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Soft Gamma-ray Bursts from Accreting Compact Objects

Abstract

THE recent report that Vela satellites have detected 16 soft γ-ray bursts1 has generated great interest in the possible sources of such bursts2,3. Here we consider the possibility that the γ-ray bursts may originate from fleeting episodes of accretion onto compact galactic objects. We first describe the characteristics of the observations which make this general class of models an attractive one and then discuss a particular example which appears promising, namely the triggering of bursts by solar-type flares in a binary companion.

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LAMB, D., LAMB, F. & PINES, D. Soft Gamma-ray Bursts from Accreting Compact Objects. Nature Physical Science 246, 52–54 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/physci246052a0

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