The Magellanic Bridge: Evidence for a population of X-ray binaries

Abstract

INTEGRAL observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud region have resulted in the serendipitous detection of two transient hard X-ray sources in the Magellanic Bridge. In this paper, we present the timing and spectral characteristics of these sources across the 2-100 keV energy range, which, in conjunction with their optical counterparts, demonstrate that they are high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Magellanic Bridge. Together with one previously known HMXB system, and three candidates, these sources represent an emerging population of X-ray binaries in the Bridge, probably initiated by tidally induced star formation as a result of the gravitational interaction between the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 RAS.