can have different geometrical forms (spheres, discs and filaments) and can be immersed in different populations of X-ray emitters (> 2 keV). A fit of the observed X-ray intensity excess (after subtracting the galactic and dipole anisotropies) in directions near to that of our peculiar motion to the theoretical behaviours suggested in this work can be useful to determine the geometrical form and the position of our Great Attractor, and to impose constraints on the contribution of a determinate source population to the XRB. (author)