Thermonuclear X-ray bursts arise from unstable burning of material accreted onto the surface of a neutron star from its companion star via Roche lobe overflow. The study of these events has seen a resurgence in recent years, thanks to new wavebands in which they can be observed; discovery of new aspects of their behaviour; and a growing stream of data from new space-based facilities. These bursts result from a number of distinct burning regimes depending on the size and composition of the fuel layer, giving rise to “normal” (short) bursts, intermediate-duration bursts, and longer superbursts, respectively. Studying these bursts provides valuable insights into nuclear reactions, enables measurements of the neutron star masses and radii and thus constrains the equation of state of compact objects.
Recent X-ray instruments and missions, such as NICER, Insight-HXMT, and NinjaSat, have significantly advanced our understanding of X-ray bursts while also raising new questions. This project aims to bridge multi-wavelength observations, experimental studies, and numerical simulations to achieve a comprehensive understanding of X-ray bursts. Our interdisciplinary team will investigate new emerging burst phenomena, leverage new observational data to explore burst-disk interactions in detail, and compare findings with theoretical models, simulations, and experimental results, as well as the impact that they have on the jets that are launched from these systems.
Banner image credits: D. Galloway; Guichandut et al. (2023); Bilous et al. (2019); NASA; HEASARC; David A. Hardy & PPARC