Near-infrared brightening around the periastron passages of the gamma-ray binary PSR B1259−63 / LS 2883

Abstract

Abstract The binary of the pulsar PSR B1259−63 and the Be star LS 2883 has been observed at the 2010 and 2014 periastron passages in the near-infrared (NIR) bands using the IRSF/SIRIUS and SIRPOL. The light curves in the J-, H-, and Ks-bands are almost identical in these periastron passages. A flare starts no later than 10 days before periastron and the maximum brightening of about 0.1 mag is observed 12–17 days after periastron. The rising part of the light curve is steeper and reaches a peak slightly earlier in the Ks-band than in the other bands, thus a characteristic track appears on the NIR color–magnitude diagram. The time lag between the NIR light curves indicates that the variation in the Be circumstellar disk first occurs in an outer region. We propose that the initial rapid contraction followed by the gradual expansion of the disk is evoked by the rapidly changing tidal torque around periastron and the resultant change of the optically thick area causes the observed NIR light curves.