The Rapid Burster and its type II burst profiles

X-ray bursts

“…(1984a observed a turn-on in activity; the time-averaged type II burst luminosity increased during the first ~3 days (from ~ 7 x 1036 erg s -1 to ~ 4 x 1037 erg s -1) and then decreased by about a factor of 2 during the following week. The time-averaged type II burst luminosity was ~3 x 1037 erg s -1 on August 28-31, 1985; on September 13, 1985 it had decreased to ,-~ 4 x 1036 erg s -1 (Stella et al 1988a;Tan et al 1991a). …”

“…The time-averaged type II burst luminosity (~2-15 keV) decreases (though not monotonically; Marshall et al 1979) during the active periods which last typically several weeks (see e.g., Marshall et al 1979;Inoue et al 1980;Kunieda et al 1984a, b;Barr et aL 1987;Tan et aL 1991a). The time-averaged type II burst luminosity was ,-~ 1.5 x 1037 erg s -I near March 2, 1976, and it had decreased to 5 • 1036 erg s -1 by April 34.…”

“…Type II burst intervals vary from ~7 s Marshall et al 1979) to ~1 hour (Stella et al 1988a;Tan et al 1991a). The type II burst patterns vary a great deal.…”

“…When the type II burst duration exceeds ~15 s, the type II bursts in general have approximately flat tops whose flux levels, however, can vary greatly from burst to burst (see e.g., Lewin et al 1976c;Inoue et al 1980;Basinska et al 1980;Kunieda et al 1984a,b;Stella et al 1988a, b;Tan et al 1991a). Thus, these flat tops are not the result of an Eddington limit.…”

“…Type II bursts which are shorter than ~50 s almost always show successive peaks during their decay which we call "tinging" (Lewin et al 1976c;Kawai 1985;Tawara et aL 1985;Kawai et al 1990;Tan et al 1991a). Kawai (1985), Tawara et al (1985), and Kawai et al (1990) discussed data in which the type II bursts have nearly identical profiles though the characteristic timescale of the profiles and peak fluxes differs from burst to burst.…”