Global effects of thermal conduction on two-phase media. [In astrophysical plasmas]

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/168994· OSTI ID:6592135

Begelman, M C; Mckee, C F ^[1]

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1. Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, Boulder, CO (USA) California Univ., Berkeley (USA)

The evolution of two-phase systems of astrophysical gases which change mass between the phases is studied to see whether a steady state is ever reached. The criterion for thermal instability in a cloudy medium is derived. The evolution of the pressure and density of the intercloud medium under the combined effects of heating and radiative cooling of the intercloud gas on the one hand and evaporation and condensation of the clouds on the other is determined. The equilibrium density to which the system evolves is determined for the case when the pressure is fixed. The theory is illustrated by the case in which the intercloud gas is heated by Compton scattering in a hard radiation field and cooled by bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton scattering. 37 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6592135
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal; (USA) Vol. 358; ISSN ASJOA; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640105* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Galaxies
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
BASIC INTERACTIONS
BREMSSTRAHLUNG
COMPTON EFFECT
COOLING
COSMIC GASES
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
DENSITY
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EVAPORATION
FLUIDS
GALAXY NUCLEI
GASES
HEATING
INHOMOGENEOUS PLASMA
INTERACTIONS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
LYMAN LINES
MASS TRANSFER
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
QUASARS
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
SPACE
SPECTRA
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES