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A comprehensive study of the link between star-formation history and X-ray source populations in the SMC
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 July 2008
Abstract
Using Chandra, XMM-Newton and optical photometric catalogs we study the young X-ray binary (XRB) populations of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We find that the Be/X-ray binaries (Be-XRBs) are observed in regions with star-formation (SF) rate bursts ~30–70 Myr ago, which coincides with the age of maximum Be-star formation, while regions with strong but more recent SF (e.g., the Wing) are deficient in Be-XRBs. Using the 2dF spectrograph of the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) we have obtained optical spectra of 20 High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) in the SMC. All of these sources were proved to be Be-XRBs. Similar spectral-type distributions of Be-XRBs and Be field stars in the SMC have been found. On the other hand, the Be-XRBs in the Galaxy follow a different distribution than the isolated Be stars in the Galaxy, in agreement with previous studies.
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- Type
- Contributed Papers
- Information
- Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 4 , Symposium S256: The Magellanic System: Stars, Gas, and Galaxies , July 2008 , pp. 355 - 360
- Copyright
- Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2009
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