The photoevaporation of interstellar clouds. I. Radiation-driven implosion

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Astrophysical Journal; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/168055· OSTI ID:7253558

Bertoldi, F ^[1]

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1. California Univ., Berkeley (USA)

An approximate analytical solution is developed for the evolution of an interstellar neutral cloud exposed to the ionizing radiation of a newly formed star. The structure of a steady photoevaporation gas flow off a spherical ionization front is derived even for cases where the ionization front cannot be considered thin, and the downstream flow is not in ionization and thermal equilibrium. Under a wide range of conditions, the ionization front is approximately D-critical, and the ionized gas expands supersonically into the intercloud medium. The ionization front typically drives a strong shock into the initial cloud. 39 refs.

• OSTI ID: 7253558
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Vol. 346; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC GASES
EVAPORATION
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
ASTROPHYSICS
EXPANSION
GAS FLOW
H2 REGIONS
IONIZED GASES
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LYMAN LINES
MOLECULES
SHOCK WAVES
STAR EVOLUTION
SUPERSONIC FLOW
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GASES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RADIATIONS
SPACE
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies