Speaker
Dr
Yuri cavecchi
(University of Southampton - Princeton University)
Description
When a neutron star accretes from a low mass companion, the fluid that
accumulates on the surface of the compact object can burn
unstably. The result of the thermonuclear runaway is the Type I
bursts: X-ray flashes that last for tens to hundreds of seconds. The
lightcurves of the bursts encode information about the mass and radius
of the neutron star. These can be used to put constraints on the
equation of state of the core, also in combination with other
observations like gravitational waves.
In order to understand the emission pattern that leads to the burst
lightcurves, it is fundamental to understand how the thermonuclear
flame propagates across the star after ignition.
In this work, I will present the first 3D numerical simulations of the
hydrodynamical instabilities that develop along the flame front and
discuss their implications for the burst lightcurves.
Primary author
Dr
Yuri cavecchi
(University of Southampton - Princeton University)
Co-author
Prof.
Anatoly Spitkovsky
(Princeton University)
