Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT PSR B1259−63/LS 2883 is a gamma-ray binary system with a radio pulsar orbiting the Be star LS 2883, in an orbital period of 1236.7 d. When the pulsar passes through the companion circumstellar disc of LS 2883, flux variations are observed across all wavelengths due to the interaction between the outflow of LS 2883 and the relativistic wind of the pulsar. We obtained X-ray polarization results for PSR B1259−63 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer during the X-ray bright phase following the periastron passage in June 2024. A possible polarization degree variability is observed in 2–6 keV, with the polarization degree decreasing from 15$\pm$2 per cent during the high flux period to 4$\pm$2 per cent in the low flux period. The potential variability in polarization degree points to evolving physical conditions in the emission region, likely tied to the variation in the uniformity of the magnetic field within the shock cone.
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,046
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, Marshall Space Flight Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Key Research and Development Program of China
OpenAlex ID: W4411134985