X-Ray Bursters (2) ...
The adjacent animation illustrates how X-rays are produced in high temperature plasmas.
Production of X-Rays
X-rays are emitted when the fast-moving electrons pass close to slow-moving ions and
are accelerated. Only if the temperatures are millions of degrees are the electrons
moving at high enough velocities to produce X-rays. The higher the temperature, the
faster the electrons move. This both increases the energy of the X-rays and their
intensity, since collisions become more violent and
more frequent at high temperature. An X-ray burst
on the surface of a neutron star may last for a few seconds, during which time
the temperatures
can reach 100 million or even a billion degrees. This allows
X-rays to be produced in abundance.
