arXiv subjects

C. J. Wareing

Publications and source records attributed to C. J. Wareing.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Shocking interactions of supernova remnants with atomic and molecular clouds -- the interplay between shocks, thermal instability and gravity in the large cloud regime

Using the adaptive mesh refinement code MG, we perform 3D hydrodynamic simulations of a supernova-cloud interaction in the "large cloud regime". The cloud is initially atomic and evolving due to the thermal instability (TI) and gravity. We study interactions in a "pre-TI" and "post-TI" stage when cold and dense clumps are present, and compare these results to idealised shock-cloud scenarios in the "small cloud regime", and a scenario without shocks. On aggregate, the supernova disruption is significantly weaker than that from an idealised shock due to the supernova impact being instantaneous, and not continuous. In both supernova-cloud interactions, we observe two shocks impact the cloud, followed by the development of a weak 10 km s$^{-1}$ upstream flow on the cloud interface, and a global ambient pressure drop. When the cloud is still atomic, it expands due to this drop. Additionally, the TI is triggered at the front of the cloud, causing the formation of a cap-like structure with clumps embedded inside. The upstream flow converges in this region, resulting in a lobe-like cloud morphology. When the cloud is molecular, the transmitted shock disrupts the inter-clump material and causes the clumps' outer envelopes to expand slightly and form tail-like morphologies. These effects are less pronounced than those in our shock-cloud scenarios, and more pronounced that those in our un-shocked scenario. After 3.5 Myrs, the effects from the supernova decay and the cloud returns to an almost indistinguishable state from an un-shocked cloud, in spite of the global ambient pressure drop. In neither supernova-cloud scenario do we see any local gravitational collapse.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

How D-type HII region expansion depends on numerical resolution

We investigate the resolution dependence of HII regions expanding past their Strömgren spheres. We find that their structure and size, and the radial momentum that they attain at a given time, is in good agreement with analytical expectations if the Strömgren radius is resolved with $dr \leq 0.3\,R_{\rm st}$. If this is not satisfied, the radial momentum may be over- or under-estimated by factors up to 10 or more. Our work has significance for the amount of radial momentum that a HII region can impart to the ambient medium in numerical simulations, and thus on the relative importance of ionizing feedback from massive stars.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

How to inflate a wind-blown bubble

Stellar winds are one of several ways that massive stars can affect the star formation process on local and galactic scales. In this paper we investigate the numerical resolution needed to inflate an energy-driven stellar wind bubble in an external medium. We find that the radius of the wind injection region, $r_{\rm inj}$, must be below a maximum value, $r_{\rm inj,max}$, in order for a bubble to be produced, but must be significantly below this value if the bubble properties are to closely agree with analytical predictions. The final bubble momentum is within 25 per cent of the value from a higher resolution reference model if $χ= r_{\rm inj}/r_{\rm inj,max}$ = 0.1. Our work has significance for the amount of radial momentum that a wind-blown bubble can impart to the ambient medium in simulations, and thus on the relative importance of stellar wind feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Interactions of a shock with a molecular cloud at various stages of its evolution due to thermal instability and gravity

Using the adaptive mesh refinement code MG, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction of a shock with a molecular cloud evolving due to thermal instability and gravity. To explore the relative importance of these processes, three case studies are presented. The first follows the formation of a molecular cloud out of an initially quiescent atomic medium due to the effects of thermal instability and gravity. The second case introduces a shock whilst the cloud is still in the warm atomic phase, and the third scenario introduces a shock once the molecular cloud has formed. The shocks accelerate the global collapse of the clouds with both experiencing local gravitational collapse prior to this. When the cloud is still atomic, the evolution is shock dominated and structures form due to dynamical instabilities within a radiatively cooled shell. While the transmitted shock can potentially trigger the thermal instability, this is prevented as material is shocked multiple times on the order of a cloud crushing time-scale. When the cloud is molecular, the post-shock flow is directed via the pre-existing structure through low-density regions in the inter-clump medium. The clumps are accelerated and deformed as the flow induces clump-clump collisions and mergers that collapse under gravity. For a limited period, both shocked cases show a mixture of Kolmogorov and Burgers turbulence-like velocity and logarithmic density power spectra, and strongly varying density spectra. The clouds presented in this work provide realistic conditions that will be used in future feedback studies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Striations, integrals, hourglasses and collapse -- thermal instability driven magnetic simulations of molecular clouds

