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Context. With a mass exceeding several 10^4 solar masses and a rich and dense population of massive stars, supermassive young star clusters represent the most massive star-forming environment that is dominated by the feedback from massive stars and gravitational interactions among stars. Aims. In this paper we present the "Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters Survey" (EWOCS) project, which aims to investigate the influence of the starburst environment on the formation of stars and planets, and on the evolution of both low and high mass stars. The primary targets of this project are Westerlund 1 and 2, the closest supermassive star clusters to the Sun. Methods. The project is based primarily on recent observations conducted with the Chandra and JWST observatories. Specifically, the Chandra survey of Westerlund 1 consists of 36 new ACIS-I observations, nearly co-pointed, for a total exposure time of 1 Msec. Additionally, we included 8 archival Chandra/ACIS-S observations. This paper presents the resulting catalog of X-ray sources within and around Westerlund 1. Sources were detected by combining various existing methods, and photon extraction and source validation were carried out using the ACIS-Extract software. Results. The EWOCS X-ray catalog comprises 5963 validated sources out of the 9420 initially provided to ACIS-Extract, reaching a photon flux threshold of approximately 2x10^-8 photons/cm^2/s. The X-ray sources exhibit a highly concentrated spatial distribution, with 1075 sources located within the central 1 arcminute. We have successfully detected X-ray emissions from 126 out of the 166 known massive stars of the cluster, and we have collected over 71000 photons from the magnetar CXO J164710.20-455217, Comment: The paper has been accepted for publication by Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Galactic supergiant B[e] star CI Camelopardalis (CI Cam) was the first sgB[e] star detected during an X-ray outburst. The star brightened to $\sim$2 Crab in the X-ray regime within hours before decaying to a quiescent level in less than 2 weeks, clearly indicative of binarity. Since the outburst of CI Cam, a number of sgB[e] stars have been identified as X-ray overluminous for a single star (i.e. $L_X > 10^{-7}~L_{bol}$). This small population has recently expanded to include two Ultra Luminous X-ray sources (ULX), Holmberg II X-1 and NGC300 ULX-1/supernova imposter SN2010da. We revisit CI Cam to investigate its behaviour over several timescales and shed further light on the nature of the compact object in the system, its X-ray outburst in 1998 and the binary system parameters. We analyse archival XMM-Newton EPIC-pn spectra and light curves along with new data from Swift and NuSTAR. We also present high-resolution MERCATOR/HERMES optical spectra, including a spectrum taken 1.02 days after our NuSTAR observation. Despite being in quiescence, CI Cam is highly X-ray variable on timescales of days, both in terms of total integrated flux and spectral shape. We interpret these variations by invoking the presence of an accreting compact companion immersed in a dense, highly structured, aspherical circumstellar envelope. The differences in the accretion flux and circumstellar extinction represent either changes in this environment, triggered by variable mass loss from the star, or the local conditions to the accretor due to its orbital motion. We find no evidence for pulsations in the X-ray light curve. CI Cam has many similarities with SN2010da across mid-IR, optical and X-ray wavelengths suggesting that, subject to distance determination for CI Cam, if CI Cam was located in an external galaxy its 1998 outburst would have led to a classification as a supernova imposter., Comment: 13 pages, 8 Figures and 3 Tables. Accepted for Publication in A&A

Oxygen-rich young supernova remnants are valuable objects for probing the outcome of nucleosynthetic processes in massive stars, as well as the physics of supernova explosions. Observed within a few thousand years after the supernova explosion, these systems contain fast-moving oxygen-rich and hydrogen-poor filaments visible at optical wavelengths: fragments of the progenitor's interior expelled at a few 1000 km/s during the supernova explosion. Here we report the first identification of the compact object in 1E0102.2-7219 in reprocessed Chandra X-ray Observatory data, enabled via the discovery of a ring-shaped structure visible primarily in optical recombination lines of Ne I and O I. The optical ring, discovered in integral field spectroscopy observations from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the Very Large Telescope, has a radius of $(2.10\pm0.35)$ arcsec = $(0.63\pm0.11)$ pc, and is expanding at a velocity of $90.5_{-30}^{+40}$ km/s. It surrounds an X-ray point source with an intrinsic X-ray luminosity $L_{i}$ (1.2--2.0 keV)= $(1.4\pm0.2)\times10^{33}$ erg/s. The energy distribution of the source indicates that this object is an isolated neutron star: a Central Compact Object akin to those present in the Cas A and Puppis A supernova remnants, and the first of its kind to be identified outside of our Galaxy., Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, published in Nature Astronomy. v2: release of the accepted version, posted after the legal journal embargo ended

