These are issues which were discussed -- all are invited to respond and open new issues in the attached comments.
- Multi-D X-ray bursts models are needed! (And Duncan Galloway, and other observers, would like resulting lightcurves made public).
- Next Generation X-ray Observatory (International X-ray Observatory? Launch 2020?) is needed for improved collecting area and spectral resolution of X-ray bursts; timing-capability can also inform inferred properties of X-ray bursts (such as the pulsations, mHz oscillations, etc) and these may occur on a shorter timescale.
- An answer to the question, Why is the transition to stable burning occurring at lower accretion rate than predicted?, is needed.
- Contined work, critically examining the core cooling rate (from neutrinos?) through quiescent X-ray binary cooling observations are needed.
- To accomplish the previous point, a better understanding of low mass accretion rate, as well as the high mass accretion rate, is needed, to derive the total mass accretion rate onto the compact object, and not only the mass loss of the companion (i.e. - how much mass leaves the system, either in outburst, and in quiescence).
- Determine the 15O(a,g) rate.
I would like to see 2 extreme cases to be addressed in the future:
ReplyDelete1) Why do we see type I X-ray bursts at near-Eddington accretion rates (GX 17+2, Cyg X-2), and why do we see different types of these bursts (short, intermediately long and super) in one of these sources (GX 17+2)?
2) What is the lowest mass accretion rate down to which we still expect X-ray burst to happen, i.e., below which accretion rates will
X-ray bursts cease to occur? It seems to be around 10^-5 m_dot_Edd (see Fushiki & Lamb 1987, ApJ 323, L55), but, as far as I know, no detailed elaborations on this exist.