The MHD version of the adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code, MG, has been employed to study the interaction of thermal instability, magnetic fields and gravity through 3D simulations of the formation of collapsing cold clumps on the scale of a few parsecs, inside a larger molecular cloud. The diffuse atomic initial condition consists of a stationary, thermally unstable, spherical cloud in pressure equilibrium with lower density surroundings and threaded by a uniform magnetic field. This cloud was seeded with 10% density perturbations at the finest initial grid level around n=1.1 cm^{-3} and evolved with self-gravity included from the outset. Several cloud diameters were considered (100 pc, 200 pc and 400 pc) equating to several cloud masses (17,000 Msun, 136,000 Msun and 1.1x10^6 Msun). Low-density magnetic-field-aligned striations were observed as the clouds collapse along the field lines into disc-like structures. The induced flow along field lines leads to oscillations of the sheet about the gravitational minimum and an integral-shaped appearance. When magnetically supercritical, the clouds then collapse and generate hourglass magnetic field configurations with strongly intensified magnetic fields, reproducing observational behaviour. Resimulation of a region of the highest mass cloud at higher resolution forms gravitationally-bound collapsing clumps within the sheet that contain clump-frame supersonic (M~5) and super-Alfvenic (M_A~4) velocities. Observationally realistic density and velocity power spectra of the cloud and densest clump are obtained. Future work will use these realistic initial conditions to study individual star and cluster feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Sheets, filaments and clumps - high resolution simulations of how the thermal instability can form molecular clouds

This paper describes 3D simulations of the formation of collapsing cold clumps via thermal instability inside a larger cloud complex. The initial condition was a diffuse atomic, stationary, thermally unstable, 200pc diameter spherical cloud in pressure equilibrium with low density surroundings. This was seeded with 10% density perturbations at the finest initial grid level (0.29pc) around n_H = 1.1cm^{-3} and evolved with self-gravity included. No magnetic field was imposed. Resimulations at a higher resolution of a region extracted from this simulation (down to 0.039pc), show that the thermal instability forms sheets, then filaments and finally clumps. The width of the filaments increases over time, in one particular case from 0.26 to 0.56pc. Thereafter clumps with sizes of around 5pc grow at the intersections of filaments. 21 distinct clumps, with properties similar to those observed in molecular clouds, are found by using the FellWalker algorithm to find minima in the gravitational potential. Not all of these are gravitationally bound, but the convergent nature of the flow and increasing central density suggest they are likely to form stars. Further simulation of the most massive clump shows the gravitational collapse to a density >10^6 cm^{-3}. These results provide realistic initial conditions that can be used to study feedback in individual clumps, interacting clumps and the entire molecular cloud complex.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

A new mechanical stellar wind feedback model for the Rosette Nebula

The famous Rosette Nebula has an evacuated central cavity formed from the stellar winds ejected from the 2-6 million-year-old co-distant and co-moving central star cluster NGC 2244. However, with upper age estimates of less than 110,000 years, the central cavity is too young compared to NGC 2244 and existing models do not reproduce its properties. A new proper motion study herein using Gaia data reveals the ejection of the most massive star in the Rosette, HD46223, from NGC 2244 occurred 1.73 (+0.34,-0.25)Myr (1$σ$ uncertainty) in the past. Assuming this ejection was at the birth of the most massive stars in NGC 2244, including the dominant centrally positioned HD46150, the age is set for the famous ionised region at more than ten times that derived for the cavity. Here, we are able to reproduce the structure of the Rosette Nebula, through simulation of mechanical stellar feedback from a 40M$_{\odot}$ star in a thin sheet-like molecular cloud. We form the 135,000M$_{\odot}$ cloud from thermally-unstable diffuse interstellar medium under the influence of a realistic background magnetic field with thermal/magnetic pressure equilibrium. Properties derived from a snapshot of the simulation at 1.5Myr, including cavity size, stellar age, magnetic field and resulting inclination to the line of sight, match those derived from observations. An elegant explanation is thus provided for the stark contrast in age estimates based on realistic diffuse ISM properties, molecular cloud formation and stellar wind feedback.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of mechanical stellar feedback in a sheet-like molecular cloud

