Navigation

Abstracts by session

Print this page 







Name:Elizabeth Bartlett


Institution:University of Southampton


Country:UK




Title:The Search for Be/X-ray Binaries in the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy




Abstract:We report on the first X-ray observations of the Phoenix Dwarf Galaxy carried out by XMM-Newton. This galaxy shares many common features with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) including its low metallicity and similar epochs of star formation. It has already been shown that the SMC is host to an unusually high number of Be/X-ray binaries. A simple mass comparison with the Milky Way suggests there are ~50 more than we would expect. Population synthesis simulations show that the low metallicity environment of the SMC (z=0.004) cannot account for this number alone. It has been known for some time that the number of high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in a galaxy can be related to the galactic star formation rate. It is currently thought that an increase in star formation, possibly caused by tidal interactions with the Milky Way and/or the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) along with the low metallicity of the SMC have given rise to the large number of Be/X-ray binaries. By probing any possible Be/X-ray binaries in Phoenix, we hope to further understand factors that can influence star formation in such diverse environments.








            

            
            

              

              ^  Top