CLUSTERING BETWEEN HIGH-MASS X-RAY BINARIES AND OB ASSOCIATIONS IN THE MILKY WAY

Journal Article · Tue Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/744/2/108· OSTI ID:22004257

Bodaghee, A; Tomsick, J A ^[1]; Rodriguez, J ^[2]

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1. Space Sciences Laboratory, 7 Gauss Way, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
2. Laboratoire AIM, CEA/IRFU, Universite Paris Diderot, CNRS/INSU, CEA DSM/IRFU/SAp, Centre de Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

We present the first direct measurement of the spatial cross-correlation function of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) and active OB star-forming complexes in the Milky Way. This result relied on a sample containing 79 hard X-ray-selected HMXBs and 458 OB associations. Clustering between the two populations is detected with a significance above 7{sigma} for distances <1 kpc. Thus, HMXBs closely trace the underlying distribution of the massive star-forming regions that are expected to produce the progenitor stars of HMXBs. The average offset of 0.4 {+-} 0.2 kpc between HMXBs and OB associations is consistent with being due to natal kicks at velocities of the order of 100 {+-} 50 km s{sup -1}. The characteristic scale of the correlation function suggests an average kinematical age (since the supernova phase) of {approx}4 Myr for the HMXB population. Despite being derived from a global view of our Galaxy, these signatures of HMXB evolution are consistent with theoretical expectations as well as observations of individual objects.

• OSTI ID: 22004257
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 744, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
DISTANCE
HARD X RADIATION
MILKY WAY
NEUTRONS
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS