The INTEGRAL legacy on High Mass X-ray Binaries

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Observations with the INTEGRAL satellite have quadrupled the population of supergiant High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs), revealed a previously hidden population of obscured supergiant HMXBs, and allowed the discovery of huge and fast transient flares in supergiant HMXBs. Apart from these 3 observational facts, has INTEGRAL allowed us to better understand these supergiant HMXBs? Do we have now a better understanding of the 3 populations of HMXBs, and of their accretion process, separated in the so-called Corbet diagram? Do we better apprehend the accretion process in the supergiant HMXBs, and what makes the fast transient flares so special, in the context of the clumpy wind model, and of the formation of transient accretion disks? In summary, has the increased population of supergiant HMXBs allowed a better knowledge of these sources, compared to the ones that were already known before the launch of INTEGRAL? We will review all these observational facts, comparing to the current models, to objectively estimate what is the INTEGRAL legacy on High Mass X-ray Binaries.

Original languageEnglish
JournalProceedings of Science
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2010
Externally publishedYes
Event8th INTEGRAL Workshop on the Restless Gamma-Ray Universe, INTEGRAL 2010 - Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland
Duration: 27 Sept 201030 Sept 2010

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