Small Magellanic Cloud X-Ray Point Source Catalog with 394 Sources

394 X-ray point sources were cataloged from two 100 ks Chandra observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud bar. The catalog, created by NASA HEASARC in August 2010, includes detections of high-mass X-ray binaries, pulsars, and stars down to a luminosity of 4.3 x 10^32 erg s^-1. It presents new pulsar discoveries and candidate identifications, with comparisons to previous ROSAT, ASCA, and XMM-Newton surveys.

Use Cases

• Identify and classify high-mass X-ray binary candidates based on X-ray luminosity and location.
• Study pulsar outburst behavior and quiescent emission based on timing and ephemeris data.
• Cross-match X-ray sources with optical counterparts to confirm early-type stellar classifications.
• Analyze the underlying population density of HMXBs in an active star-forming region.
• Compare source properties with previous catalogs from ROSAT, ASCA, and XMM-Newton for historical analysis.

Strengths

• Contains 394 point sources, providing a substantial sample for statistical analysis.
• Observations targeted the most active star-forming region and a pulsar-rich location, increasing discovery potential.
• Includes specific luminosity sensitivity (L_X = 4.3 x 10^32 erg s^-1) and precise J2000.0 coordinates for two deep fields.
• Reports concrete findings: two new pulsars, three new HMXB candidates, and detections of 13 out of 15 known Be-pulsars.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-03-13 17:54:37.903416; freshness should be verified as the underlying data is from 2010.

Provenance

Source

NASA HEASARC, based on electronic Table 2 from a referenced ApJ paper.

Collection Method

Results from a pair of 100 ks Chandra observations.

Time Range

Observation dates are not specified, but the catalog was created in August 2010.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 17:54:37.903416; the catalog creation date is August 2010.

Geography

Small Magellanic Cloud, specifically two deep fields in the bar region with provided J2000.0 coordinates.