Multi-GeV Fermi-LAT Detection of PSR B1259-63

Abstract: PSR B1259-63 is a classical gamma-ray binary detected from radio to TeV energies near periastron. In the GeV band, it had previously been detected only up to a few GeV, with the extrapolation of the TeV spectrum overestimating the measured GeV flux. Using over 17 years of Fermi-LAT observations, we report the first detection of PSR B1259-63 in the 10 GeV to $\gtrsim 100$ GeV range, from -400 to +100 days relative to periastron. The Fermi-LAT spectrum is well described by a hard power law with index $\Gamma = 1.9 \pm 0.1$, and has a flux level consistent with that measured at TeV energies by H.E.S.S. The apparent transition from the hard Fermi-LAT spectrum to the softer TeV spectrum suggests that the detected GeV emission traces the rising tail of the inverse-Compton component extending into the TeV regime. We note that the detection of PSR B1259-63 as early as -400 days before periastron is difficult to reconcile with existing theoretical models.