Accretion rate and the occurrence of multi-peaked X-ray bursts

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 467, Number 2, May IV 2007


Page(s)		L33 - L36
Section		Letters
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20077326

A&A 467, L33-L36 (2007)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20077326

Letter

Accretion rate and the occurrence of multi-peaked X-ray bursts

A. L. Watts and I. Maurer

Max Planck Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85741 Garching, Germany
e-mail: anna@mpa-garching.mpg.de

(Received 18 February 2007 / Accepted 26 March 2007)

Abstract
Most Type I X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars have a lightcurve with a single peak, but there is a rare population of faint bursts that are double or even triple peaked. Suggested mechanisms include polar ignition with equatorial stalling, or multi-step energy release; the latter being caused by hydrodynamic instabilities or waiting points in the nuclear reaction sequence. We present an analysis of the accretion rate dependence of the multi-peak bursts, and discuss the consequences for the various models. The observations pose particular challenges for the polar ignition mechanism given current models of ignition latitude dependence.

Key words: binaries: general -- stars: individual: 4U 1636-536 -- stars: neutron -- stars: rotation -- X-rays: bursts -- X-rays: stars

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