Polarized Emission of Intrabinary Shocks in Spider Pulsars from Global 3D Kinetic Simulations

Abstract In spider pulsar systems, a relativistic intrabinary shock (IBS) forms when the pulsar wind collides with the massive outflow driven off the pulsar’s low-mass stellar companion. The shock is a site of nonthermal particle acceleration, likely via shock-driven magnetic reconnection, and produces synchrotron emission. These shocks are among the few systems in which global scales can be reasonably captured with kinetic simulations, enabling first-principles particle acceleration and emission studies. We perform the first global 3D kinetic simulations of spider pulsar IBSs and predict their polarized emission properties. We report emission spectra, light curves, and polarization patterns as a function of the stripe-averaged magnetic field, cooling strength, and viewing inclination. At 90° inclination and for a low stripe-averaged magnetic field, we reproduce the double peaked light curve observed in spider systems. We predict a significant polarization degree ≳15%, which monotonically increases with the stripe-averaged field strength. Our results can be applied to and tested by forthcoming X-ray polarization observations of spider pulsars.