To better understand the LBV phenomenon, we analyze multi-epoch and multi-wavelength spectra and photometry of R71. Pre-outburst spectra are analyzed with the radiative transfer code CMFGEN to determine the star's fundamental stellar parameters. During quiescence, R71 has an effective temperature of $T_\mathrm{{eff}} = 15\,500~K$ and a luminosity of log$(L_*/L_{\odot})$ = 5.78 and is thus a classical LBV, but at the lower luminosity end of this group. We determine its mass-loss rate to $4.0 \times 10^{-6}~M_{\odot}~$yr$^{-1}$. We present R71's spectral energy distribution from the near-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared during its present outburst. Mid-infrared observations suggest that we are witnessing dust formation and grain evolution. Semi-regular oscillatory variability in the star's light curve is observed during the current outburst. Absorption lines develop a second blue component on a timescale twice that length. The variability may consist of one (quasi-)periodic component with P ~ 425/850 d with additional variations superimposed. During its current S Doradus outburst, R71 occupies a region in the HR diagram at the high-luminosity extension of the Cepheid instability strip and exhibits similar irregular variations as RV Tau variables. LBVs do not pass the Cepheid instability strip because of core evolution, but they develop comparable cool, low-mass, extended atmospheres in which convective instabilities may occur. As in the case of RV Tau variables, the occurrence of double absorption lines with an apparent regular cycle may be due to shocks within the atmosphere and period doubling may explain the factor of two in the lengths of the photometric and spectroscopic cycles., Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, submitted to A&A

The X-ray binary population of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) contains a large number of massive X-ray binaries and the recent survey of the SMC by XMM-Newton has resulted in almost 50 more tentative high mass X-ray binary candidates. Using probability parameters from Haberl & Sturm (2016) together with the optical spectra and timing in this work, we confirm six new massive X-ray binaries in the SMC. We also report two very probable binary periods; of 36.4d in XMM 1859 and of 72.2 d in XMM 2300. These Be X-ray binaries are likely part of the general SMC population which rarely undergoes an X-ray outburst., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a detailed optical and X-ray study of the 2013 outburst of the Small Magellanic Cloud Be/X-ray binary SXP7.92, as well as an overview of the last 18 years of observations from OGLE, RXTE, Chandra and XMM-Newton. We revise the position of this source to RA(J2000)=00:57:58.4, Dec(J2000)=-72:22:29.5 with a $1\sigma$ uncertainty of 1.5 arcsec, correcting the previously reported position by Coe et al. (2009) by more than 20 arcminutes. We identify and spectrally classify the correct counterpart as a B1Ve star. The optical spectrum is distinguished by an uncharacteristically deep narrow Balmer series, with the H$\alpha$ line in particular having a distinctive shell profile, i.e. a deep absorption core embedded in an emission line. We interpret this as evidence that we are viewing the system edge on and are seeing self obscuration of the circumstellar disc. We derive an optical period for the system of 40.0$\pm0.3$ days, which we interpret as the orbital period, and present several mechanisms to describe the X-ray/Optical behaviour in the recent outburst, in particular the "flares" and "dips" seen in the optical light curve, including a transient accretion disc and an elongated precessing disc., Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The stellar population of the 30 Doradus star-forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud contains a subset of apparently single, rapidly rotating O-type stars. The physical processes leading to the formation of this cohort are currently uncertain. One member of this group, the late O-type star VFTS 399, is found to be unexpectedly X-ray bright for its bolometric luminosity - in this study we aim to determine its physical nature and the cause of this behaviour. We find VFTS 399 to be an aperiodic photometric variable with an apparent near-IR excess. Its optical spectrum demonstrates complex emission profiles in the lower Balmer series and select HeI lines - taken together these suggest an OeBe classification. The highly variable X-ray luminosity is too great to be produced by a single star, while the hard, non-thermal nature suggests the presence of an accreting relativistic companion. Finally, the detection of periodic modulation of the X-ray lightcurve is most naturally explained under the assumption that the accretor is a neutron star. VFTS 399 appears to be the first high-mass X-ray binary identified within 30 Dor. Comparison of the current properties of VFTS 399 to binary-evolution models suggests a progenitor mass in excess of 25Msun for the putative neutron star, which may host a magnetic field comparable in strength to those of magnetars. VFTS 399 is now the second member of the cohort of rapidly rotating `single' O-type stars in 30 Dor to show evidence of binary interaction resulting in spin-up, suggesting that this may be a viable evolutionary pathway for the formation of a subset of this stellar population., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

