Gamma-rays from the vicinity of accreting neutron stars inside compact high-mass X-ray binaries

TL;DR

This paper models gamma-ray production near accreting neutron stars in high-mass X-ray binaries, predicting detectable gamma-ray signals due to particle acceleration in turbulent magnetized transition regions.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed model of particle acceleration and gamma-ray emission in the transition region around neutron stars in high-mass X-ray binaries, linking theoretical predictions with observations.

Findings

Predicted gamma-ray spectra from synchrotron and inverse Compton processes.

Estimated gamma-ray fluxes for specific sources like IGR J19140+0951.

Suggests detectability of these sources with Fermi LAT.

Abstract

Dense wind of a massive star can be partially captured by a neutron star (NS) inside a compact binary system. Depending on the parameters of NS and the wind, the matter can penetrate the inner NS magnetosphere. At some distance from the NS a very turbulent and magnetized transition region is formed due to the balance between the magnetic pressure and the pressure inserted by accreting matter. This region provides good conditions for acceleration of particles to relativistic energies. The matter at the transition region can farther accrete onto the NS surface (the accretor phase) or is expelled from the NS vicinity (the propeller phase). We consider the consequences of acceleration of electrons at the transition region concentrating on the situation in which at least part of the matter falls onto the NS surface. This matter creates a hot spot on the NS surface which emits thermal radiation. Relativistic electrons lose energy on the synchrotron process and the inverse Compton (IC) scattering of this thermal radiation. We calculate the synchrotron spectra (from X-rays to soft $\gamma$-rays) and IC spectra (above a few tens MeV) expected in such a scenario. It is argued that a population of recently discovered massive binaries by the INTEGRAL observatory, which contain neutron stars hidden inside dense stellar winds of massive stars, can be detectable by the recently launched {\it Fermi} LAT telescope at GeV energy range. As an example, we predict the expected $\gamma$-ray flux from recently discovered source IGR J19140+0951.