Publication Date:
2013-04-13
Description:
We perform time-resolved spectroscopy of all the type I bursts from the Rapid Burster (MXB 1730–335) detected with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer . Type I bursts are detected at high accretion rates, up to ~=45 per cent of the Eddington luminosity. We find evidence that bursts lacking the canonical cooling in their time-resolved spectra are, nonetheless, thermonuclear in nature. The type I bursting rate keeps increasing with the persistent luminosity, well above the threshold at which it is known to abruptly drop in other bursting low-mass X-ray binaries. The only other known source in which the bursting rate keeps increasing over such a large range of mass accretion rates is the 11 Hz pulsar IGR J17480–2446. This may indicate a similarly slow spin for the neutron star in the Rapid Burster.
Print ISSN:
0035-8711
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2966
Topics:
Physics
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