Non-thermal processes in colliding-wind massive binaries: the contribution of Simbol-X to a multiwavelength investigation

TL;DR

This paper discusses how Simbol-X observations can advance the understanding of non-thermal emissions and particle acceleration mechanisms in colliding-wind massive binaries through multiwavelength studies.

Contribution

It introduces the potential of Simbol-X to probe hard X-ray emissions, providing new insights into particle acceleration in colliding-wind binaries.

Findings

Non-thermal radio emissions indicate efficient particle acceleration.

Simbol-X can detect hard X-ray emissions from these binaries.

Colliding-wind binaries are valuable for studying astrophysical particle acceleration.

Abstract

Several colliding-wind massive binaries are known to be non-thermal emitters in the radio domain. This constitutes strong evidence for the fact that an efficient particle acceleration process is at work in these objects. The acceleration mechanism is most probably the Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) process in the presence of strong hydrodynamic shocks due to the colliding-winds. In order to investigate the physics of this particle acceleration, we initiated a multiwavelength campaign covering a large part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this context, the detailed study of the hard X-ray emission from these sources in the SIMBOL-X bandpass constitutes a crucial element in order to probe this still poorly known topic of astrophysics. It should be noted that colliding-wind massive binaries should be considered as very valuable targets for the investigation of particle acceleration in a similar way as supernova remnants, but in a different region of the parameter space.