The Imprint of Convection on Type I X-Ray Bursts: Pauses in Photospheric Radius Expansion Lightcurves

Motivated by the recent observation by NICER of a type I X-ray burst from SAX J1808.4-3658 with a distinct pause feature during its rise, we show that bursts which ignite in a helium layer underneath a hydrogen-rich shell naturally give rise to such pauses, as long as enough energy is produced to eject the outer layers of the envelope by super-Eddington winds. The length of the pause is determined by the extent of the convection generated after ignition, while the rate of change of luminosity following the pause is set by the hydrogen gradient left behind by convection. Using the MESA stellar evolution code, we simulate the accumulation, nuclear burning, and convective mixing prior to and throughout the ignition of the burst, followed by the hydrodynamic wind. We show that the results are sensitive to the treatment of convection adopted within the code. In particular, the efficiency of mixing at the H/He interface plays a key role in determining the shape of the lightcurve. The data from SAX J1808.4-3658 favor strong mixing scenarios. Multidimensional simulations will be needed to properly model the interaction between convection and nuclear burning during these bursts, which will then enable a new way to use X-ray burst lightcurves to study neutron star surfaces.

Automated summary

Motivated by the recent observation by NICER of a type I X-ray burst from SAX J1808.4-3658 with a distinct pause feature during its rise, the study shows that such pauses can naturally occur in bursts ignited in a helium layer beneath a hydrogen-rich shell if enough energy is produced to eject the outer layers. The pause length is determined by the convection extent after ignition, while the luminosity change following the pause is influenced by the hydrogen gradient left behind. The results highlight the importance of convection treatment and favor strong mixing scenarios.