Robust inference of neutron-star parameters from thermonuclear burst observations

Abstract

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 neutron star and mass donors, but a number of confounding astrophysical effects contribute to systematic uncertainties. Here we describe some commonly-used approaches for determining system parameters, including composition of the burst fuel, and introduce a new suite of software tools, concord, intended to fully account for astrophysical uncertainties. Comparison of observed burst properties with the predictions of numerical models is a complementary method of constraining host properties, and the tools presented here are intended to make comprehensive model-observation comparisons straightforward. When combined with the extensive samples of burst observations accumulated by X-ray observatories, these software tools will provide a step-change in the amount of information that can be inferred about typical burst sources.

arXiv comment22 pages, 11 figures, 1 table & 1 machine-readable table as supplementary data; submitted to ApJS. Accompanying software package available at https://github.com/outs1der/concord

References in corpus (41)

• Astropy: A Community Python Package for Astronomy
• The Astropy Project: Building an inclusive, open-science project and status of the v2.0 core package
• Masses, Radii, and Equation of State of Neutron Stars
• Modelling the behaviour of accretion flows in X-ray binaries
• 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
• The Dense Matter Equation of State from Neutron Star Radius and Mass Measurements
• Photospheric radius expansion X-ray bursts as standard candles
• Models for Type I X-Ray Bursts with Improved Nuclear Physics
• Rotational Evolution During Type I X-Ray Bursts
• Discovery of the accretion-powered millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J00291+5934
• The Multi-INstrument Burst ARchive (MINBAR)
• X-ray bursting neutron star atmosphere models: spectra and color corrections
• Helium-rich thermonuclear bursts and the distance to the accretion-powered millisecond pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• Periodic Thermonuclear X-ray Bursts from GS 1826-24 and the Fuel Composition as a Function of Accretion Rate
• Models of Type I X-Ray Bursts in 4U 1820-30
• The effect of accretion on the measurement of neutron star mass and radius in the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1608-52
• Evidence for enhanced persistent emission during sub-Eddington thermonuclear bursts
• Accretion disks and coronae in the X-ray flashlight
• Hubble Space Telescope proper motion (HSTPROMO) catalogs of Galactic globular clusters. III. Dynamical distances and mass-to-light ratios
• Rosseland and flux mean opacities for Compton scattering
• Multi-Instrument X-ray Observations of Thermonuclear Bursts with Short Recurrence Times
• Eddington-limited X-ray Bursts as Distance Indicators. II. Possible Compositional Effects in Bursts from 4U 1636-536
• The influence of accretion geometry on the spectral evolution during thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts
• A NICER thermonuclear burst from the millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658
• Anisotropy of X-ray bursts from neutron stars with concave accretion disks
• Consistent Modeling of GS 1826-24 X-ray Bursts for Multiple Accretion Rates Demonstrates the Possibility to Constrain rp-process Reaction Rates
• Achromatic late-time variability in thermonuclear X-ray bursts - an accretion disk disrupted by a nova-like shell?
• The influence of accretion rate and metallicity on thermonuclear bursts: predictions from KEPLER models
• Spectral and timing properties of the accreting X-ray millisecond pulsar IGR J17511-3057
• Thermonuclear burst observations for model comparisons: a reference sample
• Observations of the 599 Hz Accreting X-ray Pulsar IGR J00291+5934 during the 2004 Outburst and in Quiescence
• Multi-epoch X-ray burst modelling: MCMC with large grids of 1D simulations
• NuSTAR and NICER reveal IGR J17591-2342 as a new accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar
• The 2015 outburst of the accretion-powered pulsar IGR J00291+5934: INTEGRAL and Swift observations
• A Bayesian Approach to Matching Thermonuclear X-ray Burst Observations with Models
• Neutrino Losses in Type I Thermonuclear X-ray Bursts: An Improved Nuclear Energy Generation Approximation
• Intermittent dipping in a low-mass X-ray Binary
• High-energy characteristics of the accretion-powered millisecond pulsar IGR J17591-2342 during its 2018 outburst
• The 17 min orbital period in the Ultra Compact X-ray Binary 4U 0513-40
• XMMU J181227.8-181234: a new ultracompact X-ray binary candidate

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Constraining the Properties of the Thermonuclear Burst Oscillation Source XTE J1814-338 Through Pulse Profile Modelling
• SRG/ART-XC discovery of SRGAJ144459.2-604207: a well-tempered bursting accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar
• Discovery of Polarized X-Ray Emission from the Accreting Millisecond Pulsar SRGA J144459.2-604207
• A comprehensive study of type I (thermonuclear) bursts in the new transient SRGA J144459.2$-$604207
• Disk reflection and energetics from the accreting millisecond pulsar SRGA J144459.2-604207