J/A+A/707/A225 eRASS1 LMC HMXB catalogue (Kaltenbrunner+, 2026)
A comprehensive catalogue of high-mass X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic
Cloud detected during the first eROSITA all-sky survey.
Kaltenbrunner D., Maitra C., Haberl F., Bodensteiner J., Bogensberger D.,
Buckley D.A.H., Cioni M.R.L., Greiner J., Monageng I., Udalski A.,
Vasilopoulos G., Willer R.
<Astron. Astrophys. 707, A225 (2026)>
=2026A&A...707A.225K 2026A&A...707A.225K (SIMBAD/NED BibCode)
ADC_Keywords: Binaries, X-ray ; Magellanic Clouds ; Pulsars ; Stars, Be ;
Stars, white dwarf
Keywords: stars: emission-line, Be - stars: neutron - supergiants -
white dwarfs - galaxies: individual: LMC - X-rays: binaries
Abstract:
The Magellanic Clouds, the closest star-forming galaxies to the Milky
Way, offer an excellent environment to study high-mass X-ray binaries.
While the Small Magellanic Cloud has been thoroughly investigated with
over 120 systems identified, the Large Magellanic Cloud has lacked a
complete survey due to its large angular size. Most prior studies
targeted central or high-star-formation regions. The SRG/eROSITA
all-sky surveys now enable a comprehensive coverage of the LMC,
particularly due to its close vicinity to the south ecliptic pole.
This work aims to improve our understanding of the HMXB population in
the LMC by building a flux-limited catalogue. This allows us to
compare sample properties with those of HMXB populations in other
nearby galaxies. Using detections during the first eROSITA all-sky
survey, we cross-matched X-ray positions with optical and infrared
catalogues to identify candidate HMXBs. We assigned flags based on
multi-wavelength follow-up observations and archival data, using
properties of known LMC HMXBs. These flags defined confidence classes
for our candidates. We detect sources down to X-ray luminosities of a
few 1034erg/s, resulting in a catalogue of 53 objects, including 28
confirmed HMXBs and 21 new eROSITA detections. We identify several
likely supergiant systems, including a candidate supergiant fast X-ray
transient with phase-dependent flares. We find three Be stars with
likely white dwarf companions. Two of the Be/WD candidates show steady
luminosities across four eROSITA scans, unlike the post-nova states
seen in the majority of previous Be/WD reports. Our catalogue is the
first to cover the entire LMC since the ROSAT era, providing a basis
for statistical population studies. Using the HMXB population, we
estimate the LMC star-formation rate to be
(0.22+0.06-0.07)M☉/yr, which is in agreement with other
tracers.
Description:
One single catalogue is released containing all (candidate) HMXB
systems detected during eRASS1. The second table contains a list of
references for spin periods, orbital periods, and Halpha emission
values found in the catalogue.
File Summary:
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FileName Lrecl Records Explanations
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ReadMe 80 . This file
catalog.dat 1182 53 All (candidate) HMXB systems detected during
eRASS1
refs.dat 85 29 References
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See also:
J/A+A/682/A34 : SRG/eROSITA all-sky survey catalogs (eRASS1) (Merloni+, 2024)
Byte-by-byte Description of file: catalog.dat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 23 A23 --- XrayName Name of X-ray source (XrayName)
25- 47 A23 --- eRASS1 Name of the counterpart in eRASS1
(Merloni et al., 2024,
Cat. J/A+A/682/A34) (eRASS1_name)
49- 178 A130 --- ANames Alternative names of the X-ray source
(alt_XrayNames)
180- 181 I2 --- Seq [1/53]? ID in this paper (seqno)
183- 190 A8 --- Type HMXB type; "?" indicates candidate systems
(Type)
192- 227 A36 --- DetUID DETUID in eRASS1 (Merloniet al., 2024,
Cat. J/A+A/682/A34) (DETUID_eRASS1)
229- 238 E10.4 mW/m2 FeRO Fitted observed Flux 0.2-2.3keV
(see paper) (F_eRO)
240- 247 E8.3 mW/m2 E_FeRO Upper uncertainty on observed flux
(eFeRO_upper)
249- 256 E8.3 mW/m2 e_FeRO Lower uncertainty on observed flux
(eFeRO_lower)
258- 274 F17.14 deg RAdeg Right ascension (J2000) of counterpart in
eRASS1 (Merloni et al., 2024,
Cat. J/A+A/682/A34/) (RA_eRASS1)
276- 293 F18.14 deg DEdeg Declination (J2000) of counterpart in
eRASS1 (Merloni et al., 2024,
Cat. J/A+A/682/A34/) (DEC_eRASS1)
295- 312 F18.16 arcsec ePos Corrected RADEC uncertainty in eRASS1
(Merloni et al., 2024,
Cat. J/A+A/682/A34/) (RADECERReRASS1)
314- 322 F9.3 s Pspin ? Spin period in seconds (Pspin)
324- 328 A5 --- r_Pspin Reference ID for spin period in refs.dat
file (Ref_Pspin)
330- 340 F11.5 d Porb ? Orbital period in days (Porb)
342- 350 F9.5 d PorbAlt ? Alternative orbital period in days
(Porb_alt)
352- 370 A19 --- r_Porb Reference IDs for orbital periods in
refs.dat file (Ref_Porb)
372- 381 F10.6 deg RA2deg ? Right ascension (J2000) of counterpart
in 2MASS (RA_2MA)
383- 392 F10.6 deg DE2deg ? Declination (J2000) of counterpart in
2MASS (DEC_2MA)
394- 400 I7 --- entr2MA ? Entry number of counterpart in 2MASS
(entr_2MA)
402- 413 F12.9 arcsec Dist2MA ? Distance of 2MASS counterpart and
Gaia DR3 counterpart (dist_2MA)
415- 421 F7.3 mag Jmag ? Jmag of counterpart in 2MASS (Jmag_2MA)
423- 429 F7.3 mag Hmag ? Hmag of counterpart in 2MASS (Hmag_2MA)
431- 437 F7.3 mag Kmag ? Ksmag of counterpart in 2MASS (Kmag_2MA)
439- 444 F6.3 mag e_Jmag ? Uncertainty on Jmag of counterpart in
2MASS (eJmag2MA)
446- 451 F6.3 mag e_Hmag ? Uncertainty on Hmag of counterpart in
2MASS (eHmag2MA)
453- 458 F6.3 mag e_Kmag ? Uncertainty on Ksmag of counterpart in
2MASS (eKmag2MA)
460- 476 A17 --- 2MASS Name of counterpart in 2MASS
(name2mass2MA)
478- 505 A28 --- GaiaDR3 Name of counterpart in Gaia DR3
(GaiaDR3name)
507- 515 F9.6 mag Gmag Gmag of counterpart in Gaia DR3
(Gmag_Gaia)
517- 524 F8.6 mag e_Gmag Uncertainty on Gmag of counterpart in
