Related papers: Hints of gamma-ray orbital variability from gamma^…
The colliding-wind binary system $\eta$ Carinae has been identified as a source of high-energy (HE, below $\sim$100\,GeV) and very-high-energy (VHE, above $\sim$100\,GeV) gamma rays in the last decade, making it unique among these systems.…
A few Galactic objects are known to be variable sources of photons with energies above 100 GeV. These systems are mostly binaries, where variability can often be connected to the orbital period. Particle acceleration and gamma-ray…
X-ray line profiles represent a new way of studying the winds of massive stars. In particular, they enable us to probe in detail the wind-wind collision in colliding wind binaries, providing new insights into the structure and dynamics of…
The stellar binary $\eta$ Carinae has been observed during its full orbital period in gamma rays by the Fermi-Large Area Telescope (LAT). The shock-accelerated electrons in the colliding winds of the two stars radiate synchrotron photons in…
Cosmic-ray acceleration has been a long-standing mystery and despite more than a century of study, we still do not have a complete census of acceleration mechanisms. The collision of strong stellar winds in massive binary systems creates…
In the subclass of high-mass X-ray binaries known as "microquasars", relativistic hadrons in the jets launched by the compact object can interact with cold protons from the star's radiatively driven wind, producing pions that then quickly…
After initial claims and a long hiatus, it is now established that several binary stars emit high (0.1-100 GeV) and very high energy (>100 GeV) gamma rays. A new class has emerged called 'gamma-ray binaries', since most of their radiated…
Context: Colliding wind binaries (CWBs) are thought to give rise to a plethora of physical processes including acceleration and interaction of relativistic particles. Observation of synchrotron radiation in the radio band confirms there is…
We quantify the rapid variations in X-ray brightness ("flares") from the extremely massive colliding wind binary Eta Carinae seen during the past three orbital cycles by RXTE. The observed flares tend to be shorter in duration and more…
We report a detailed analysis of $\gamma$-ray data of 2FGL J0509.9+1802 observed by the Large Area Telescope on board {\it Fermi} satellite, especially focusing on April 2013 when extraordinary $\gamma$-ray variability has been detected.…
Non-thermal variable emission from radio to very-high energy gamma rays (VHE; >100 GeV) are the prime characteristics of gamma-ray binaries. The underlying physical processes leading to the observed VHE emission are not well understood, as…
We have performed the near-infrared photometric monitoring observations of two TeV gamma-ray binaries with O-stars (LS 5039 and 1FGL J1018.6-5856), using IRSF/SIRIUS at SAAO, in order to study the stellar parameters and their perturbations…
The exact nature of eta Carinae is still an open issue. In this paper we assume a binary system to explain the strong X-ray emission, but we also take into account that, near periastron and because of the highly eccentric orbit, the wind…
Gamma-ray binaries consist of a neutron star or a black hole interacting with a normal star to produce gamma-ray emission that dominates the radiative output of the system. Only a handful of such systems have been previously discovered, all…
Eta Carinae (or Eta Car) is a colliding-wind binary that shows non-thermal emission from hard X-rays to high-energy $\gamma$-rays. The $\gamma$-ray spectrum exhibits two spectral components, where the high-energy component extends up to 300…
In the colliding wind region of early-type binaries, electrons can be accelerated up to relativistic energies displaying power-law spectra, as demonstrated by the detection of non-thermal radio emission from several WR+OB systems. The…
The dynamics of colliding wind binary systems and conditions for efficient particle acceleration therein have attracted multiple numerical studies in the recent years. These numerical models seek an explanation of the thermal and…
The Large Area Telescope (LAT) onboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected a gamma-ray source that is spatially consistent with the location of Eta Carinae. This source has been persistently bright since the beginning of the LAT…
We used data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope obtained during the last 7 years and spanning two passages of $\eta$ Carinae at periastron and compared them with the predictions of particle acceleration in hydrodynamic simulations. Two…
Context. Gamma-ray binaries are systems that radiate the dominant part of their non-thermal emission in the gamma-ray band. In a wind-driven scenario, these binaries are thought to consist of a pulsar orbiting a massive star, accelerating…