Rotational effects in thermonuclear type I bursts: equatorial crossing and directionality of flame spreading

In a previous study on thermonuclear (type I) bursts on accreting neutron stars, we addressed and demonstrated the importance of the effects of rotation, through the Coriolis force, on the propagation of the burning flame. However, that study only analysed cases of longitudinal propagation, where the Coriolis force coefficient 2Ωcos θ was constant. In this paper, we study the effects of rotation on propagation in the meridional (latitudinal) direction, where the Coriolis force changes from its maximum at the poles to zero at the equator. We find that the zero Coriolis force at the equator, while affecting the structure of the flame, does not prevent its propagation from one hemisphere to another. We also observe structural differences between the flame propagating towards the equator and that propagating towards the pole, the second being faster. In the light of the recent discovery of the low spin frequency of burster IGR J17480-2446 rotating at 11 Hz (for which Coriolis effects should be negligible), we also extend our simulations to slow rotation.