We have used the AMR hydrodynamic code, MG, to perform 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations with self-gravity of stellar feedback in a sheet-like molecular cloud formed through the action of the thermal instability. We simulate the interaction of the mechanical energy input from a 15 solar mass star and a 40 solar mass star into a 100 pc-diameter 17000 solar mass cloud with a corrugated sheet morphology that in projection appears filamentary. The stellar winds are introduced using appropriate Geneva stellar evolution models. In the 15 solar mass star case, the wind forms a narrow bipolar cavity with minimal effect on the parent cloud. In the 40 solar mass star case, the more powerful stellar wind creates a large cylindrical cavity through the centre of the cloud. After 12.5 Myrs and 4.97 Myrs respectively, the massive stars explode as supernovae (SNe). In the 15 solar mass star case, the SN material and energy is primarily deposited into the molecular cloud surroundings over ~10^5 years before the SN remnant escapes the cloud. In the 40 solar mass star case, a significant fraction of the SN material and energy rapidly escapes the molecular cloud along the wind cavity in a few tens of kiloyears. Both SN events compress the molecular cloud material around them to higher densities (so may trigger further star formation), and strengthen the magnetic field, typically by factors of 2-3 but up to a factor of 10. Our simulations are relevant to observations of bubbles in flattened ring-like molecular clouds and bipolar HII regions.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

MHD simulation of the formation of clumps and filaments in quiescent diffuse medium by thermal instability

We have used the AMR hydrodynamic code, MG, to perform idealised 3D MHD simulations of the formation of clumpy and filamentary structure in a thermally unstable medium without turbulence. A stationary thermally unstable spherical diffuse atomic cloud with uniform density in pressure equilibrium with low density surroundings was seeded with random density variations and allowed to evolve. A range of magnetic field strengths threading the cloud have been explored, from beta=0.1 to beta=1.0 to the zero magnetic field case (beta=infinity), where beta is the ratio of thermal pressure to magnetic pressure. Once the density inhomogeneities had developed to the point where gravity started to become important, self-gravity was introduced to the simulation. With no magnetic field, clouds and clumps form within the cloud with aspect ratios of around unity, whereas in the presence of a relatively strong field (beta=0.1) these become filaments, then evolve into interconnected corrugated sheets that are predominantly perpendicular to the magnetic field. With magnetic and thermal pressure equality (beta=1.0), filaments, clouds and clumps are formed. At any particular instant, the projection of the 3D structure onto a plane parallel to the magnetic field, i.e. a line of sight perpendicular to the magnetic field, resembles the appearance of filamentary molecular clouds. The filament densities, widths, velocity dispersions and temperatures resemble those observed in molecular clouds. In contrast, in the strong field case beta=0.1, projection of the 3D structure along a line of sight parallel to the magnetic field reveals a remarkably uniform structure.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Reconciling the emission mechanism discrepancy in Mira's tail, and its evolution in an interface with shear

GALEX observations of the Mira AB binary system revealed a surrounding structure that has been successfully hydrodynamically interpreted as a bow shock and tail of ram-pressure-stripped material. Even the narrow tail, initially difficult to model, has been understood as the effect of the passage of Mira from a warm neutral medium into a hot, low-density medium, postulated to be the Local Bubble. However, no model to date has explained the observed kink and associated general curvature of the tail. We test the hypothesis that before entering the Local Bubble, Mira was travelling through a shear flow with approximately 1/3 Mira's own velocity at an angle of ~30degrees to Mira's proper motion. The hypothesis reproduces the kinked nature of Mira's tail and predicts recompression and reheating of the tail material to the same or greater levels of density and temperature predicted in the shock. This provides a heat source for the FUV emission, allowing for an extended lifetime of the FUV emission in line with other estimates of the age of the tail. The uniqueness of Mira's situation implies that the chances of observing other FUV tails behind AGB stars is highly unlikely.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Hall cascades versus instabilities in neutron star magnetic fields

