出版社：SISSA, Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati
摘要：X-ray bursts are among the most exciting explosive astrophysical phenomena in our Galaxy [1,
2, 3, 4]. With dozens of sources bursting regularly, or irregularly with recurrence times of hours to
days they are the most frequent thermonuclear explosions we know of. The brightness, frequency,
and the fact that the same source can be repeatedly observed with different telescopes makes them
a unique testing ground for explosive nuclear burning at extreme temperatures and densities. X-ray
bursts occur on the surface of neutron stars accreting matter from a close companion star. X-ray
bursts and the associated phenomena provide therefore a unique window into the physics of neutron
stars. Not only do they probe neutron stars in different ways, but unlike isolated neutron stars that
are constrained in properties by the formation mechanism, the mass accretion process changes
spin, mass, and thermal structure of the neutron star considerably broadening the parameter space
for neutron star studies.
