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Keywords

gamma-rays
Stars: Individual: LS I + 61 303
X-rays: binaries

How to Cite

Hadronic gamma-ray production in microquasars with equatorial winds. (2006). Revista Mexicana De Astrofísica Y Astronomía Serie De Conferencias, 26, 145-146. https://doi.org/10.22201/ia.14052059p.2006.26.61

Abstract

Microquasars are accreting X-ray binary systems with non-thermal radio jets. When the primary is a high-mass early-type star, the compact object accretes from the stellar wind. In some cases, like LS I + 61 303, the wind forms an equatorial disk and the secondary moves through it. In such a situation a strong interaction between the relativistic flow and the dense wind material is unavoidable and could result in the generation of high-energy emission. This is particularly interesting since microquasars have been recently confirmed to be high-energy γ-ray sources. We present here a hadronic model for gamma-ray production in this kind of systems, with a specific application to the case of LS I + 61 303. We calculate the gamma-ray emission originated in pp interactions between relativistic protons in the jet and cold protons from the wind. The emission from secondary electron-positron pairs is estimated as well. After taking into account opacity effects on the gamma-rays introduced by the different photons fields, we present high-energy spectral predictions that can be tested with the new generation Cherenkov telescopes like MAGIC and HESS.