p a n io n ,inm o s tc a s e s a n e u tro n s ta r. A n e u tro ns ta r is a n e x tre m e ly d e n s e c o n c e n tr a tio n o f m a tte r: a m a s s e q u a l to th a t o f th e s u n ( d ia m e te r 1 .4 m illio n k m ) is c o n c e n tr a te din a

s tro n g , a n d , u p o n fa llin g o n th e n e u tr o ns ta rs u rfa c e , th e in fa llin g m a tte r re a c h e s

th e n e u tro n s ta r is m o re m a s s iv e th a n a b o u t1 0M o. These s y s te m s

th e th e o re tic a le x p e c ta tio nth a ta s tr o n g m a g n e tic fie ld in h ib its u n s ta b le n u c le a r b u rn in g .

th is a rtic le I w illd is c u s s th e s ec o in c id e n t X -ra y a n d o p tic a l b u rs ts , a n d s h o w th a t s u c h e v e n ts c o n ta in in fo rm a \ue000 tion on the structure oflo w - m a s sX -ra y b in a rie s .

T h e firs t s im u lta n e o u s X -ra y a n d o p tic a l o b s e rv a tio n s o f X -ra y b u rs te rs w e re m a d e d u rin g th e s u m m e r o f 1 9 7 7 . T h e X -ra y

a n y s ig n ific a n t in c r e a s e o f th e o p tic a l s ig n a l d u rin g th e X \ue000 ra y b u rs t, a n d o n ly u p p e r lim its to th e a m o u n t o f e n e r g y in a p o s s ib le o p tic a l b u r s t c o u ld b e g iv e n . A s tr o n o m e r s a t th e o b s e r v a to r ie s o f A s ia g o (Ita ly ), C rim e a ( S o v ie t U n io n ) a n d K a g o s h im a

o p tic a le m is s io n fro md iffe re n tp a rtso f it w ills u ffe rd iffe re n t d e la y s . T h e r e fo r e th e o p tic a l s ig n a l isn o t o n ly d e la y e d , b u t a ls o s m e a r e d o u t. T h ep r e c is ev a lu e so f th e d e la y a n d th e s m e a r in g

o b s e rv a tio n s ). A n X -ra yb u rs tw asd e te c te ds im u lta n e o u s lyw ithS A S -3 . T h e ra tio f tu rn e do u tto b e e v e ns m a lle r th a n fo r M X B1 7 3 5 -4 4 : o n ly

e x is tit w a s w o rth w h ilet om akea la rg e s c a le o b s e r v a tio n a la tta c k , to g e tab e tte rin s ig h tinth e ir p ro p e rtie s .S in c eX -ra yb u rs ts o c c u ra tin te rv a lso f h o u rs , b u ts o m e tim e s d on o ts h o w

u p fo rm u c h Io ng e r p e rio d s , m a n y n ig h ts o f o b s e r v in g tim e a re n e e d e d fo r a r e a s o n a b lec h a n c et oh a v e a"h it". D u rin g th e sum m ero f1 9 7 9

A p ril 1 9 7 9 ,b u tfo rtu n a te lyan e wJ a p a n e s e s a te llite ,"H a k u c h o ", h a d

2 5 o p tic a l b u rs ts , fo u ro f w h ic h w e red e te c te dintw oo r th re e c o lo u r ss im u lta n e o u s ly .In 6 c a s e s th e r ew as a"h it" w ith H a k u c h o . It is s till to o e a r ly to g iv ed e ta ilso n

o p tic a l ra d ia tio n . T h eb a s icp ic tu reisth a tm a tte rin th e v ic in ityo f th e

m e th o d toe x tra c tth is in fo rm a tio nc o n s is tso fc a lc u \ue000 la tin gs y n th e tic o p tic a lb u rs ts fo r s e v e ra lassum edd is tri\ue000 b u tio n so f th e a b s o rb in g m a tte r, a n d c o m p a rin gth e s e w ith th e o b s e rv e d o p tic a l a n d X -ra y d a ta .Ino rd e r toc a lc u la te a

re p ro c e s s in g b o d y . E a c h e le m e n t re fle c ts p a rto fth e in fa llin g X - r a y s a n d a b s o rb sth e re s t. T h e re s u ltin gte m p e ra tu re o f th es u rfa c e e le m e n td e p e n d s o n

th e u ltr a v io le tp a rto fth e s p e c tru m , w h ic hc a n n o t b e o b s e rv e d w ith

W ith in th efra m e w o rko falo w - m a s s X -ra y b in a ry m o d e l, o b v io u slo c a tio n sfo r th e p ro d u c tio no f a n o p tic a lb u rs t a re th e

d is k o T h ela tte ris fo rm e d a ro u n d th e n e u tro n s ta r,b e c a u s e th e m a tte r

b in a ry s y s te m , th isg a sflo w sina lm o s tc ir c u la r o rb its a ro u n d th e n e u tro n

s m a lle r th a n i t sd is ta n c et oth e n e u tro n s ta r. T h e re fo re th ed iffe re n c e s in

to th e a v e ra g e d e la y . F o r a d is k , o n th eo th e rh a n d , o n ee x p e c tsth a t th e s m e a rin g a n d d e la y a rea p p r o x im a te lye q u a l. T h is g iv e s u s a

b e tw e e n th eb rig h tn e s so fth eX -ra ys o u rc e a n d th e o p tic a l b rig h tn e s so f a s u r fa c e e le m e n t. If w ew is h toa p p ly s u c h a