Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2010-04-21
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
14 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
Scientific paper
Hydrodynamical models of colliding hypersonic flows are presented which explore the dependence of the resulting dynamics and the characteristics of the derived X-ray emission on numerical conduction and viscosity. For the purpose of our investigation we present models of colliding flow with plane-parallel and cylindrical divergence. Numerical conduction causes erroneous heating of gas across the contact discontinuity which has implications for the rate at which the gas cools. We find that the dynamics of the shocked gas and the resulting X-ray emission are strongly dependent on the contrast in the density and temperature either side of the contact discontinuity, these effects being strongest where the postshock gas of one flow behaves quasi-adiabatically while the postshock gas of the other flow is strongly radiative. Introducing additional numerical viscosity into the simulations has the effect of damping the growth of instabilities, which in some cases act to increase the volume of shocked gas and can re-heat gas via sub-shocks as it flows downstream. The resulting reduction in the surface area between adjacent flows, and therefore of the amount of numerical conduction, leads to a commensurate reduction in spurious X-ray emission, though the dynamics of the collision are compromised. The simulation resolution also affects the degree of numerical conduction. A finer resolution better resolves the interfaces of high density and temperature contrast and although numerical conduction still exists the volume of affected gas is considerably reduced. However, since it is not always practical to increase the resolution, it is imperative that the degree of numerical conduction is understood so that inaccurate interpretations can be avoided. This work has implications for the dynamics and emission from astrophysical phenomena which involve high Mach number shocks.
Parkin E. R.
Pittard Julian Mark
No associations
LandOfFree
Numerical heat conduction in hydrodynamical models of colliding hypersonic flows does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Numerical heat conduction in hydrodynamical models of colliding hypersonic flows, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Numerical heat conduction in hydrodynamical models of colliding hypersonic flows will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-327494