Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
The energy liberated by nuclear burning of matter accreting onto degenerate dwarfs can be more than an order of magnitude greater than that available from the release of gravitational potential energy. Nuclear burning therefore significantly alters the characteristics of X radiation from such stars. Here we report the results of calculations in which steady burning occurs at the accretion rate, and compare them with our calculations (Kylafis and Lamb 1979, hereafter KL) which assumed no burning. These two studies illustrate the maximum and minimum effects of nuclear burning. Results for intermediate burning rates can be found by scaling from them.