On MJD 56590-1 (2013 Oct 25-26) observations of the Magellanic Clouds by the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) observatory discovered a previously-unreported bright, flaring X-ray source. This source was initially given the identification IGR J00569-7226. Subsequent multi-wavelength observations identified the system as new Be/X-ray binary system in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Follow-up X-ray observations by Swift and XMM-Newton revealed an X-ray pulse period of 5.05s and that the system underwent regular occulation/eclipse behaviour every 17d. This is the first reported eclipsing Be/X-ray binary system in the SMC, and only the second such system known to date. Furthermore, the nature of the occultation makes it possible to use the neutron star to X-ray the circumstellar disk, thereby, for the first time, revealing direct observational evidence for its size and clumpy structure. Swift timing measurements allowed for the binary solution to be calculated from the Doppler shifted X-ray pulsations. This solution suggests this is a low eccentricity binary relative to others measured in the SMC. Finally it is interesting to note that the mass determined from this dynamical method for the Be star (approx 13 solar masses) is significantly different from that inferred from the spectroscopic classification of B0.2Ve (approx 16 solar masses) - an effect that has been noted for some other high mass X-ray binary (HMXB) systems., Comment: 19 pages, accepted by MNRAS

An exceptionally bright new X-ray source in the Large Magellanic Cloud was discovered by the Swift/BAT telescope on MJD 54923 (2 April 2009), and shown to have a pulse period of 27s using follow-up observations by RXTE/PCA. We report here on detailed timing observations taken over the following weeks using Fermi/GBM which reveal an excellent orbital solution and indicate that the source flux peaked at $\sim10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$. In addition, we report on follow-up optical observations (spectroscopic and photometric) which permit a classification of the mass donor star as B1Ve, and furthermore reveal a strong optical modulation at a period consistent with the binary period found from the Fermi/GBM data - 27.4 d. The dynamical mass estimate for the Be star is not in agreement with that expected for a B1V star - a mismatch similar to this has been previously reported for the few other Magellanic Cloud stars that also have dynamical mass estimates. In addition, the neutron star magnetic field determination from the X-ray data ($\sim10^{13}$ G) adds further evidence to the possibility that many such stars in High Mass X-ray Binary systems may have magnetic fields greater than previously expected ($\sim10^{12}$ G)., Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

We identify a new candidate for a Be/X-ray binary in the XMM-Newton slew survey and archival Swift observations that is located in the transition region of the Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud and the Magellanic Bridge. We investigated and classified this source with follow-up XMM-Newton and optical observations. We model the X-ray spectra and search for periodicities and variability in the X-ray observations and the OGLE I-band light curve. The optical counterpart has been classified spectroscopically, with data obtained at the SAAO 1.9 m telescope, and photometrically, with data obtained using GROND at the MPG 2.2 m telescope. The X-ray spectrum is typical of a high-mass X-ray binary with an accreting neutron star. We detect X-ray pulsations, which reveal a neutron-star spin period of P = (264.516+-0.014) s. The source likely shows a persistent X-ray luminosity of a few 10^35 erg/s and in addition type-I outbursts that indicate an orbital period of ~146 d. A periodicity of 0.867 d, found in the optical light curve, can be explained by non-radial pulsations of the Be star. We identify the optical counterpart and classify it as a B1-2II-IVe star. This confirms SXP 265 as a new Be/X-ray binary pulsar originating in the tidal structure between the Magellanic Clouds., Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

