Abstract:
Since its successful launch into orbit in 2017, the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), also known as
Insight-HXMT, has been operating continuously for over eight years, accumulating a vast amount of observational data. During its observations of multiple thermonuclear burst sources, it has detected more than 200 thermonuclear burst events. With its outstanding wide energy band detection capability (1–250 keV) and large effective area (>5000 cm
2@20 keV), the
Insight-HXMT satellite has conducted in-depth analyses of the energy spectra and time-varying characteristics of thermonuclear bursts, particularly focusing on the radiation features in the hard X-ray band (>20 keV), and systematically revealing the interaction mechanisms between thermonuclear bursts and the accretion environment. Specific research achievements include: the first observation of the high-temperature corona cooling process caused by a thermonuclear burst in a single event, providing direct evidence for the study of the interaction between thermonuclear bursts and the corona; the first discovery and confirmation of the correlation between the anisotropy of surface radiation of neutron stars and the accretion rate, offering important clues for understanding the physical processes on the surface of neutron stars; and systematic studies on the enhanced accretion radiation effect triggered by thermonuclear bursts, as well as the obscuring effect of the accretion disk on thermonuclear bursts. These achievements not only expand our understanding of the physical processes of thermonuclear bursts but also provide new observational perspectives for the study of neutron star accretion systems.