Polarization Study of Gamma-ray Binary Systems

Abstract The polarization of X-ray emission is a unique tool used to investigate the magnetic field structure around astrophysical objects. In this paper, we study the linear polarization of X-ray emissions from gamma-ray binary systems based on pulsar scenarios. We discuss synchrotron emission from pulsar wind particles accelerated by a standing shock. We explore three kinds of axisymmetric magnetic field structures: (i) toroidal magnetic fields, (ii) poloidal magnetic fields, and (iii) tangled magnetic fields. Because of the axisymmetric structure, the polarization angle of integrated emission is oriented along or perpendicular to the shock-cone axis projected on the sky and swings around 360° in one orbit. For the toroidal case, the polarization angle is always directed along the shock-cone axis and smoothly changes along the orbital phase. For the poloidal/tangled magnetic field, the direction of the polarization angle depends on the system parameters and orbital phase. In one orbit, the polarization degree for the toroidal case can reach the maximum value of the synchrotron radiation (∼70%), while the maximum polarization degree for poloidal/tangled field cases is several 10%. We apply our model to bright gamma-ray binary LS 5039 and make predictions for future observations. With the expected sensitivity of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, linear polarization can be detected by an observation of several days if the magnetic field is dominated by the toroidal magnetic field. If the magnetic field is dominated by the poloidal/tangled field, significant detection is expected with an observation longer than 10 days.