Mass‐Loss, Composition and Observational Signatures of Stellar Winds From X‐Ray Bursts

ABSTRACT X‐Ray bursts (XRBs) are powerful thermonuclear events on the surface of accreting neutron stars (NSs), which can synthesize intermediate‐mass elements. Although the high surface gravity prevents an explosive ejection, a small fraction of the envelope may be ejected by radiation‐driven winds. In our previous works, we have developed a non‐relativistic radiative wind model and coupled it to an XRB hydrodynamic simulation. We now apply this technique to another model featuring consecutive bursts. We determine the mass‐loss and chemical composition of the wind ejecta. Results show that, for a representative XRB, about of the envelope mass is ejected per burst, at an average rate of . Between and of the ejecta composition is 60 Ni, 64 Zn, 68 Ge, 4 He and 58 Ni. We also report on the evolution of observational quantities during the wind phase and simulate NICER observations that resemble those of 4 U 1820–40.