The hour-timescale GeV flares of PSR B1259-63 in 2017

TL;DR

This paper reports the first detection of short-lived, powerful GeV flares from PSR B1259-63 during its 2017 periastron, revealing delays and differences compared to previous years, and providing new insights into the timing and nature of these high-energy events.

Contribution

It presents the first observation of rapid, intense GeV flares on three-hour timescales during the 2017 periastron, expanding understanding of the flare timing and characteristics.

Findings

Detection of short-lived GeV flares lasting hours.

Delayed onset of flares in 2017 compared to previous years.

Comparison of multi-wavelength light curves across different periastron events.

Abstract

GeV flares from PSR B1259-63/LS 2883 were seen starting around 30 days after the two periastron passages in 2010 and 2014. The flares are clearly delayed compared to the occurrence of the X-ray and TeV flux peaks during the post-periastron disk crossing. While several attempts have been put forward to explain this phenomenon, the origin of these GeV flares remains a puzzle. Here we present a detailed analysis of the observational data taken by the Fermi and Swift observatories over the 2017 September periastron passage. For the first time, we find short-lived but powerful GeV flares on time scales of down to three hours. The onset of the GeV flaring period in 2017 is also delayed compared to those seen in 2011 and 2014. Supplemented by a re-analysis of previous data, we compare the Fermi/LAT, Swift/XRT and Swift/UVOT light curves in 2017 with those taken over the 2010 and 2014 periastrons, and difference in UVOT light curves are noted.