The youngest X-ray binaries

Abstract

Abstract Several X-ray binaries (XRBs) have been identified to be associated with supernova remnants (SNRs). Because of the short lifetimes of SNRs, this leaves them to be the youngest known XRBs. This small group of binaries provides valuable information on the formation of compact stars under the framework of massive binary evolution. In this paper we review the observational characteristics of these youngest XRBs and discuss their possible implications on the initial conditions of compact stars and their interaction with the companion stars.