Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jan 1992
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992apj...384..143b&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 384, Jan. 1, 1992, p. 143-176.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
87
Accretion Disks, Gamma Ray Bursts, Neutron Stars, Stellar Atmospheres, X Ray Astronomy, Carbon, Nitrogen, Nuclear Astrophysics, Oxygen
Scientific paper
The fate of incident C-12, N-14, and O-16 in accreting neutron star atmospheres is described. When the accreting material is stopped by Coulomb collisions with atmospheric electrons, all incoming elements heavier than helium thermalize at higher altitudes in the atmosphere than the accreting protons. The incoming protons and helium then destroy the elements via nuclear spallation reactions. A small fraction of the nuclear reactions cause nuclear excitation and subsequent gamma-ray emission. The probability for a nucleus to survive this bombardment depends on how long it spends in the hazardous region of the atmosphere. The fractions of incident C-12, N-14, and O-16 that survive proton bombardment are calculated as a function of the accretion rate, and the mass and radius of the neutron star. The subsequent paucity of CNO nuclei decreases hydrogen-burning rates in the deep regions of the atmosphere, thereby reducing the amount of helium available for the unstable nuclear flashes that cause type I X-ray bursts. The gamma-ray line emission from this collisional deceleration scenario is determined.
Bildsten Lars
Salpeter Edwin E.
Wasserman Ira
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