Probing Orbital Parameters of Gamma-Ray Binaries with TeV Light Curves

Abstract

Gamma-ray binaries are binary systems in which the energy flux peaks in the gamma-ray energy band. They harbor a compact object (a neutron star or a black hole) orbiting around a massive star, which provides a strong radiation field. It is believed that the gamma-ray emission from such objects can be strongly attenuated through the electron-positron pair production in gamma–gamma interactions. The importance of gamma–gamma absorption depends on the orbital phase and on the geometry of the system. In this work, we propose a method showing how the orbital parameters of gamma-ray binaries could be probed with TeV light curves that have imprinted features of gamma–gamma absorption.

Keywords

• Gamma-ray sources
• Pulsars
• Non-thermal radiation sources
• Binary stars
• Companion stars