Gaia DR3 (GmagerrGaia)
526- 534 F9.6 mag BPmag BPmag of counterpart in Gaia DR3
(BPmag_Gaia)
536- 543 F8.6 mag e_BPmag Uncertainty on BPmag of counterpart in
Gaia DR3 (BPmagerrGaia)
545- 553 F9.6 mag RPmag RPmag of counterpart in Gaia DR3
(RPmag_Gaia)
555- 562 F8.6 mag e_RPmag Uncertainty on RPmag of counterpart in
Gaia DR3 (RPmagerrGaia)
564- 580 F17.14 deg RAGdeg Right ascension (ICRS) at Ep=2016 of
counterpart in Gaia DR3 (RA_Gaia)
582- 599 F18.14 deg DEGdeg Declination (ICRS) at Ep=2016 of
counterpart in Gaia DR3 (DEC_Gaia)
601- 619 F19.16 arcsec DistGaia Separation between eRASS1 position and
Gaia DR3 counterpart (Dist_Gaia)
621- 626 F6.2 0.1nm Halpha ? Halpha strongest emission/weakest
absorption if value>0 (Halpha)
628- 633 A6 --- r_Halpha Reference ID for Halpha line in refs.dat
file (Ref_Halpha)
635- 637 A3 --- ps [ps: ] Spin period flag (see paper) (ps)
639- 641 A3 --- xrb [xrb ] X-ray binary flag (see paper) (xrb)
643- 644 A2 --- px [px ] X-ray orbital period flag
(see paper) (px)
646- 648 A3 --- po [po: ] Optical orbital period flag
(see paper) (po)
650- 652 A3 --- os [os: oo oxo ] Orbital solution flag
(see paper) (os)
654- 661 A8 --- xv [xvl, xvs ] Long-term X-ray variability
flag (see paper) (xv)
663- 665 A3 --- xs [xs: wd] Short-term X-ray variability flag
(see paper) (xs)
667- 669 A3 --- oi [oi: ] Optical identification flag
(see paper) (oi)
671- 672 A2 --- em [em ] Halpha emission line flag
(see paper) (em)
674- 676 A3 --- sx [sx: ] SED fit infrared excess flag
(see paper) (sx)
678- 679 A2 --- ix [ix ] Infrared colour infrared excess flag
(see paper) (ix)
681- 682 A2 --- qc [qc ] Quasar candidate counterpart flag
(see paper) (qc)
684- 685 A2 --- nv [nv ] No VMC counterpart flag (see paper)
(nv)
687- 688 A2 --- nm [nm ] No MCPS counterpart flag (see paper)
(nm)
690- 691 A2 --- ns [ns ] No high-mass star fitable with SED
flag (see paper) (ns)
693 I1 --- confClass [1/6] Confidence class (see paper)
(confclass)
695- 701 I7 --- entrZ ? ID of counterpart in MCPS (entr_Z)
703- 714 F12.9 arcsec DistGZ ? Distance of MCPS counterpart and
Gaia DR3 counterpart (dGZ)
716- 733 F18.14 deg RAZdeg ? Right ascension (J2000) of MCPS
counterpart (RA_Z)
735- 752 F18.14 deg DEZdeg ? Declination (J2000) of MCPS counterpart
(DEC_Z)
754- 760 F7.3 mag UmagZ ? Umag of MCPS counterpart (Umag_Z)
762- 767 F6.3 mag e_UmagZ ? Uncertainty on Umag of MCPS counterpart
(eUmagZ)
769- 775 F7.3 mag BmagZ ? Bmag of MCPS counterpart (Bmag_Z)
777- 782 F6.3 mag e_BmagZ ? Uncertainty on Bmag of MCPS counterpart
(eBmagZ)
784- 790 F7.3 mag VmagZ ? Vmag of MCPS counterpart (Vmag_Z)
792- 797 F6.3 mag e_VmagZ ? Uncertainty on Vmag of MCPS counterpart
(eVmagZ)
799- 805 F7.3 mag ImagZ ? Imag of MCPS counterpart (Imag_Z)
807- 812 F6.3 mag e_ImagZ ? Uncertainty on Imag of MCPS counterpart
(eImagZ)
814- 826 F13.9 mag U-BZ ? U-B of MCPS counterpart (UBZ)
828- 839 F12.9 mag e_U-BZ ? Uncertainty on U-B of MCPS counterpart
(eUB_Z)
