Spin period change and the magnetic fields of neutron stars in Be X-ray binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We report on the long-term average spin period, rate of change of spin period and X-ray luminosity during outbursts for 42 Be X-ray binary systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud. We also collect and calculate parameters of each system and use these data to determine that all systems contain a neutron star which is accreting via a disc, rather than a wind, and that if these neutron stars are near spin equilibrium, then over half of them, including all with spin periods over about 100 s, have magnetic fields over the quantum critical level of 4.4 - 1013 G. If these neutron stars are not close to spin equilibrium, then their magnetic fields are inferred to be much lower, of the order of 106-1010 G, comparable to the fields of neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries. Both results are unexpected and have implications for the rate of magnetic field decay and the isolated neutron star population. © 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society.