BeppoSAX observations of the black hole candidates LMC X-1 and LMC X-3 Original Research Article

We describe BeppoSAX observations of the black hole candidates LMC X-1 and LMC X-3 performed in Oct. 1997. Both sources can be modelled by a multicolor accretion disk spectrum, with temperature ∼ 1 keV. However, there is some evidence that a thin emitting component coexists with the thick disk at these temperatures. In the direction of LMC X-1, we detected a significant emission above 10 keV, which we suspect originates from the nearby source PSR 0540-69. For LMC X-1, we estimate an absorbing column density of ⋍ 6 × 1021 cm−2, which is almost ten times larger than that found for LMC X-3. In both sources, we find no indication of emission or absorption features whatsoever.