Several persistent, low luminosity (L_X 10^{34} erg s^{-1}), long spin period (P>100 s) High Mass X-ray Binaries have been reported with blackbody components with temperatures >1 keV. These hot thermal excesses have correspondingly small emitting regions (<1 km^2) and are attributed to the neutron star polar caps. We present a recent XMM-Newton target of opportunity observation of the newest member of this class, Swift J045106.8-694803. The period was determined to be 168.5+/-0.2 s as of 17 July 2012 (MJD = 56125.0). At $L_X 10^{36} erg s^{-1}, Swift J045106.8-694803 is the brightest member of this new class, as well as the one with the shortest period. The spectral analysis reveals for the first time the presence of a blackbody with temperature kT_{BB}=1.8^{+0.2}_{-0.3} keV and radius R_{BB}=0.5+/-0.2 km. The pulsed fraction decreases with increasing energy and the ratio between the hard (>2 keV) and soft (<2 keV) light curves is anticorrelated with the pulse profile. Simulations of the spectrum suggest that this is caused by the pulsations of the blackbody being pi out of phase with those of the power law component. Using a simple model for emission from hot spots on the neutron star surface, we fit the pulse profile of the blackbody component to obtain an indication of the geometry of the system., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We observed the newly discovered X-ray source Swift J053041.9-665426 in the X-ray and optical regime to confirm its proposed nature as a high mass X-ray binary. We obtained XMM-Newton and Swift X-ray data, along with optical observations with the ESO Faint Object Spectrograph, to investigate the spectral and temporal characteristics of Swift J053041.9-665426. The XMM-Newton data show coherent X-ray pulsations with a period of 28.77521(10) s (1 sigma). The X-ray spectrum can be modelled by an absorbed power law with photon index within the range 0.76 to 0.87. The addition of a black body component increases the quality of the fit but also leads to strong dependences of the photon index, black-body temperature and absorption column density. We identified the only optical counterpart within the error circle of XMM-Newton at an angular distance of ~0.8 arcsec, which is 2MASS J05304215-6654303. We performed optical spectroscopy from which we classify the companion as a B0-1.5Ve star. The X-ray pulsations and long-term variability, as well as the properties of the optical counterpart, confirm that Swift J053041.9-665426 is a new Be/X-ray binary pulsar in the Large Magellanic Cloud., Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

The mechanism by which supergiant (sg)B[e] stars support cool, dense dusty discs/tori and their physical relationship with other evolved, massive stars such as luminous blue variables is uncertain. In order to investigate both issues we have analysed the long term behaviour of the canonical sgB[e] star LHA 115-S 18. We employed the OGLE II-IV lightcurve to search for (a-)periodic variability and supplemented these data with new and historic spectroscopy. In contrast to historical expectations for sgB[e] stars, S18 is both photometrically and spectroscopically highly variable. The lightcurve is characterised by rapid aperiodic `flaring' throughout the 16 years of observations. Changes in the high excitation emission line component of the spectrum imply evolution in the stellar temperature - as expected for luminous blue variables - although somewhat surprisingly, spectroscopic and photometric variability appears not to be correlated. Characterised by emission in low excitation metallic species, the cool circumstellar torus appears largely unaffected by this behaviour. Finally, in conjunction with intense, highly variable HeII emission, X-ray emission implies the presence of an unseen binary companion. S18 provides observational support for the putative physical association of (a subset of) sgB[e] stars and luminous blue variables. Given the nature of the circumstellar environment of S18 and that luminous blue variables have been suggested as SN progenitors, it is tempting to draw a parallel to the progenitors of SN1987A and the unusual transient SN2009ip. Moreover the likely binary nature of S18 strengthens the possibility that the dusty discs/tori that characterise sgB[e] stars are the result of binary-driven mass-loss; consequently such stars may provide a window on the short lived phase of mass-transfer in massive compact binaries., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

