Relativistic astrospheres of gamma-ray binaries: modeling of non-thermal processes

Abstract

A long standing problem in high energy astrophysics is the nature of galactic accelerators of particles with energies above PeV. Such objects are sources of galactic cosmic rays and can produce PeV-regime photons observed by ground-based observatories. Among very likely accelerators are astrospheres of pulsars in gamma-ray binaries. These binaries have long been observed as bright sources of TeV gamma-rays. Recently, 2D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (rMHD) simulations have shown that the astrospheres can accelerate particles to energies well above PeV, provided that they harbor a Gauss-range magnetic field. Such a strong field is necessary in the region of two colliding winds: the relativistic outflow of the pulsar or accreting black hole and the wind of its stellar companion, a massive early-type star. Here, the wind collision region is explored as the site of PeV protons acceleration. The local structure of colliding flows is illustrated using rMHD simulations of a powerful pulsar wind in 2D and 3D models. The relativistic outflow of a pulsar or black hole, evolving inside the strongly magnetized stellar wind, have an elongated shape and surrounded by a kind of magnetic cocoon providing favorable conditions for acceleration of ultra high energy ions. The simulated spectra of particles, accelerated by intermittent relativistic turbulence in these systems, have piece-wise power-law shape and extend well above PeV energies for powerful outflows. The model indicated that gamma-ray binaries harboring a powerful relativistic outflow, produced either by a pulsar or accreting black hole, can be bright sources of synchrotron MeV-regime photons and multi-PeV regime gamma-rays, as recently detected from galactic microquasars like Cyg X-3. The Gauss-range magnetic field of a massive star wind strongly influences the non-thermal emission of gamma-ray binaries with relativistic companions.