The XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud : XMMU J005011.2-730026 = SXP214, a Be/X-ray binary pulsar

In the course of the XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud, a region to the east of the emission nebula N19 was observed in 2009 November. To search for new candidates for high-mass X-ray binaries, the EPIC-pn and EPIC-MOS data of the detected point sources were investigated and their spectral and temporal characteristics identified. A new transient (XMMUJ005011.2-730026 = SXP214) with a pulse period of 214.05s was discovered; the source had a hard X-ray spectrum with a power-law index of ~0.65. The accurate X-ray source location permits the identification of the X-ray source with an ~15th magnitude Be star, thereby confirming this system as a new Be/X-ray binary.