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arXiv · 1008.2718

Multi-wavelength study of High Mass X-ray Binaries

Sylvain Chaty
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Abstract

The INTEGRAL satellite has revealed a major population of supergiant High Mass X-ray Binaries in our Galaxy, revolutionizing our understanding of binary systems and their evolution. This population, constituted of a compact object orbiting around a massive and luminous supergiant star, exhibits unusual properties, either being extremely absorbed, or showing very short and intense flares. An intensive set of multi-wavelength observations has led us to reveal their nature, and to show that these systems are wind-fed accretors, closely related to massive star-forming regions. In this paper I describe the characteristics of these sources, showing that this newly revealed population is closely linked to the evolution of active and massive OB stars with a compact companion. The last section emphasizes the formation and evolution of such High Mass X-ray Binaries hosting a supergiant star.

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Sylvain Chaty. 2010-08-16. Multi-wavelength study of High Mass X-ray Binaries. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3536385

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