Related papers: X-ray bursts and superbursts - recent developments
An uncatalogued bright X-ray transient was detected with MAXI on November 9, 2024, named MAXI J1752$-$457. The NinjaSat X-ray observatory promptly observed the source from November 10 to 18 while the small angular separation from the Sun…
Non-photospheric-radius-expansion (non-PRE) double-peaked bursts may be explained in terms of spreading (and temporary stalling) of thermonuclear flames on the neutron star surface, as we argued in a previous study of a burst assuming polar…
The discovery of X-ray, optical and radio afterglows of GRBs provides an important tool for understanding these sources. Most current models envisage GRB as arising in a cataclysmic stellar event leading to a relativistically expanding…
The successful discovery of X-ray, optical and radio afterglows of gamma-ray bursts has significantly helped our understanding of these sources, and made possible the identification of host galaxies at cosmological distances. The energy…
The masses and radii of low-magnetic field neutron stars can be measured by combining different observable quantities obtained from their X-ray spectra during thermonuclear X-ray bursts. One of these quantities is the apparent radius of…
The study of massive X-ray binaries provides important observational diagnostics for a number of fundamental astrophysical issues, such as the evolution of massive stars, the stellar winds of massive stars, the formation of compact objects…
Burst oscillations during thermonuclear X-ray bursts are powered by thermonuclear energy on the neutron star (NS) surface and typically occur close to the spin frequency of the NS. We performed a comprehensive timing analysis of all…
We present a comprehensive observational and theoretical analysis of the amplitudes and profiles of oscillations that occur during thermonuclear X-ray bursts from weakly-magnetized neutron stars in low mass X-ray binaries. Our sample…
With the observations from \textit{Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer}, we search and study the X-ray bursts of accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX~J1748.9-2021 during its 2010 outburst. We find 13 X-ray bursts, including 12 standard…
X-ray bursts are thermonuclear flashes on the surface of accreting neutron stars and reliable burst models are needed to interpret observations in terms of properties of the neutron star and the binary system. We investigate the dependence…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been an enigma since their discovery forty years ago. However, considerable progress unraveling their mysteries has been made in recent years. Developments in observations, theory, and instrumentation have…
The precise origins of the millisecond radio pulsars, discovered in the early 1980s, remain uncertain until this day. They plausibly evolve from accreting low magnetic-field neutron stars in X-ray binary systems. If so, these stars should…
I review recent observational progress on Anomalous X-ray Pulsars, with an emphasis on timing, variability, and spectra. Highlighted results include the recent timing and flux stabilization of the notoriously unstable AXP 1E 1048.1-5937,…
The discovery of long-lasting (~100 s) X-ray flares following short gamma-ray bursts initially called into question whether they were truly classical short-hard bursts. Opinion over the last few years has coalesced around the view that the…
Neutron stars, with their strong surface gravity, have interestingly short timescales for the sedimentation of heavy elements. Recent observations of unstable thermonuclear burning (observed as X-ray bursts) on the surfaces of slowly…
We present recent work on using astronomical observations of neutron stars to reveal unique insights into nuclear matter that cannot be obtained from laboratories on Earth. First, we discuss our measurement of the rapid cooling of the…
Precise and accurate measurements of neutron star masses and radii would provide valuable information about the still uncertain properties of cold matter at supranuclear densities. One promising approach to making such measurements involves…
The X-ray light curves of hundreds of bursts are now available, thanks to the X-ray Telescope on board the Swift satellite, on time scales from ~1 minute up to weeks and in some cases months from the burst explosion. These data allow us to…
We present a study of 581 Hz oscillations observed during a thermonuclear X-ray burst from the low mass X-ray binary (LMXB) 4U 1636-54 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). We argue that the combination of large pulsed amplitudes…
We report the detection of 15 X-ray bursts with RXTE and Swift observations of the peculiar X-ray binary Circinus X-1 during its May 2010 X-ray re-brightening. These are the first X-ray bursts observed from the source after the initial…