Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

X-ray burst sources

Nature volume 270, pages 211–216 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

More than 30 X-ray burst sources have been discovered in the past 2 years, and information on the observational properties of the burst emission is accumulating rapidly. The physical mechanism responsible for the bursts is so far undetermined, but the most promising models are based on the accretion of matter onto a compact object of Stellar mass.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Grindlay, J. & Heise, J. IAU Circ. No. 2879 (1975).

  2. Babushkina, O. P. et al. Sov. Astron. Lett. 1, 32 (1975).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sagdeev, R. Z. IAU Circ. No. 2959 (1976).

  4. Babushkina, O. P. et al. Sov. Astr. Lett. 1, 115 (1975).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lewin, W. H. G. Proc. Eighth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. (in the press).

  6. Lewin, W. H. G. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 179, 43 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Lewin, W. H. G. et al. Nature 267, 28 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Grindlay, J. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 205, L127 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Liller, W. Astrophys. J. Lett. 213, L21 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  10. Clark, G. W. & Li, F. K., IAU Circ. No. 3092 (1977).

  11. Forman, W. & Jones, C. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L177 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Li, F. & Clark, G. W. IAU Circ. No. 3095 (1977).

  13. McClintock, J. E. IAU Circ. No. 3084 (1977).

  14. McClintock, J. E. IAU Circ. No. 3088 (1977).

  15. Davidsen, A. IAU Circ. No. 2824 (1975).

  16. Bond, H. E. IAU Circ. No. 3085 (1977).

  17. Swank, J. H. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 212, L73 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Hoffman, J. A., Lewin, W. H. G. & Doty, J. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 179, 57P (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Hoffman, J. A., Lewin, W. H. G., Doty, J., Jernigan, J. G. & Haney, M. Astrophys. J. Lett. (in the press).

  20. Lewin, W. H. G., Hoffman, J. A. & Doty, J. IAU Circ. No. 2994 (1976).

  21. Lewin, W. H. G. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L95 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Belian, R. D., Conner, J. P. & Evans, W. D. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L33 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Belian, R. D., Conner, J. P. & Evans, W. D. IAU Circ. No. 2969 (1976).

  24. Evans, W. D., Belian, R. D. & Conner, J. P. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L91 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Clark, G. W. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L105 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  26. IAU Circ. No. 3078 (1977).

  27. Swank, J. H., Becker, R. H., Pravdo, S. H. & Serlemitsos, P. J. IAU Circ. No. 2963 (1976).

  28. Li, F. K. & Lewin, W. H. G. IAU Circ. No. 2983 (1976).

  29. Li, F. K. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc. 179, 21P (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Lewin, W. H. G., Hoffman, J. A., Doty, J., Li, F. K. & McClintock, J. E. IAU Circ. No. 3075 (1977).

  31. Clark, G. W. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc. 179, 651 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  32. Lewin, W. H. G., Doty, J., Hoffman, J. A. & Li, F. K. IAU Circ. No. 2984 (1976).

  33. Lewin, W. H. G. et al. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 117, 83P (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. Grindlay, J. & Gursky, H. Astrophvs. J. Lett. 209, L61 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  35. White, N. E. & Burnell, S. J. IAU Circ. No. 3067 (1977).

  36. Lewin, W. H. G. & Hoffman, J. A. IAU Circ. No. 3079 (1977).

  37. Hoffman, J. A. et al. Astrophys. J. Lett. 210, L13 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  38. Ulmer, M. P., Lewin, W. H. G., Hoffman, J. A., Doty, J. & Marshall, H. Astrophys. J. Lett. 214, L11 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. Lewin, W. H. G. et al. Mon. Not. R. astr. Soc. 177, 93P (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  40. Swank, J. H., Becker, R. H., Pravdo, S. H., Saba, J. R. & Serlemitsos, P. J. IAU Circ. No. 3000 (1976).

