LHG 83: Another outstanding X-ray binary in the LMC

The strongest X-ray point source, LHG 83, discovered in the EINSTEIN survey of the LMC and not being associated with a nearby coronal type stellar emitter or background AGN is identified with a faint blue variable object. Spectrophotometry reveals low mass X-ray binary characteristics at a mean velocity consistent with LMC membership. The He II 4686 emission exhibits a unique blue shifted component suggesting outflow velocities of several thousand km/s. Optical brightness changes by 0.3 mag in less than one hour are likely to be intrinsic to the source rather than induced by orbital motion. The low X-ray to optical flux ratio is probably due to the fact that the central X-ray source is blocked from direct view by the accretion disk.Based on observations obtained at ESO, La Silla, Chile