NuSTAR Analysis of the 2024 Periastron Passage of TeV Binary PSR B1259-63

Oliver J. Roberts; Philip Kaaret; M. Lynne Saade; Chien-Ting Chen; Steven R. Ehlert; Ioannis Liodakis; Martin C. Weisskopf

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/adec6a

NuSTAR Analysis of the 2024 Periastron Passage of TeV Binary PSR B1259-63

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena 2025-07-30 v1

Authors: Oliver J. Roberts , Philip Kaaret , M. Lynne Saade , Chien-Ting Chen , Steven R. Ehlert , Ioannis Liodakis , Martin C. Weisskopf

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Abstract

PSR B1259-63 is a well studied TeV binary, with an energetic pulsar in orbit around a Be star. Using NuSTAR observations during the 2024 passage of the pulsar through the circumstellar disk, we find the spectrum to be the most energetic ( $\Gamma$ = 1.5) around 27 days after periastron, during the first of two variable, short-term emission episodes of a contemporaneous GeV flare. We discuss the variability in the X-ray flux and the hardening of the spectrum with time, and in the context of previous observations and what that means for the competing energy loss and acceleration timescales.

Keywords

PSR B1259-63 TeV binary NuSTAR X-ray spectroscopy periastron passage pulsar wind nebula

Cite

@article{arxiv.2507.05571,
  title  = {NuSTAR Analysis of the 2024 Periastron Passage of TeV Binary PSR B1259-63},
  author = {Oliver J. Roberts and Philip Kaaret and M. Lynne Saade and Chien-Ting Chen and Steven R. Ehlert and Ioannis Liodakis and Martin C. Weisskopf},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2507.05571},
  year   = {2025}
}

NuSTAR Analysis of the 2024 Periastron Passage of TeV Binary PSR B1259-63

Abstract

Keywords

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