2D numerical study of the radiation influence on shock structure relevant to laboratory astrophysics

Abstract

Radiative shocks are found in various astrophysical objects and particularly at different stages of stellar evolution. Studying radiative shocks, their topology, and thermodynamical properties is therefore a starting point to understanding their physical properties. This study has become possible with the development of large laser facilities, which has provided fresh impulse to laboratory astrophysics. We present the main characteristics of radiative shocks modeled using cylindrical simulations. We focus our discussion on the importance of multi-dimensional radiative-transfer effects on the shock topology and dynamics. We present results obtained with our code HERACLES for conditions corresponding to experiments already performed on laser installations. The multi-dimensional hydrodynamic code HERACLES is specially adapted to laboratory astrophysics experiments and to astrophysical situations where radiation and hydrodynamics are coupled. The importance of the ratio of the photon mean free path to the transverse extension of the shock is emphasized. We present how it is possible to achieve the stationary limit of these shocks in the laboratory and analyze the angular distribution of the radiative flux that may emerge from the walls of the shock tube. Implications of these studies for stellar accretion shocks are presented.

8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (5)

• Three-dimensional Simulations of Disk Accretion to an Inclined Dipole: I. Magnetospheric Flow at Different Theta
• On Validating an Astrophysical Simulation Code
• On the Dynamical Overstability of Radiative Blast Waves: The Atomic Physics of Shock Stability
• The Dynamics of Radiative Shock Waves: Linear and Nonlinear Evolution
• Modeling multidimensional effects in the propagation of radiative shocks

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Physical and radiative properties of the first core accretion shock
• Counter-propagating radiative shock experiments on the Orion laser
• Experimental study of radiative shocks at PALS facility
• The influence of frequency-dependent radiative transfer on the structures of radiative shocks
• Experimental study of the interaction of two laser-driven radiative shocks at the PALS laser
• Scaling stellar jets to the laboratory: the power of simulations
• Miniature shock tube for laser driven shocks
• Measure of precursor electron density profiles of laser launched radiative shocks