X-ray binaries in the Large Magelanic Cloud
During my PhD studies I have been working on the data analysis of the XMM-Newton survey of the LMC, and the study of accreting HMXB systems.
We have conducted a survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with XMM-Newton (PI: F. Haberl).
The complete program, consists of more than 70 pointed observations and totalling more than 2 Ms of
exposure time. This allows us a consistent study of the point source population of the LMC down to
a limiting luminosity of ∼2×1033 erg/s, supernova remnants (SNRs) and hot interstellar medium.
Together with archival data, the survey observations reveal more than 10.000 sources in a ∼10 square
degree area. The LMC offers a unique possibility to investigate the X-ray source population of a galaxy
as whole. The small distance of ∼50 kpc and the low Galactic foreground absorption of the LMC
enables us to study complete X-ray source populations. This is contrary to the Galaxy, where most
sources are obscured by large amounts of absorbing gas and where uncertainties in distances complicate
the determination of luminosities, or to more distant galaxies, where spatial confusion of individual X-
ray sources becomes complicated and only the brightest X-ray sources can be detected (e.g. for M31,
LX 1035 erg/s).
This effort of finding new XRBs in the LMC has been enhanced the last few years with observations of eROSITA and follow-up of interesting targets with telescopes like NuSTAR, NICER and XMM-Newton. We have now discover a few more fascinating sources like HMXBs, double degenerate Super Soft sources and even one of the few extra-galactic bursters, as you may see below.
Image: X-ray mosaic image of the LMC based on all the available XMM-Newton pointing of the field. Numbers and "?" denote the confirmed X-ray pulsars and the candidate HMXB systems within the galaxy.
See refereed publications:
SNRs:
1) The population of X-ray supernova remnants in the Large Magellanic Cloud
2) VizieR Online Data Catalog: X-ray supernova remnants in LMC (Maggi+, 2016)
HMXBs/Pulsars:
3) EXTraS discovery of two pulsators in the direction of the LMC: a Be/X-ray binary pulsar in the LMC and a candidate double-degenerate polar in the foreground
4) Broadband study and the discovery of pulsations from the Be/X-ray binary eRASSU J052914.9−662446 in the Large Magellanic Cloud
5) Three new high-mass X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud
6)XMMU J050722.1-684758: discovery of a new Be X-ray binary pulsar likely associated with the supernova remnant MCSNR J0507-6847
7) SRG/eROSITA-triggered XMM-Newton observations of three Be/X-ray binaries in the LMC: Discovery of X-ray pulsations
Other:
8) eRASSt J040515.6 − 745202, an X-ray burster in the Magellanic Bridge