Thermonuclear Stability of Material Accreting onto a Neutron Star
Thermonuclear Stability of Material Accreting onto a Neutron Star
We present a global linear stability analysis of nuclear fuel accumulating on the surface of an accreting neutron star, and we identify the conditions under which thermonuclear bursts are triggered. The analysis reproduces all the recognized regimes of hydrogen and helium bursts and in addition shows that at high accretion …