Report
Periastron Observations of TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from a Binary System with a 50-year Period
pp L19 (2018). doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aae70e
2018
Abstract
We report on observations of the pulsar/Be star binary system PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213 in the energy range between $100\,\mathrm{GeV}$ and $20\,\mathrm{TeV}$ with the Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array and Major Atmospheric Gamma Imaging Cherenkov telescope arrays. The binary orbit has a period of approximately 50 years, with the most recent periastron occurring on 2017 November 13. Our observations span from 18 months prior to periastron to one month after. A new point-like gamma-ray source is detected, coincident with the location of PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213. The gamma-ray light curve and spectrum are well characterized over the periastron passage. The flux is variable over at least an order of magnitude, peaking at periastron, thus providing a firm association of the TeV source with the pulsar/Be star system. Observations prior to periastron show a cutoff in the spectrum at an energy around $0.5\,\mathrm{TeV}$. This result adds a new member to the small population of known TeV binaries, and it identifies only the second source of this class in which the nature and properties of the compact object are firmly established. We compare the gamma-ray results with the light curve measured with the X-ray Telescope on board the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and with the predictions of recent theoretical models of the system. We conclude that significant revision of the models is required to explain the details of the emission that we have observed, and we discuss the relationship between the binary system and the overlapping steady extended source, TeV J2032+4130.
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- Title
- Periastron Observations of TeV Gamma-Ray Emission from a Binary System with a 50-year Period
- Creators
- A. U AbeysekaraW BenbowR BirdA BrillR Brose - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronJ. H BuckleyA. J ChromeyM. K DanielA FalconeJ. P FinleyL FortsonA FurnissA GentG. H GillandersD HannaT Hassan - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronO HervetJ HolderG HughesT. B HumenskyP KaaretP KarM KertzmanD KiedaM Krause - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronF KrennrichS KumarM. J LangT. T. Y LinG Maier - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronP MoriartyR MukherjeeS O’BrienR. A OngA. N OtteN ParkA PetrashykM Pohl - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronElisa Pueschel - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronJ QuinnK RaganG. T RichardsE RoacheI Sadeh - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronM SantanderS Schlenstedt - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronG. H SembroskiIurii Sushch - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronJ TylerV. V VassilievS. P WakelyA WeinsteinR. M WellsP WilcoxAlina Wilhelm - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronD. A WilliamsT. J WilliamsonB ZitzerV. A AcciariS AnsoldiL. A AntonelliA. Arbet EngelsD BaackA BabićB BanerjeeU. Barres De AlmeidaJ. A BarrioJ. Becerra GonzálezW BednarekElisa Bernardini - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronA BertiJ BesenriederW Bhattacharyya - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronC BigongiariA BilandO BlanchG BonnoliG BusettoR CarosiG CeribellaS CikotaS. M ColakP ColinE ColomboJ. L ContrerasJ CortinaS CovinoV D’EliaP. Da VelaF DazziA. De AngelisB. De LottoM DelfinoJ DelgadoF. Di PierroE. Do Souto EspiñeraA DomínguezD. Dominis PresterD DornerM DoroS EineckeD ElsaesserV. Fallah RamazaniA FattoriniA Fernández-BarralG FerraraD FidalgoL FoffanoM. V FonsecaL FontC FruckD GalindoS GallozziR. J. García LópezM Garczarczyk - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronS GasparyanM GaugP GiammariaN GodinovićD GubermanD HadaschA HahnJ HerreraJ HoangD HrupecS InoueK IshioY IwamuraH KuboJ KushidaD KuveždićA LamastraD LelasF LeoneE LindforsS LombardiF LongoM LópezA López-OramasB. Machado De Oliveira FragaC MaggioP MajumdarM MakarievM MallamaciG ManevaM ManganaroK MannheimL MaraschiM MariottiM MartínezS MasudaD MazinM MinevJ. M MirandaR MirzoyanE MolinaA MoralejoV MorenoE MorettiP Munar-AdroverV NeustroevA NiedzwieckiM. Nievas RosilloC Nigro - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronK NilssonD NinciK NishijimaK NodaL NoguésM NötheS PaianoJ PalacioD PanequeR PaolettiJ. M ParedesG Pedaletti - Deutsches Elektronen-SynchrotronP PeñilM PeresanoM PersicP. G. Prada MoroniE PrandiniI PuljakJ. R GarciaW RhodeM RibóJ RicoC RighiA RugliancichL SahaN SahakyanT SaitoK SataleckaT SchweizerJ SitarekI ŠnidarićD SobczynskaA SomeroA StamerraM StrzysT SurićF TavecchioP TemnikovT TerzićM TeshimaN Torres-AlbàS TsujimotoJ. Van ScherpenbergG VanzoM. Vazquez AcostaI VovkM WillD Zarić
- Publication Details
- pp L19 (2018). doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aae70e
- Publisher
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, DESY, Hamburg
- Resource Type
- Report
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Other Identifier
- 991019201372804721