841- 853 F13.10 mag B-VZ ? B-V of MCPS counterpart (BVZ)
855- 866 F12.9 mag e_B-VZ ? Uncertainty on B-V of MCPS counterpart
(eBV_Z)
868- 880 F13.9 mag QZ ? Reddening free Q value of MCPS
counterpart (see paper) (Q_Z)
882- 893 F12.9 mag e_QZ ? Uncertainty of Q value of MCPS
counterpart (eQZ)
895- 923 A29 --- VMC IAU Name of VMC counterpart (IAUNAME_VMC)
925- 941 F17.14 deg RAVdeg Right ascension (J2000) of VMC counterpart
(RA2000_VMC)
943- 960 F18.14 deg DEVdeg Declination (J2000) of VMC counterpart
(DEC2000_VMC)
962- 973 F12.9 mag Y-JVMC Point source colour Y-J (using aperMag3)
of VMC counterpart (YMJPNT_VMC)
975- 986 F12.10 mag e_Y-JVMC Error on point source colour Y-J of VMC
counterpart (YMJPNTERR_VMC)
988-1000 F13.10 mag J-KsVMC Point source colour J-Ks (using aperMag3)
of VMC counterpart (JMKSPNT_VMC)
1002-1013 F12.10 mag e_J-KsVMC Error on point source colour J-Ks of VMC
counterpart (JMKSPNTERR_VMC)
1015-1024 F10.7 mag Ksap3VMC Ks mag aperture corrected (2.0 arcsec
diam) of VMC counterpart (KSAPERMAG3_VMC)
1026-1037 F12.10 mag e_Ksap3VMC Error in Ks aperture corrected mag
(2.0 arcsec of VMC counterpart
(KSAPERMAG3ERR_VMC)
1039-1048 F10.7 mag Jap3VMC J mag aperture corrected mag
(2.0 arcsec diam) of VMC counterpart
(JAPERMAG3_VMC)
1050-1061 F12.10 mag e_Jap3VMC Error in J aperture corrected mag
(2.0 arcsec of VMC counterpart
(JAPERMAG3ERR_VMC)
1063-1072 F10.7 mag Yap3VMC Y mag aperture corrected mag (2.0 arcsec
diam) of VMC counterpart (YAPERMAG3_VMC)
1074-1085 F12.10 mag e_Yap3VMC Error in Y aperture corrected mag
(2.0 arcsec of VMC counterpart
(YAPERMAG3ERR_VMC)
1087-1103 F17.14 deg RASdeg Right ascension (J2000) of SAGE
counterpart (RAJ2000_SAGE)
1105-1122 F18.14 deg DESdeg Declination (J2000) of SAGE counterpart
(DEJ2000_SAGE)
1124-1130 F7.3 mag [3.6] ? 3.6um IRAC (Band 1) magnitude of SAGE
counterpart (36SAGE)
1132-1137 F6.3 mag e_[3.6] ? 1sigma uncertainty on [3.6] of
SAGE counterpart (e36_SAGE)
1139-1145 F7.3 mag [4.5] ? 4.5um IRAC (Band 2) magnitude of
SAGE counterpart (45SAGE)
1147-1152 F6.3 mag e_[4.5] ? 1sigma uncertainty on [4.5] of
SAGE counterpart (e45_SAGE)
1154-1160 F7.3 mag [5.8] ? 5.8um IRAC (Band 3) magnitude of
SAGE counterpart (58SAGE)
1162-1167 F6.3 mag e_[5.8] ? 1sigma uncertainty on [5.8] of
SAGE counterpart (e58_SAGE)
1169-1175 F7.3 mag [8.0] ? 8.0um IRAC (Band 4) magnitude of
SAGE counterpart (80SAGE)
1177-1182 F6.3 mag e_[8.0] ? 1sigma uncertainty on [8.0] of SAGE
counterpart (e80_SAGE)
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Byte-by-byte Description of file: refs.dat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 7 A7 -- Ref Reference code
9- 27 A19 --- BibCode BibCode
29- 48 A20 --- Aut Author's name
51- 85 A35 --- Com Comments
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Acknowledgements:
David Kaltenbrunner, kald(at)mpe.mpg.de
Chandreyee Maitra, cmaitra(at)mpe.mpg.de
References:
License: [see https://spdx.org/licenses/]
(End) Patricia Vannier CDS 18-Feb-2026