X-ray burster

In the latter case the compact object is a white dwarf that accretes hydrogen that finally undergoes explosive burning.

The compact object of the broader class of X-ray binaries is either a neutron star or a black hole; however, with the emission of an X-ray burst, the compact object can immediately be classified as a neutron star, since black holes do not have a surface and all of the accreting material disappears past the event horizon.

[further explanation needed] X-ray bursts typically exhibit a sharp rise time (1–10 seconds) followed by spectral softening (a property of cooling black bodies).

In both cases, the falling material originates from the surface layers of the partner star and is thus rich in hydrogen and helium.

However, continued accretion creates a degenerate shell of matter, in which the temperature rises (greater than 109 kelvin) but this does not alleviate thermodynamic conditions.

Nucleosynthesis can proceed as high as mass number 100, but was shown to end definitively at isotopes of tellurium that undergo alpha decay such as 107Te.

This release of energy powers the X-ray burst, and may be observed as in increase in the star's luminosity with a space telescope.

A Type I X-ray burst has a sharp rise followed by a slow and gradual decline of the luminosity profile.

More finely detailed variations in burst observation have been recorded as the X-ray imaging telescopes improve.

The subsequent derivation of redshift of Z=0.35 implies a constraint for the mass-radius equation of the neutron star, a relationship which is still a mystery but is a major priority for the astrophysics community.