säteilypurskeet

Säteilypurskeet, known in English as radiation bursts, refer to sudden and intense releases of electromagnetic radiation from astrophysical sources. These events can originate from a variety of cosmic phenomena, most notably from the surfaces of neutron stars or from the accretion disks of black holes. They are characterized by a rapid increase in brightness followed by a more gradual decay.

The most common type of radiation burst is observed in X-rays and is often associated with accreting neutron stars. These neutron stars possess strong magnetic fields that channel accreting matter from a companion star onto their magnetic poles. This matter accumulates and undergoes thermonuclear fusion, leading to a brief, intense burst of X-rays. These bursts can repeat on timescales ranging from hours to years, depending on the accretion rate.

Other sources of radiation bursts include magnetars, a type of neutron star with exceptionally strong magnetic fields. These magnetars can produce powerful bursts of X-rays and gamma rays through sudden reconfigurations of their magnetic fields. While less frequent than X-ray bursts from accreting neutron stars, magnetar bursts can be significantly more energetic. Studying these radiation bursts provides valuable insights into the extreme physics of compact objects, the behavior of matter under intense gravitational and magnetic fields, and the processes driving astrophysical explosions.