The growth of density perturbations in radiative shocks

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/167955· OSTI ID:5126492

Blondin, J M; Cioffi, D F ^[1]

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1. NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD (USA)

The paper presents a new investigation of the growth of thermal instabilities behind radiative shocks. The analytic and numerical results disagree with McCray, Stein, and Kafatos, who were attempting to explain the filamentary structure commonly seen in supernova remnants, and proposed that the growth of density perturbations would lead to gross condensations in the postshock cooling region. Hydrodynamical simulations are generated which corroborate arguments in favor of no growth in the long-wavelength limit. These simulations also agree with a renewed analytic approach in the short-wavelength limit, and show that the region of rapid growth will remain inconspicuous in the overall density rise toward the back of the shock. It is noted that these calculations are in accord with some recent observations of supernova remnants where the observed filaments do not seem to have been produced by any local thermal instability process. 32 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5126492
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 345; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
COOLING
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DENSITY
FILAMENTS
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INSTABILITY
MECHANICS
MORPHOLOGY
NEBULAE
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SHOCK WAVES
SIMULATION
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS