AAS 201st Meeting, January, 2003
Session 54. Compact X-Ray Sources
Poster, Tuesday, January 7, 2003, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall AB

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[54.06] A Relativistic Particle Model for LSI+61 303

D. Leahy (University of Calgary)

LSI+61o303 consists of a Be star in orbit with a compact object, which has radio outbursts every 26.5 days. The radio spectra are indicative of a self-absorbed synchrotron source at the beginning of the outburst and optically-thin synchrotron thereafter. LSI+61o303 is also an x-ray source, which only recently was well characterized over a full orbital period using RXTE/ASM observations (Leahy, 2001, A&A,380, 516). The x-ray light curve is well fit by inverse compton of stellar photons by relativistic electrons, which yields the epoch of periastron. The radio outbursts occur near apastron, suggesting that the relativistic electron population builds up around the compact object until it expands and is released from the binary system, resulting in a radio outburst.

Here will be reported the results of numerical modelling of the injection and expansion of relativistic electrons, with the effects of the Be stellar wind and of magnetic field included. Due to the asymmetry imposed by the binary system and stellar wind, a two dimensional calculation is required. The results show that the relativistic fluid around the compact object undergoes a relaxation oscillation, which includes ejection, at the period of the binary system.

This work supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.


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