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X-ray binaries provide exceptional laboratories for understanding the physicsof matter under the most extreme conditions. Until recently, there were few, ifany, observational constraints on the circumbinary environments of X-raybinaries at $\sim$ 100-5000 AU scales; it remains unclear how the accretiononto the compact objects or the explosions giving rise to the compact objectsinteract with their immediate surroundings. Here, we present the firsthigh-contrast adaptive optics images of X-ray binaries. These observationstarget all X-ray binaries within $\sim$ 3 kpc accessible with the Keck/NIRC2vortex coronagraph. This paper focuses on one of the first key results fromthis campaign: our images reveal the presence of 21 sources potentiallyassociated with the $\gamma$ Cassiopeiae analog high-mass X-ray binary RXJ1744.7$-$2713. By conducting different analyses - a preliminary proper motionanalysis, a color-magnitude diagram and a probability of chance alignmentcalculation - we found that three of these 21 sources have a high probabilityof being bound to the system. If confirmed, they would be in wide orbits($\sim$ 450 AU to 2500 AU). While follow-up astrometric observations will beneeded in $\sim$ 5-10 years to confirm further the bound nature of thesedetections, these discoveries emphasize that such observations may provide amajor breakthrough in the field. In fact, they would be useful not only for ourunderstanding of stellar multiplicity but also for our understanding of howplanets, brown dwarfs and stars can form even in the most extreme environments.

The First High-Contrast Images of X-Ray Binaries: Detection of Candidate Companions in the $\gamma$ Cas Analog RX J1744.7$-$2713