The XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: XMMUJ010633.1-731543 and XMMUJ010743.1-715953, two new Be/X-ray binary systems

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of two new Be/X-ray binary systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud through XMM-Newton survey data, identifying their optical counterparts and spectral classifications.

Contribution

The study identifies and characterizes two new Be/X-ray binaries in the SMC, providing their X-ray properties and optical spectral classifications, which is novel in this survey context.

Findings

Discovered two new bright X-ray sources with Be star counterparts.

Spectral classifications: B0.5-1Ve and B2IV-Ve.

Weak pulsation evidence in one source.

Abstract

In the course of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), two new bright X-ray sources were discovered exhibiting the spectral characteris- tics of High Mass X-ray Binaries - but revealing only weak evidence for pulsations in just one of the objects(at 153s in XMMUJ010743.1-715953). The accurate X- ray source locations permit the identification of these X-ray source with Be stars, thereby strongly suggesting these systems are new Be/X-ray binaries. From blue spectra the proposed classification for XMMUJ010633.1-731543 is B0.5-1Ve and for XMMUJ010743.1-715953 it is B2IV-Ve.