Related papers: Supersoft X-ray sources identified with Be binarie…

A bright X-ray transient was seen during an XMM-Newton observation in the direction of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in October 2006. The EPIC data allow us to accurately locate the source and to investigate its temporal and spectral…

In a canonical model, the progenitors of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are accreting, nuclear-burning white dwarfs (NBWDs), which explode when the white dwarf reaches the Chandrasekhar mass, M_C. Such massive NBWDs are hot (kT ~100 eV),…

Typing the origin (i.e., Type Ia or core-collapse) of supernova remnants (SNRs) is crucial to determine the rates of supernova (SN) explosions in a galaxy, which is a key to understand its recent chemical evolution. However, evolved SNRs in…

Massive B and Be stars produce X-rays from shocks in high velocity winds with temperatures of a few million degrees and maximum X-ray luminosities of $\approx$ 10$^{31}$ erg/s. Surprisingly, a sub-group of early Be stars exhibits > 20 times…

Using data from the EROS2 microlensing survey, we report the discovery of two blue objects with irregular photometric behaviour of $\Delta V \sim 0.1$-0.4 mag on time scales of 20 to 200 days. They show a bluer when fainter behaviour.…

We have used archival ROSAT data to present X-ray images of thirty-one supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We have classified these remnants according to their X-ray morphologies, into the categories of…

Thanks to observations at the ESO VLT with the GIRAFFE multifibers spectrograph, we have obtained spectra of 177 and 346 B-type stars in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds respectively. We have discovered 25 and 90 new Be stars among the…

Standard binary evolutionary models predict a significant population of core helium-burning stars that lost their hydrogen-rich envelope after mass transfer via Roche-lobe overflow. However, there is a scarcity of observations of such…

During a routine calibration observation of 1E0102.2-7219 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) carried out in October 2012 for the Suzaku satellite, we detected a transient X-ray source at (RA, Dec) = (01h02m47s, -72d04m54s) in the equinox…

We have imaged the entire Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), one of the two nearest star-forming dwarf galaxies, in all seven IRAC and MIPS bands. The low mass and low metallicity (1/6 solar) of the SMC make it the best local analog for…

We present a catalog of 1750 massive stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, with accurate spectral types compiled from the literature, and a photometric catalog for a subset of 1268 of these stars, with the goal of exploring their infrared…

From late September 2017 to February 2018, the Be X-ray binary (BeXB) Swift J0243.6+6124 underwent an unprecedently bright giant outburst. The reported X-ray luminosities were so high that the system was classified as an Ultraluminous X-ray…

AX J0049.4-7323 is a Be/X-ray binary in the Small Magellanic Cloud hosting a ~750 s pulsar which has been observed over the last ~17 years by several X-ray telescopes. Despite numerous observations, little is known about its X-ray…

We present the results of a search for Be stars in six fields centered on the young clusters NGC 330 and NGC 346 in the SMC, and NGC 1818, NGC 1948, NGC 2004 and NGC 2100 in the LMC. Be stars were identified by differencing R band and…

Type Ia supernovae are cosmic distance indicators, and the main source of iron in the Universe, but their formation paths are still debated. Several dozen supersoft X-ray sources, in which a white dwarf accretes hydrogen-rich matter from a…

We present an optical and X-ray study of four Be/X-ray binaries located in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). OGLE I-band data of up to 11 years of semi-continuous monitoring has been analysed for SMC X-2, SXP172 and SXP202B, providing both…

Supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) are characterized by persistent thermonuclear burning on the surfaces of white dwarfs (WDs).The standard model requires high mass transfer rates of $\sim 10^{-7}\, {\rm M_{\odot}}\,yr^{-1}$ from massive…

We present simultaneous, multi-wavelength observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud Be/XRB IGR J01217-7257 (=SXP 2.16) during outbursts in 2014, 2015 and 2016. We also present the results of RXTE observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud…

We present ultraviolet spectra from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) of 12 early B-type stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), comprising 9 supergiants and 3 giants. A morphological comparison with Galactic analogues is…

The process of massive star ($M\geq8~M_\odot$) formation is still poorly understood. Observations of massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) are challenging due to their rarity, short formation timescale, large distances, and high…