NuSTAR Analysis of the 2024 Periastron Passage of TeV Binary PSR B1259-63

2025/07/08 by Roberts, Oliver J., Kaaret, Philip, Saade, M. Lynne +4
#FOS: Physical sciences #High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)

paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2507.05571

Abstract

PSR B1259-63 is a well studied TeV binary, with an energetic pulsar in orbit around a Be star. Using NuSTAR observations during the 2024 passage of the pulsar through the circumstellar disk, we find the spectrum to be the most energetic (Γ = 1.5) around 27 days after periastron, during the first of two variable, short-term emission episodes of a contemporaneous GeV flare. We discuss the variability in the X-ray flux and the hardening of the spectrum with time, and in the context of previous observations and what that means for the competing energy loss and acceleration timescales.

Citations

• Multiwavelength coverage of the 2024 periastron passage of PSR B1259-63 / LS 2883
• Magnetic field geometry of the gamma-ray binary PSR B1259-63 revealed via X-ray polarization
• The radio to GeV picture of PSR B1259-63 during the 2021 periastron passage
• The Astropy Project: Sustaining and Growing a Community-oriented Open-source Project and the Latest Major Release (v5.0) of the Core Package
• Multi-wavelength properties of the 2021 periastron passage of PSR\n B1259-63
• The Astropy Project: Building an Open-science Project and Status of the v2.0 Core Package*
• Gamma-ray binaries and related systems
• The Swift X-Ray Telescope

Related

• Multi-wavelength properties of the 2021 periastron passage of PSR\n B1259-63
• High energy γ-ray emission from PSR B1259-63 during 2014 and 2010 periastron passages
• H.E.S.S. observations of the 2021 periastron passage of PSR B1259-63/LS 2883
• Multiwavelength coverage of the 2024 periastron passage of PSR B1259-63 / LS 2883
• GeV Gamma-ray Emission from the Binary PSR B1259-63/SS2883 During the 2010 Periastron Passage