A catalogue of low-mass X-ray binaries in the Galaxy: from the INTEGRAL to the Gaia era

Abstract

Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) are high-energy sources that require multi-wavelength follow up campaigns to be fully characterized. New transients associated to LMXBs are regularly discovered, and previously known systems are often revisited by astronomers to constrain their intrinsic parameters. All of this information compiled into a catalogue may build up to a useful tool for subsequent studies on LMXBs and their population. We provide an update on past LMXB catalogues dating back 16 years and propose to the community a database on Galactic LMXBs with the most complete manually curated set of parameters and their original references. On top of a fixed version accessible through Vizier, we propose to host the catalogue independently on our GitHub collaboration, side-by-side with our previous catalogue on high-mass X-ray binaries. The database will be regularly updated based on new publications and community inputs. We build a working base by cross-matching previous LMXB catalogues and supplementing them with lists of hard X-ray sources detected in the past 20 years. We compile information from Simbad on LMXBs as a starting point for a thorough, manual search in the literature to retrieve important parameters that characterize LMXBs. We retrieve newly detected LMXBs and candidates directly from literature searches. Counterparts to these LMXBs are compiled from hard X-rays to infrared and radio domains. Every piece of information presented on the LMXBs is curated and backed by accurate references. We present a catalogue of 339 Galactic LMXBs listing their coordinates, companion star spectral type, systemic radial velocity, component masses and compact object nature, the presence of type I X-ray bursts as well as orbital data. Coordinates and identifiers of counterparts at various wavelengths are given, including 140 LMXBs detected in {\it Gaia} DR3.