Study of the distribution of High Mass X-ray Binaries in the Galaxy
  Observations of the high energy sky, mainly with the INTEGRAL satellite, have
raised new questions about the formation and evolution of High Mass X-ray
Binaries (HMXBs). The number of detected HMXBs of different types is now high
enough to allow us to carry out a statistical analysis of their distribution in
the Milky Way. For the first time, we derive the distance and absorption of a
sample of HMXBs using a Spectral Energy Distribution fitting procedure, and we
examine the correlation with the distribution of Star Forming Complexes (SFCs)
in the Galaxy. We show that HMXBs are clustered with SFCs with a typical
cluster size of 0.3 +/- 0.05 kpc and a characteristic distance between clusters
of 1.7 +/- 0.3 kpc. Furthermore, we present an investigation of the expected
offset between the position of spiral arms and HMXBs, allowing us to constrain
age and migration distance due to supernova kick for some sources. These new
methods will allow us to assess the influence of the environment on these high
energy objects with unprecedented reliability.
