Distribution of High-Mass X-ray Binaries in the Milky Way
  Observations of the high energy sky, particularly with the INTEGRAL
satellite, have quadrupled the number of supergiant X-ray Binaries observed in
the Galaxy, and revealed new populations of previously hidden High Mass X-ray
Binaries (HMXBs), raising new questions about their formation and evolution.
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 13 sources. These new methods will
allow us to assess the influence of the environment on these high energy
objects with unprecedented reliability.
