Optical properties of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

The SMC represents an exciting opportunity to observe the direct results of tidal interactions on star birth. One of the best indicators of recent star birth activity is the presence of signicant numbers of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) - and the SMC has them in abundance! We present results from nearly 10 years of monitoring these systems plus a wealth of other ground-based optical data. Together they permit us to build a picture of a galaxy with a mass of only a few percent of the Milky Way but with a more extensive HMXB population. However, as often happens, new discoveries lead to some challenging puzzles - where are the other X-ray binaries (eg black hole systems) in the SMC? And why do virtually all the SMC HMXBs have Be starcompanions? The evidence arising from these extensive optical observations for this apparently unusual stellar evolution are discussed.

arXiv commentTo appear in proceedings of IAU Symposium 256

References in corpus (7)

• Optical properties of SMC X-ray binaries
• The Star Clusters of the Small Magellanic Cloud: Age Distribution
• Spectral distribution of Be/X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud
• On the absence of wind bow-shocks around OB-runaway stars: probing the physical conditions of the interstellar medium
• An estimate of the SN kick velocities for High Mass X-ray Binaries in the SMC
• Optical and X-ray variability of two Small Magellanic Cloud X-ray binary pulsars - SXP46.6 and SXP6.85
• An optical & X-ray study of the counterpart to the SMC X-ray binary pulsar system SXP327