  41. Swank, J. H., Becker, R. H., Pravdo, S. H., Saba, J. R. & Serlemitsos, P. J. IAU Circ. No. 3010 (1976).

  42. Lewin, W. H. G., Hoffman, J. A. & Doty, J. IAU Circ. No. 3087 (1977).

  43. Becker, R. H. et al. Astrophvs. J. Lett. 216, L101 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Giacconi, R. et al. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 27, 37 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Hoffman, J. A., Doty, J. & Lewin, W. H. G. IAU Circ. No. 3025 (1977).

  46. Doxsey, R. E., Apparao, K. M. V., Bradt, H. V., Dower, R. G. & Jernigan, J. G. Nature 269, 112 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  47. Jernigan, J. G., Apparao, K. M. V., Bradt, H. V., Doxsey, R. E. & McClintock, J. E. Nature (in the press).

  48. Forman, W. et al. Astrophys. J. Suppl. (in the press).

  49. Markert, T. & Clark, G. W. IAU Circ. No. 2735 (1974).

  50. Cooke, B. A. et al. Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc. (in the press).

  51. Wilson, A. M., Carpenter, G. F., Eyles, C. J., Skinner, G. K. & Wilmore, A. P. Astrophys. J. Lett. 215, L111 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  52. Lewin, W. H. G. IAU Circ. No. 2922 (1976).

  53. Tananbaum, H., Chaisson, L. J., Forman, W., Jones, C. & Matilsky, T. A. Astrophys. J. Lett. 209, L125 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  54. Kellogg, E., Gursky, H., Murray, S., Tananbaum, H. & Giacconi, R. Astrophys. J. Lett. 169, L99 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  55. Kleinmann, D. E., Kleinmann, S. G. & Wright, E. L. Astrophys. J. Lett. 210, L83 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  56. Clark, G. W. Highlights of Astronomy, 4, (in the press).

  57. Ostriker, J. P. Proc. Eighth Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. (in the press).

  58. Carpenter, G. F., Skinner, G. K., Wilson, S. M. & Wilmore, A. P. Nature, 262, 473 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  59. Joss, P. C., Ricker, G., Mayer, W. & Hoffman, J. IAU Circ. No. 3108 (1977).

  60. Klebesadel, R. W. & Strong, I. B. Astrophys. Space Sci. 42, 3 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Metzger, A. E., Parker, R. H., Gilman, D., Peterson, L. E. & Trombka, J. I. Astrophys. J. Lett. 194, L19 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  62. Lamb, F. K., Fabian, A. C., Pringle, J. E. & Lamb, D. Q. Astrophys. J. 217, 197 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  63. Svestka, J. Astrophys. Space Sci. 45, 21 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Henriksen, R. N. Astrophys. J. Lett. 210, L19 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  65. Baan, W., Astrophys. J. 214, 245 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  66. Joss, P. C. & Rappaport, S. Nature, 265, 222 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  67. Wheeler, J. C. Astrophys. J. 214, 560 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  68. Grindlay, J. & Gursky, H. Astrophys. J. Lett. 205, L131 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  69. Grindlay, J. E. Astrophys. J. (in the press).

  70. Bahcall, J. N. & Ostriker, J. P. Nature, 262, 37 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  71. Bahcall, J. N. & Ostriker, J. P. Nature, 256, 23 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  72. Silk, J. & Arons, J. Astrophys. J. Lett. 200, L131 (1975).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  73. Canizares, C. R. Astrophys. J. Lett. 207, L101 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  74. Maraschi, L. & Cavaliere, A. Highlights of Astronomy 4, (in the press).

  75. Woosley, S. E. & Taam, R. E. Nature, 263, 101 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  76. Joss, P. C. Nature (in the press).

  77. Lamb, D. Q. & Lamb, F. K. Astrophys. J. (in the press).

  78. Rappaport, S. & Joss, P. C. Nature 266, 123 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  79. Liang, E. P. T. Astrophys. J. 218, (in the press).

  80. Hoffman, J. A., Marshall, H. & Lewin, W. G. H. IAU Circ. No. 3117 (1977).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    Walter H. G. Lewin & Paul C. Joss

Authors
  1. Walter H. G. Lewin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul C. Joss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lewin, W., Joss, P. X-ray burst sources. Nature 270, 211–216 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270211a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270211a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing