A possible variation in X-ray polarization from the PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 System

ABSTRACT PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 is a gamma-ray binary system with a radio pulsar orbiting the Be star LS 2883, in an orbital period of 1236.7 d. When the pulsar passes through the companion circumstellar disc of LS 2883, flux variations are observed across all wavelengths due to the interaction between the outflow of LS 2883 and the relativistic wind of the pulsar. We obtained X-ray polarization results for PSR B1259−63 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer during the X-ray bright phase following the periastron passage in June 2024. A possible polarization degree variability is observed in 2–6 keV, with the polarization degree decreasing from 15$\pm$2 per cent during the high flux period to 4$\pm$2 per cent in the low flux period. The potential variability in polarization degree points to evolving physical conditions in the emission region, likely tied to the variation in the uniformity of the magnetic field within the shock cone.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2025-06-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staf934
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.15

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

A possible variation in X-ray polarization from the PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 System

M. Y. Ge, En‐Wei Liang, Alessandro Di Marco, Fei Xie et al.
1 citations
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
1.15
article

A possible variation in X-ray polarization from the PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 System

M. Y. Ge, En‐Wei Liang, Alessandro Di Marco, Fei Xie, Wei Deng, Fabio La Monaca, Shanshan Weng
article en
1 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 is a gamma-ray binary system with a radio pulsar orbiting the Be star LS 2883, in an orbital period of 1236.7 d. When the pulsar passes through the companion circumstellar disc of LS 2883, flux variations are observed across all wavelengths due to the interaction between the outflow of LS 2883 and the relativistic wind of the pulsar. We obtained X-ray polarization results for PSR B1259−63 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer during the X-ray bright phase following the periastron passage in June 2024. A possible polarization degree variability is observed in 2–6 keV, with the polarization degree decreasing from 15$\pm$2 per cent during the high flux period to 4$\pm$2 per cent in the low flux period. The potential variability in polarization degree points to evolving physical conditions in the emission region, likely tied to the variation in the uniformity of the magnetic field within the shock cone.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical SocietyVol. 540(4)
University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT), Guangxi University (CN), Nanjing Normal University (CN), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology (IT), Institute of Theoretical Physics (CN), Institute of High Energy Physics (CN)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 19%
Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations
1.15
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.