Modelling the multiwavelength light curves of PSR B1259-63/SS 2883

Abstract

PSR B1259-63/SS 2883 is a binary system in which a 48-ms pulsar orbits around a Be star in a high-eccentric orbit with a long orbital period of about 3.4yr. Extensive broad-band observational data are available for this system from the radio band to very high energy (VHE) range. The multifrequency emission is unpulsed and non-thermal, and is generally thought to be related to the relativistic electrons accelerated from the interaction between the pulsar wind and the stellar wind, whereas X-ray emission is from the synchrotron process and the VHE emission is from the inverse Compton scattering process. Here a shocked wind model with variation in the magnetization parameter σ is developed for explaining the observations. By choosing proper parameters, our model could reproduce a two-peak profile in X-ray and TeV light curves. The effect of the disc exhibits an emission and an absorption component in the X-ray and TeV bands, respectively. We suggest that some GeV flares will be produced by Doppler boosting the synchrotron spectrum. This model can possibly be used and be checked in other similar systems, such as LS I+61°303 and LS 5039. © 2011 The Authors Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2011 RAS.