Oscillatory instability of interstellar medium radiative shock waves

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.35659· OSTI ID:6103938

Imamura, J N

Observations of the radiative shock waves produced during the late stages of supernova remnant evolution cannot be understood in the context of steady state shock models. As a result, several more complicated scenarios have been suggested. For example, it has been proposed that several shocks are producing the emission or that one shock, which is in the process of making the transition between the adiabatic and the radiative phases of its evolution, produces the emission. In this paper, we suggest another explanation. We propose that supernova remnant shock waves are subject to an oscillatory instability. By an oscillatory instability, we mean one where the postshock cooling region periodically varies in size on a time scale determined by the postshock plasma cooling time. An oscillatory instability may be able to produce the types of behavior exhibited by supernova remnant radiative shocks in a natural way. 16 refs., 1 fig.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6103938
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-85-3233; CONF-8408121-7; ON: DE86000771
• 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
COOLING
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
INSTABILITY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OSCILLATIONS
SHOCK WAVES
SUPERNOVA REMNANTS