Have scientists solved mystery surrounding X-ray bursts in binary-star system?

Image credits: ESA/ATG medialab

New Delhi: Scientists claimed that they may have solved a 40-year-old mystery surrounding the puzzling X-ray bursts in a binary-star system MXB 1730-335, also known as the 'Rapid Burster'.

Researchers discovered that the neutron star's magnetic field creates a gap between the star and the disk around it, largely preventing it from feeding on matter from its stellar companion, writes NASA in its official website.

The Rapid Burster is a binary system comprising a low-mass star in its prime and a neutron star -- the compact remnant of a massive star's demise.

“Most neutron star binary systems continuously release large amounts of X-rays, punctuated by additional X-ray flashes every few hours or days. But scientists have wondered for decades about what accounts for the Rapid Burster's sudden, erratic and extremely intense X-ray emissions,” NASA added.

The new results provide scientists the first evidence for what causes these so-called "type-II" bursts.

The new findings, which give scientists the first evidence for what causes these so-called "type-II" bursts, were made using the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton mission and NASA's NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) and Swift missions.