Related papers: Gamma-Ray Emission From Be/X-Ray Binaries
Binary systems formed by early-type stars with strong winds are known to display variable non-thermal radio emission, thermal X-rays, and, at least in one case (Eta Carina), $\gamma$ rays. Some of these systems are quite eccentric and the…
gamma Cas (B0.5e) is known to be a unique X-ray source because ot its moderate L_x, hard X-ray spectrum, and light curve punctuated by ubiquitous flares and slow undulations. Its X-ray peculiarities have led to a controversy concerning…
We examine Be star discs in highly eccentric Be/X-ray systems. We use a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code to model the structure of the Be star disc and investigate its interactions with the secondary star over…
We consider the neutron star (NS) of the magnetar type inside the massive binary system. We determine the conditions under which the matter from the stellar wind can penetrate the inner magnetosphere of the magnetar. At some distance from…
Microquasars are accreting X-ray binary systems with non-thermal radio jets. In some of these systems the jet is expected to be strongly misaligned with the perpendicular to the orbital plane. If the donor star is an early-type star, the…
Optical and near-infrared observations are compiled for the three gamma-ray binaries hosting Be stars: PSR B1259-63, LSI+61 303, and HESS J0632+057. The emissions from the Be disk are considered to vary according to the changes in its…
We show that several features reminiscent of short-hard Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) arise naturally when Quark-Novae occur in low-mass X-ray binaries born with massive neutron stars (> 1.6M_sun) and harboring a circumbinary disk. Near the end…
The mechanism of X-ray outbursts in Be X-ray binaries remains a mystery, and understanding their circumstellar disks is crucial for a solution of the mass-transfer problem. In particular, it is important to identify the Be star activities…
A growing number of early Be stars exhibit unusually hard X-ray spectra and luminosities intermediate between those typical of early type stars and those emitted by most Be/X-ray binaries in quiescence. We report on XMM-Newton and optical…
In latest years, the high sensitivity of the instruments on-board the XMM-Newton and Chandra satellites allowed us to explore the properties of the X-ray emission from hot subdwarf stars. The small but growing sample of X-ray detected hot…
The most massive binary system Eta Carinae has been recently established as a gamma-ray source by the AGILE and Fermi-LAT detectors. The high energy spectrum of this gamma-ray source is very intriguing. It shows two clear components and a…
We suggest that the collapsing core of a massive rotating star may fragment to produce two or more compact objects. Their coalescence under gravitational radiation gives the resulting black hole or neutron star a significant kick velocity,…
Colliding winds of massive binaries have long been considered as potential sites of non-thermal high-energy photon production. This is motivated by the detection of non-thermal spectra in the radio band, as well as by correlation studies of…
We present the results of our monitoring program to study the long-term variability of the Halpha line in high-mass X-ray binaries. We have carried out the most complete optical spectroscopic study of the global properties of high-mass…
Superorbital periods are observed in the optical light curves of many Be/X-ray binaries yet their origin has remained somewhat elusive. We suggest that precession of the spin axis of the Be star can drive superorbital periods, particularly…
We present multiwavelength observations of the persistent Fermi-LAT unidentified gamma-ray source 1FGL J1417.7-4407, showing it is likely to be associated with a newly discovered X-ray binary containing a massive neutron star (nearly 2…
We present a phenomenological model to explain the light curves of gamma-ray bursts. In the model a black hole is orbited by a precessing accretion disc which is fed by a neutron star. Gamma-rays are produced in a highly collimated beam via…
Gamma-ray binaries are binary systems where the energy flux peaks in the gamma-ray energy band. They harbour a compact object (a neutron star or a black hole) orbiting around a massive star that provides a strong radiation field. It is…
X-ray binaries, as bright local sources with short variability timescales for a wide range of accretion processes, represent ideal targets for high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy. In this chapter, we present a high-resolution X-ray spectral…
Core collapse of massive stars and binary neutron stars or black hole-neutron star binary mergers are likely progenitors of long and short duration gamma-ray bursts respectively. Neutronized material in the former and neutron star material…