Abstract
The stellar binary η 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 the magnetic field of the shocked region and inverse Compton photons, where the target photons are from the thermal emissions by the more massive and luminous of the two stars. The inverse Compton emission dominates the gamma-ray flux data from the η Carinae, however the spectral energy distribution shows signature of a hadronic component in the ∼10-300 GeV range during the periastron passage. Current and future air Cherenkov telescopes will be able to constrain this component at TeV energies. Acceleration of cosmic-ray protons to 1 TeV energies in the colliding winds, required to explain the hadronic emission component through photopion interactions, can lead to detectable signal of 10 TeV neutrino events in large kilometer scale neutrino telescopes.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 123017 |
Journal | Physical Review D |
Volume | 96 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 15 Dec 2017 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Nuclear and High Energy Physics