A superburst from 4U 1254-690

Abstract

We report the detection with the BeppoSAX Wide Field Cameras of a superburst from 4U 1254-690. The superburst is preceded by a normal type-I X-ray burst, has a decay time that is the longest of all eight superbursts detected so far and a peak luminosity that is the lowest. Like for the other seven superbursts, the origin is a well-known type-I X-ray burster with a persistent luminosity level close to one tenth of the Eddington limit. Based on WFC data of all persistently bright X-ray bursters, the average rate of superbursts is 0.51+/-0.25 per year per persistently bright X-ray burster. Some systems may have higher superburst rates. For all superbursters, we present evidence for a pure helium layer which is burnt in an unstable as well as a stable manner.

Accepted by A&A Letters

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Cited by in corpus (52)

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• The Thermal Evolution following a Superburst on an Accreting Neutron Star
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• Theoretical Models of Superbursts on Accreting Neutron Stars
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• Oxygen, neon, and iron X-ray absorption in the local interstellar medium
• Probing the structure of the gas in the Milky Way through X-ray high resolution spectroscopy
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• A superburst candidate in EXO 1745--248 as a challenge to thermonuclear ignition models
• Carbon Detonation and Shock-Triggered Helium Burning in Neutron Star Superbursts
• A Two-Zone Model for Type I X-ray Bursts on Accreting Neutron Stars
• Neutron star cooling and the rp process in thermonuclear X-ray bursts
• An explanation for long flares from extragalactic globular cluster X-ray sources
• A catalogue of unusually long thermonuclear bursts on neutron stars
• Superbursts and long bursts as surface phenomenon of compact objects
• Time-dependent, compositionally driven convection in the oceans of accreting neutron stars
• Carbon Synthesis in Steady-State Hydrogen and Helium Burning On Accreting Neutron Stars
• On the Production and Survival of Carbon Fuel for Superbursts on Accreting Neutron Stars: Implications for Mass Donor Evolution
• Indications for a slow rotator in the Rapid Burster from its thermonuclear bursting behaviour
• A thin diffuse component of the Galactic Ridge X-ray emission and heating of the interstellar medium contributed by the radiation of Galactic X-ray binaries
• The imprint of carbon combustion on a superburst from the accreting neutron star 4U 1636-536
• Kinematical Studies of the Low Mass X-Ray Binary GR Mus (XB1254-690)
• Puzzling thermonuclear burst behaviour from the transient low-mass X-ray binary IGR J17473-2721
• Impacts of the direct URCA and Superfluidity inside a Neutron Star on Type-I X-Ray Bursts and X-Ray Superbursts
• On the detectability of CO molecules in the Interstellar Medium via X-ray spectroscopy
• The Thermal Stability of Helium Burning on Accreting Neutron Stars
• The superburst recurrence time in luminous persistent LMXBs
• Model of heat diffusion in the outer crust of bursting neutron stars
• Nitrogen X-ray absorption in the local ISM
• XMM-Newton Survey of Local OVII Absorption Lines in the Spectra of Galactic X-ray Sources
• Decades' long-term variations in NS-LMXBs observed with MAXI/GSC, RXTE/ASM and Ginga/ASM
• Updating the orbital ephemeris of the dipping source XB 1254-690 and the distance to the source
• Constraining Accreted Neutron Star Crust Shallow Heating with the Inferred Depth of Carbon Ignition in X-ray Superbursts
• Argon X-ray absorption in the local ISM
• Tracing the outburst decay of soft X-ray transients Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52 with XSPECT