Massive stars at (very) high energies: γ-ray binaries

Abstract

Abstractγ-ray binaries are systems that emit most of their radiative power above 1 MeV. They are associated with O or Be stars in orbit with a compact object, possibly a young pulsar. Much like colliding wind binaries, the pulsar generates a relativistic wind that interacts with the stellar wind. The result is non-thermal emission from radio to very high energy γ-rays. The wind, radiation and magnetic field of the massive star play a major role in the dynamics and radiative output of the system. They are particularly important to understand the high energy physics at work. Inversely, γ-ray binaries offer novel probes of stellar winds and insights into the fate of O/B binaries.