Abstract
Be/X-ray binaries are systems formed by a massive Be star and a magnetized neutron star, usually in an eccentric orbit. The Be star has strong equatorial winds occasionally forming a circumstellar disk. When the neutron star intersects the disk the accretion rate dramatically increases and a transient accretion disk can be formed around the compact object. This disk can last longer than a single orbit in the case of major outbursts. If the disk rotates faster than the neutron star, the Cheng-Ruderman mechanism can produce a current of relativistic protons that would impact onto the disk surface, producing gamma-rays from neutral pion decays and initiating electromagnetic cascades inside the disk. In this paper we present calculations of the evolution of the disk parameters during both major and minor X-ray events, and we discuss the generation of gamma-ray emission at different energies within a variety of models that include both screened and unscreened disks.
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Orellana, M., Romero, G. (2005). Gamma-Ray Emission from Be/X-Ray Binaries. In: Cheng, K., Romero, G. (eds) Multiwavelength Approach to Unidentified Gamma-Ray Sources. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3881-X_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3881-X_17
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Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3881-5
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