Using numerical models of bow shocks to investigate the circumstellar medium of massive stars
arXiv:1407.1620 · doi:10.1088/1742-6596/577/1/012024
Abstract
Many massive stars travel through the interstellar medium at supersonic speeds. As a result they form bow shocks at the interface between the stellar wind. We use numerical hydrodynamics to reproduce such bow shocks numerically, creating models that can be compared to observations. In this paper we discuss the influence of two physical phenomena, interstellar magnetic fields and the presence of interstellar dust grains on the observable shape of the bow shocks of massive stars. We find that the interstellar magnetic field, though too weak to restrict the general shape of the bow shock, reduces the size of the instabilities that would otherwise be observed in the bow shock of a red supergiant. The interstellar dust grains, due to their inertia can penetrate deep into the bow shock structure of a main sequence O-supergiant, crossing over from the ISM into the stellar wind. Therefore, the dust distribution may not always reflect the morphology of the gas. This is an important consideration for infrared observations, which are dominated by dust emission. Our models clearly show, that the bow shocks of massive stars are useful diagnostic tools that can used to investigate the properties of both the stellar wind as well as the interstellar medium.
arXiv comment7 pages, 4 figures, to be published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series (JPCS) as part of the proceedings of the 13th Annual International Astrophysics Conference
References in corpus (13)
- A New Model of the Galactic Magnetic Field
- The Galactic Magnetic Field
- Predictions for mass-loss rates and terminal wind velocities of massive O-type stars
- Structures in the RM sky
- The enigmatic nature of the circumstellar envelope and bow shock surrounding Betelgeuse as revealed by Herschel. I. Evidence of clumps, multiple arcs, and a linear bar-like structure
- Computing the dust distribution in the bowshock of a fast moving, evolved star
- 3D Simulations of Betelgeuse's Bow Shock
- A very massive runaway star from Cygnus OB2
- AKARI/FIS Mapping of the ISM-Wind Bow Shock around Alpha Ori
- Double bow shocks around young, runaway red supergiants: application to Betelgeuse
- Can the magnetic field in the Orion arm inhibit the growth of instabilities in the bow shock of Betelgeuse?
- On the stability of bow shocks generated by red supergiants: the case of IRC-10414
- Astrophysical bow shocks: An analytical solution for the hypersonic blunt body problem in the intergalactic medium