Related papers: Thermonuclear burst oscillations
Strongly magnetized, accreting neutron stars show periodic and aperiodic variability over a wide range of time scales. By obtaining spectral and timing information on these different time scales, we can have a closer look into the physics…
We show that the fundamental seismic shear mode, observed as a quasi-periodic oscillation in giant flares emitted by highly-magnetized neutron stars, is particularly sensitive to the nuclear physics of the crust. The identification of an…
In this work, we have studied oscillations in the crust of a neutron star which magnetic field has both dipolar and toroidal components, the former extends from the stellar interior to the outer space and the later is confined inside the…
The discovery of high-amplitude brightness oscillations at the spin frequency or its first overtone in six neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries during type~1 X-ray bursts provides a powerful new way to constrain the compactness of these…
We report on a study of the evolution of burst oscillation properties during the rising phase of X-ray bursts from 4U 1636--536 observed with the proportional counter array (PCA) onboard the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). We present…
Type I X-ray bursts are violent stellar events that take place on the H/He-rich envelopes of accreting neutron stars. We have investigated the role played by uncertainties in nuclear processes on the nucleosynthesis accompanying these…
When neutron stars (NS) accrete gas from low-mass binary companions, explosive nuclear burning reactions in the NS envelope fuse hydrogen and helium into heavier elements. The resulting thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts produce energy…
X-ray pulsars shine thanks to the conversion of the gravitational energy of accreted material to X-ray radiation. The accretion rate is modulated by geometrical and hydrodynamical effects in the stellar wind of the pulsar companions and/or…
When a neutron star accretes matter from a companion star in a low-mass X-ray binary, the accreted gas settles onto the stellar surface through a boundary/spreading layer. On rare occasions the accumulated gas undergoes a powerful…
As a new kind of radio transient sources detected at $\sim 1.4$ GHz, fast radio bursts are specially characterized by their short durations and high intensities. Although only ten events are detected so far, fast radio bursts may actually…
Superbursts are very energetic Type I X-ray bursts discovered in recent years by long term monitoring of X-ray bursters, believed to be due to unstable ignition of carbon in the deep ocean of the neutron star. A number of "intermediate…
Starquakes probably occur in rapidly spinning or ultra high field neutron stars. In this article, we argue that highly compressed gas containing electron-positron pairs could evaporate and erupt from inside the neutron star when a crack…
Observations of short gamma-ray bursts indicate ongoing energy injection following the prompt emission, with the most likely candidate being the birth of a rapidly rotating, highly magnetised neutron star. We utilise X-ray observations of…
In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their outstanding macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in…
Compact relativistic stars allow us to study the nature of matter under extreme conditions, probing regions of parameter space that are otherwise inaccessible. Nuclear theory in this regime is not well constrained: one key issue is whether…
We use two-dimensional, general relativistic, viscous, radiation hydrodynamic simulations to study the impact of a Type I X-ray burst on a hot and geometrically thick accretion disk surrounding an unmagnetized, non-rotating neutron star.…
Based on an extended nuclear statistical equilibrium model, we investigate the properties of non-accreted crusts of young and warm neo-neutron stars, i.e., of finite-temperature inhomogeneous dense matter in beta equilibrium. An interesting…
We describe observational evidence and theoretical calculations which support the high velocity neutron star model of gamma-ray bursts. We estimate the energetic requirements in this model, and discuss possible energy sources. we also…
Type-I X-ray bursts can be used to determine properties of accreting neutron stars via comparisons between model calculations and astronomical observations, exploiting the sensitivity of models to astrophysical conditions. However, the…
Hotspots on the surface of accreting neutron stars have been directly observed via pulsations in the lightcurves of X-ray pulsars. They are thought to occur due to magnetic channelling of the accreted fuel to the neutron star magnetic…