We present a detailed X-ray study of the 2003 XMM-Newton observation of the High Mass X-ray Binary XTE J0421+560/CI Cam. The continuum of the X-ray spectrum is well described by a flat power law (Gamma=1.0+/-0.2) with a large intrinsic absorbing column (N_H=(4.4+/-0.5)\times10^{23} cm^{-2}). We have decomposed the broad iron line into 3 separate components: Fe\textsc{i}-K$\alpha$, Fe\textsc{i}-K$\beta$ and Fe\textsc{xxiv-xxv}K$\alpha$. It is unclear how both neutral and almost fully ionised iron can exist simultaneously, however we suggest this could be evidence that the compact object is embedded in the circumstellar material. This doesn't appear to be consistent with the X-ray flux and spectrum of the source, which has remained essentially unchanged since the initial outburst. The iron abundance implied by the ratio of the neutral Fe-K$\alpha$ and Fe-K$\beta$ is compatible with solar. We search for lags in the neutral Fe-K$\alpha$ with respect to the continuum and find marginal evidence for a lag at ~10 ks. We interpret this as the light crossing time of the torus which would suggest that the neutral iron is located at a radius of 10 AU. This result depends on several assumptions including the distance to the system, the inclination, the mass of system and the orbital period none of which are known with any great certainty. Better constraints on these system parameters and further observations of this system are required to confirm this result. We discuss the nature of this system in light of our results and place it in context with other binary B[e] stars., Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present a multi-wavelength analysis of the very fast X-ray transient MAXI J0158-744, which was detected by MAXI/GSC on 2011 November 11. The subsequent exponential decline of the X-ray flux was followed with Swift observations, all of which revealed spectra with low temperatures (~100eV) indicating that MAXI J0158-744 is a new Supersoft Source (SSS). The Swift X-ray spectra near maximum show features around 0.8 keV that we interpret as possible absorption from OVIII, and emission from O, Fe, and Ne lines. We obtained SAAO and ESO optical spectra of the counterpart early in the outburst and several weeks later. The early spectrum is dominated by strong Balmer and HeI emission, together with weaker HeII emission. The later spectrum reveals absorption features that indicate a B1/2IIIe spectral type, and all spectral features are at velocities consistent with the Small Magellanic Cloud. At this distance, it is a luminous SSS (>10^37 erg/s) but whose brief peak luminosity of >10^39 erg/s in the 2-4 keV band makes it the brightest SSS yet seen at "hard" X-rays. We propose that MAXI J0158-744 is a Be-WD binary, and the first example to possibly enter ULX territory. The brief hard X-ray flash could possibly be a result of the interaction of the ejected nova shell with the B star wind in which the white dwarf (WD) is embedded. This makes MAXI J0158-744 only the third Be/WD system in the Magellanic Clouds, but it is by far the most luminous. The properties of MAXI J0158-744 give weight to previous suggestions that SSS in nearby galaxies are associated with early-type stellar systems., Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures; ApJ accepted

In the course of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), two new bright X-ray sources were discovered exhibiting the spectral characteris- tics of High Mass X-ray Binaries - but revealing only weak evidence for pulsations in just one of the objects(at 153s in XMMUJ010743.1-715953). The accurate X- ray source locations permit the identification of these X-ray source with Be stars, thereby strongly suggesting these systems are new Be/X-ray binaries. From blue spectra the proposed classification for XMMUJ010633.1-731543 is B0.5-1Ve and for XMMUJ010743.1-715953 it is B2IV-Ve., Comment: MNRAS (accepted), 12 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables

The number of known Be/X-ray binaries in the Large Magellanic Cloud is small compared to the observed population of the Galaxy or the Small Magellanic Cloud. The discovery of a system in outburst provides the rare opportunity to measure its X-ray properties in detail. IGR J05414-6858 was discovered in 2010 by INTEGRAL and found in another outburst with the Swift satellite in 2011. In order to characterise the system, we analysed the data from a follow-up XMM-Newton target of opportunity observation of the 2011 outburst and investigate the stellar counterpart with photometry and spectroscopy. We modelled the X-ray spectra from the EPIC instruments on XMM-Newton and compared them with Swift archival data. In the X-ray and optical light curves, we searched for periodicities and variability. The optical counterpart was classified using spectroscopy obtained with ESO's Faint Object Spectrograph at NTT. The X-ray spectra as seen in 2011 are relatively hard with a photon index of ~0.3-0.4 and show only low absorption. They deviate significantly from earlier spectra of a probable type II outburst in 2010. The neutron star spin period of P_s = 4.4208 s was discovered with EPIC-pn. The I-band light curve revealed a transition from a low to a high state around MJD 54500. The optical counterpart is classified to B0-1IIIe and shows Halpha emission and a variable NIR excess, vanishing during the 2010 outburst. In the optical high state, we found a periodicity at 19.9 days, probably caused by binarity and indicating the orbital period., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 10 pages, 12 figures

We report on the first X-ray images of the Phoenix dwarf galaxy, taken with \emph{XMM-Newton} in July 2009. This local group dwarf galaxy shares similarities with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) including a burst of star formation $\sim$50 Myr ago. The SMC has an abundance of High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXBs) and so we have investigated the possibility of an HMXB population in Phoenix with the intention of furthering the understanding of the HMXB-star formation rate relation. The data from the combined European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) were used to distinguish between different source classes (foreground stars, background galaxies, AGN and supernova remnants) using EPIC hardness ratios and correlations with optical and radio catalogues. Of the 81 X-ray sources in the field of view, six are foreground stars, four are galaxies and one is an AGN. The remaining sources with optical counterparts have log($\frac{f_X}{f_{opt}}$) consistent with AGN in the local universe. Further investigation of five sources in the field of view suggests they are all background AGN. Their position behind the gas cloud associated with Phoenix makes them a possible tool for further probing the metallicity of this region. We find no evidence for any HMXBs in Phoenix at this time. This rules out the existence of the X-ray persistent supergiant X-ray binary systems. However the transient nature of the Be/X-ray binaries means we cannot rule out a population of these sources but can conclude that it is not extensive., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, Accepted for publication in MNRAS

