Model Atmospheres for X-ray Bursting Neutron Stars

Abstract

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 and radius of the neutron star can be inferred from the observations. By simultaneously probing neutron star masses and radii, X-ray bursts are one of the strongest diagnostics of the nature of matter at extremely high densities. Accurate determinations of these parameters are difficult, however, due to the highly non-ideal nature of the atmospheres where X-ray bursts occur. Observations from X-ray telescopes such as RXTE and NuStar can potentially place strong constraints on nuclear matter once uncertainties in atmosphere models have been reduced. Here we discuss current progress on modeling atmospheres of X-ray bursting neutron stars and some of the challenges still to be overcome.

arXiv comment25 pages, 14 figures

References in corpus (42)

• The chemical composition of the Sun
• Shapiro delay measurement of a two solar mass neutron star
• The Physics of Neutron Stars
• Neutron Star Observations: Prognosis for Equation of State Constraints
• The Nuclear Equation of State and Neutron Star Masses
• The Equation of State from Observed Masses and Radii of Neutron Stars
• Thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• Matter in Strong Magnetic Fields
• Cold Quark Matter
• The Neutron Star Mass-Radius Relation and the Equation of State of Dense Matter
• Astrophysical Measurement of the Equation of State of Neutron Star Matter
• Models for Type I X-Ray Bursts with Improved Nuclear Physics
• The Mass and Radius of the Neutron Star in EXO 1745-248
• A Hydrogen Atmosphere Spectral Model Applied to the Neutron Star X7 in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae
• A Neutron Star with a Carbon Atmosphere in the Cassiopeia A Supernova Remnant
• Neutron Star Masses and Radii from Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binaries
• Measurement of the Radius of Neutron Stars with High S/N Quiescent Low-mass X-ray Binaries in Globular Clusters
• Neutron star stiff equation of state derived from cooling phases of the X-ray burster 4U 1724-307
• Observational constraints on hyperons in neutron stars
• Kaon Condensation and Dynamical Nucleons in Neutron Stars
• The Thermal X-ray Spectra of Cen X-4, Aql X-1, and 4U 1608-522 in Quiescence
• Exposing the Nuclear Burning Ashes of Radius Expansion Type I X-ray Bursts
• Magnetic Hydrogen Atmosphere Models and the Neutron Star RX J1856.5-3754
• X-ray bursting neutron star atmosphere models: spectra and color corrections
• Periodic Thermonuclear X-ray Bursts from GS 1826-24 and the Fuel Composition as a Function of Accretion Rate
• X-ray bursting neutron star atmosphere models using an exact relativistic kinetic equation for Compton scattering
• Model Atmospheres for Low Field Neutron Stars
• The effect of accretion on the measurement of neutron star mass and radius in the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1608-52
• The neutron star in HESS J1731-347: CCOs as laboratories to study the equation of state of superdense matter
• Quiescent X-ray emission from Cen X-4: a variable thermal component
• Constraints on neutron star mass and radius in GS 1826-24 from sub-Eddington X-ray bursts
• Diffusive Nuclear Burning in Neutron Star Envelopes
• Diffusive Nuclear Burning on Neutron Star Envelopes
• Model atmospheres and X-ray spectra of iron-rich bursting neutron stars. II. Iron rich Comptonized Spectra
• Multidimensional Modeling of Type I X-ray Bursts. I. Two-Dimensional Convection Prior to the Outburst of a Pure Helium Accretor
• The Los Alamos Supernova Light Curve Project: Computational Methods
• Detection of burning ashes from thermonuclear X-ray bursts
• Mass/Radius Constraints on the Quiescent Neutron Star in M13 Using Hydrogen and Helium Atmospheres
• Multidimensional Modeling of Type I X-ray Bursts. II. Two-Dimensional Convection in a Mixed H/He Accretor
• Analyzing Neutron Star in HESS J1731-347 from Thermal Emission and Cooling Theory
• On the consistency of neutron-star radius measurements from thermonuclear bursts
• Spectra of the Expansion Stage of X-Ray Bursts

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Neutron star mass and radius measurements from atmospheric model fits to X-ray burst cooling tail spectra
• Thermonuclear X-ray bursts
• Accretion disks and coronae in the X-ray flashlight
• NICER Discovers mHz Oscillations in the "Clocked" Burster GS 1826-238
• Super-Eddington winds from Type I X-ray bursts
• Accurate ray tracing of realistic neutron star atmospheres for constraining their parameters