| Abstract : | Magellanic Bridge (MB) is the region connecting the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). MB is theorised to be formed due to the interaction of LMC and SMC, but its exact location and structure are not defined. The stellar content is mostly confined to the south-eastern edge of SMC, where a significant young population is visible. We used the Gaia data to decontaminate the MB from Milky Way stars and selected MB stars. Using R and H-alpha imaging in four fields observed with 1-m LCOGT telescopes, we found 17 targets with H-alpha emission, 11 of which had SMC like parallax and proper motion. 6 of these targets were observed using SALT RSS spectroscope. Their radial velocity is consistent with SMC and confirms that these are stellar sources. We found equivalent widths of 40 to 100 A, which are large compared to the Milky Way Be stars. The stars are late Be or early Ae-type stars based on their spectral energy distributions with a typical age limit of 100 to 500 Myr. Our study shows that these stars are formed in-situ in the MB, and their ages are compatible with the last known interaction of LMC and SMC 300 Myr ago. |
