Related papers: Understanding superbursts
We suggest that superbursts from some low mass X-ray binaries may be due to breaking and re-formation of diquark pairs, on the surface of realistic strange stars. Diquarks are expected to break up due to the explosion and shock of the…
[abridged] The LMXB 4U 0614+091 is a source of sporadic thermonuclear (type I) X-ray bursts. We find bursts with a wide variety of characteristics in serendipitous wide-field X-ray observations by EURECA/WATCH, RXTE/ASM, BeppoSAX/WFC,…
MAXI J1807+132 is a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) first detected in outburst in 2017. Observations during the 2017 outburst did not allow for an unambiguous identification of the nature of the compact object. MAXI J1807+132 was detected in…
We carry out a general-relativistic global linear stability analysis of the amassed carbon fuel on the surface of an accreting neutron star to determine the conditions under which superbursts occur. We reproduce the general observational…
We report on a thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray burst that was detected from the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary SAX J1810.8-2609 in 2007 with Swift. This event was longer (~20 min) and more energetic (a radiated energy of Eb~6.5E39 erg)…
Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from the surface of accreting neutron stars are the most common astrophysical explosions in our galaxy. They provide a unique window into the physics of neutron stars, the physics of matter under extreme…
X-ray bursts are thermonuclear explosions on the surface of accreting neutron stars in low mass X-ray binaries. As most of the known X-ray bursters are frequently observed by INTEGRAL, an international collaboration have been taking…
Type-I X-ray bursts observed from neutron stars originate from intermittent unstable thermonuclear burning of accreted matter on these stars. Such bursts, particularly those reaching the Eddington luminosity and having a temporary…
A small subset of thermonuclear X-ray bursts on neutron stars exhibit such a strong photospheric expansion that for a few seconds the photosphere is located at a radius r_ph >~ 1000 km. Such `superexpansions' imply a large and rapid energy…
Thermonuclear (type-I) bursts arise from unstable ignition of accumulated fuel on the surface of neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries. Measurements of burst properties in principle enable observers to infer the properties of the host…
The last few years have seen the discovery of a number of new aspects of Type I X-ray bursts: the extremely energetic and long duration superbursts, intermediate duration bursts at low luminosities, mHz QPOs, and burst oscillations. These…
Theory and observations favor stable helium burning as the most important means to produce fuel for superbursts on neutron star surfaces. However, all known superbursters exhibit unstable burning as well. This ambiguity prompted us to…
Runaway thermonuclear burning of a layer of accumulated fuel on the surface of a compact star provides a brief but intense display of stellar nuclear processes. For neutron stars accreting from a binary companion, these events manifest as…
We show that burning of a small mass fraction of carbon in a neutron star ocean is thermally unstable at low accumulated masses when the ocean contains heavy ashes from the hydrogen burning rapid proton (rp) process. The key to early…
Type II bursts are thought to arise from instabilities in the accretion flow onto a neutron star in an X-ray binary. Despite having been known for almost 40 years, no model can yet satisfactorily account for all their properties. To shed…
Type-I X-ray bursts are thermonuclear explosions occurring in the surface layers of accreting neutron stars. These events are powerful probes of the physics of neutron stars and their surrounding accretion flow. We analyze a very energetic…
(abridged) We have investigated the physical conditions under which accreting neutron stars can both produce and preserve sufficient quantities of carbon fuel to trigger superbursts. Our models span the plausible ranges of neutron star…
Superbursts are rare events observed from bursting neutron star low mass X-ray binaries. They are thought to originate from unstable burning of the thick layer of Carbon on the surface of the neutron star, causing the observed X-ray flashes…
Relativistic jets are observed from accreting and cataclysmic transients throughout the Universe, and have a profound affect on their surroundings. Despite their importance, their launch mechanism is not known. For accreting neutron stars,…
The hydrogen and helium accreted by X-ray bursting neutron stars is periodically consumed in runaway thermonuclear reactions that cause the entire surface to glow brightly in X-rays for a few seconds. With models of the emission, the mass…