Related papers: Superburst: surface phenomenon of compact objects
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…
X-ray bursts are the thermonuclear runaway of a mixed H/He layer on the surface of a neutron star. Observations suggest that the burning begins locally and spreads across the surface of the star as a flame. Recent multidimensional work has…
Dynamical interactions that take place between objects in dense stellar systems lead to frequent formation of exotic stellar objects, unusual binaries, and systems of higher multiplicity. They are most important for the formation of…
Cosmologies in which dark matter clumps strongly on small scales are unfavorable to terrestrial detectors that are as yet unexposed to the clumps. I show that sub-hectometer clumps could trigger thermonuclear runaways by scattering on…
During supernova explosions, strange stars with almost bare quark surfaces may be formed. Under certain conditions, these stars could be rapidly spun down by the torque exerted by the fossil disks formed from the fall-back materials. They…
Many distinct classes of high-energy variability have been observed in astrophysical sources, on a range of timescales. The widest range (spanning microseconds-decades) is found in accreting, stellar-mass compact objects, including neutron…
New hydrodynamic models with feedback show that feedback driven turbulence and subsequent relaxation can drive recurrent starbursts, though most of these bursts fizzle due to premature, asymmetric ignition. Strong bursts are terminated when…
Repeating X-ray bursts from the Galactic magnetar SGR 1806-20 have been observed with a period of 398 days. Similarly, periodic X-ray bursts from SGR 1935+2154 with a period of 238 days have also been observed. Here we argue that these…
Type-I X-ray bursts are thermonuclear explosions caused by the unstable burning of accreted material on the surface of neutron stars. We report the detection of seven type-I X-ray bursts from the ultracompact X-ray binary M15 X-2 observed…
Bright, ultracompact X-ray binaries observed in dense star clusters, such as Galactic globular clusters, must have formed relatively recently, since their lifetimes as persistent bright sources are short (e.g., ~10^8 yr above 10^36 erg/s…
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…
The effects of mergers in low mass galaxies are poorly understood. In this paper we analyze different observational evidences which support the view that mergers can trigger starbursts in dwarf galaxies. We discuss the relationships between…
Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to be related to the explosion of type Ic supernovae, which have been stripped of their hydrogen and helium envelopes. There appear to be two types of these explosions: those which are approximately…
Neutron stars in mass-transferring binaries are accreting the hydrogen and helium rich matter from the surfaces of their companions. This article simply explains the physics associated with how that material eventually fuses to form heavier…
It is suggested that magnetars eventually become unstable to a dynamic overturning instability that destroys most of their dipole moment in a single event. It is further suggested that such an instability would produce a supergiant version…
We propose that the cosmological gamma ray bursts arise from the collapse of neutron stars to black holes triggered by collisions or mergers with main sequence stars. This scenario represents a cosmological history qualitatively different…
Burst oscillations, a phenomenon observed in a significant fraction of Type I (thermonuclear) X-ray bursts, involve the development of highly asymmetric brightness patches in the burning surface layers of accreting neutron stars.…
Thermonuclear burning on the surface of a neutron star causes the expansion of a thin outer layer of the star, $\Delta R(t)$. The layer rotates slower than the star due to angular momentum conservation. The shear between the star and the…
A subgroup of dwarf galaxies have characteristics of a possible evolutionary transition between star-forming systems and dwarf ellipticals. These systems host significant starbursts in combination with smooth, elliptical outer envelopes and…
Bright outbursts from Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) are believed to be caused by instabilities in ultramagnetized neutron stars, powered by a decaying magnetic field. It was originally thought that these…