In the course of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), a region to the east of the emission nebula N19 was observed in November 2009. To search for new candidates for high mass X-ray binaries the EPIC PN and MOS data of the detected point sources were investigated and their spectral and temporal characteristics identified. A new transient (XMMUJ005011.2-730026= SXP214) with a pulse period of 214.05 s was discovered; the source had a hard X-ray spectrum with power-law index of ~0.65. The accurate X-ray source location permits the identification of the X-ray source with a ~15th magnitude Be star, thereby confirming this system as a new Be/X-ray binary., Comment: 8 pages 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

One of the goals of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud is the study of the Be/X-ray binary population. During one of our first survey observations a bright new transient - XMMUJ004814.0-732204 - was discovered. We present the analysis of the EPIC X-ray data together with optical observations, to investigate the spectral and temporal characteristics of XMMUJ004814.0-732204. We found coherent X-ray pulsations in the EPIC data with a period of (11.86642 +/- 0.00017) s. The X-ray spectrum can be modelled by an absorbed power-law with indication for a soft excess. Depending on the modelling of the soft X-ray spectrum, the photon index ranges between 0.53 and 0.66. We identify the optical counterpart as a B = 14.9mag star which was monitored during the MACHO and OGLE-III projects. The optical light curves show regular outbursts by ~0.5 mag in B and R and up to 0.9 mag in I which repeat with a time scale of about 1000 days. The OGLE-III optical colours of the star are consistent with an early B spectral type. An optical spectrum obtained at the 1.9 m telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory in December 2009 shows H_alpha emission with an equivalent width of 3.5 +/- 0.6 A. The X-ray spectrum and the detection of pulsations suggest that XMMUJ004814.0-732204 is a new high mass X-ray binary pulsar in the SMC. The long term variability and the H_alpha emission line in the spectrum of the optical counterpart identify it as a Be/X-ray binary system., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, accepted by A&A

We present X-ray and optical data on the Be/X-ray binary (BeXRB) pulsar IGR J01054-7253 = SXP11.5 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) observations of this source in a large X-ray outburst reveal an 11.483 +/- 0.002s pulse period and show both the accretion driven spin-up of the neutron star and the motion of the neutron star around the companion through Doppler shifting of the spin period. Model fits to these data suggest an orbital period of 36.3 +/- 0.4d and Pdot of (4.7 +/- 0.3) x 10^{-10} ss^{-1}. We present an orbital solution for this system, making it one of the best described BeXRB systems in the SMC. The observed pulse period, spin-up and X-ray luminosity of SXP11.5 in this outburst are found to agree with the predictions of neutron star accretion theory. Timing analysis of the long-term optical light curve reveals a periodicity of 36.70 +/- 0.03d, in agreement with the orbital period found from the model fit to the X-ray data. Using blue-end spectroscopic observations we determine the spectral type of the counterpart to be O9.5-B0 IV-V. This luminosity class is supported by the observed V-band magnitude. Using optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy, we study the circumstellar environment of the counterpart in the months after the X-ray outburst., Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures and 3 tables. This paper has been accepted for publication in MNRAS

We report the analysis of a highly magnetised neutron star in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The high mass X-ray binary pulsar Swift J045106.8-694803 has been observed with Swift X-ray telescope (XRT) in 2008, The Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in 2011 and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission - Newton (XMM-Newton) in 2012. The change in spin period over these four years indicates a spin-up rate of 5.010.06 s/yr, amongst the highest observed for an accreting pulsar. This spin-up rate can be accounted for using Ghosh and Lambs (1979) accretion theory assuming it has a magnetic field of (1.2 +/= 0.20/0.7) x 10(exp 14) Gauss. This is over the quantum critical field value. There are very few accreting pulsars with such high surface magnetic fields and this is the first of which to be discovered in the LMC. The large spin-up rate is consistent with Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) observations which show that Swift J045106.8-694803 has had a consistently high X-ray luminosity for at least five years. Optical spectra have been used to classify the optical counterpart of Swift J045106.8-694803 as a B0-1 III-V star and a possible orbital period of 21.631 +/- 0.005 days has been found from MACHO optical photometry.