The Hall effect is an important nonlinear mechanism affecting the evolution of magnetic fields in neutron stars. Studies of the governing equation, both theoretical and numerical, have shown that the Hall effect proceeds in a turbulent cascade of energy from large to small scales. We investigate the small-scale Hall instability conjectured to exist from the linear stability analysis of Rheinhardt and Geppert. Identical linear stability analyses are performed to find a suitable background field to model Rheinhardt and Geppert's ideas. The nonlinear evolution of this field is then modelled using a three-dimensional pseudospectral numerical MHD code. Combined with the background field, energy was injected at the ten specific eigenmodes with the greatest positive eigenvalues as inferred by the linear stability analysis. Energy is transferred to different scales in the system, but not into small scales to any extent that could be interpreted as a Hall instability. Any instabilities are overwhelmed by a late-onset turbulent Hall cascade, initially avoided by the choice of background field, but soon generated by nonlinear interactions between the growing eigenmodes. The Hall cascade is shown here, and by several authors elsewhere, to be the dominant mechanism in this system.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2009

Cascades in decaying three-dimensional electron magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Decaying electron magnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) turbulence in three dimensions is studied via high-resolution numerical simulations. The resulting energy spectra asymptotically approach a k^{-2} law with increasing R_B, the ratio of the nonlinear to linear timescales in the governing equation, consistent with theoretical predictions. No evidence is found of a dissipative cutoff, consistent with non-local spectral energy transfer and recent studies of 2D EMHD turbulence. Dissipative cutoffs found in previous studies are explained as artificial effects of hyperdiffusivity. In another similarity to 2D EMHD turbulence, relatively stationary structures are found to develop in time, rather than the variability found in ordinary or MHD turbulence. Further, cascades of energy in 3D EMHD turbulence are found to be suppressed in all directions under the influence of a uniform background field. Energy transfer is further reduced in the direction parallel to the field, displaying scale dependent anisotropy. Finally, the governing equation is found to yield a weak inverse cascade, at least partially transferring magnetic energy from small to large scales.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2009

Forward and inverse cascades in decaying two-dimensional electron magnetohydrodynamic turbulence

Electron magnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) turbulence in two dimensions is studied via high-resolution numerical simulations with a normal diffusivity. The resulting energy spectra asymptotically approach a $k^{-5/2}$ law with increasing $R_B$, the ratio of the nonlinear to linear timescales in the governing equation. No evidence is found of a dissipative cutoff, consistent with non-local spectral energy transfer. Dissipative cutoffs found in previous studies are explained as artificial effects of hyperdiffusivity. Relatively stationary structures are found to develop in time, rather than the variability found in ordinary or MHD turbulence. Further, EMHD turbulence displays scale-dependent anisotropy with reduced energy transfer in the direction parallel to the uniform background field, consistent with previous studies. Finally, the governing equation is found to yield an inverse cascade, at least partially transferring magnetic energy from small to large scales.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2007

It's a wonderful tail: the mass loss history of Mira

Recent observations of the Mira AB binary system have revealed a surrounding arc-like structure and a stream of material stretching 2 degrees away in opposition to the arc. The alignment of the proper motion vector and the arc-like structure shows the structures to be a bow shock and accompanying tail. We have successfully hydrodynamically modelled the bow shock and tail as the interaction between the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) wind launched from Mira A and the surrounding interstellar medium. Our simulations show that the wake behind the bow shock is turbulent: this forms periodic density variations in the tail similar to those observed. We investigate the possiblity of mass-loss variations, but find that these have limited effect on the tail structure. The tail is estimated to be approximately 450,000 years old, and is moving with a velocity close to that of Mira itself. We suggest that the duration of the high mass-loss phase on the AGB may have been underestimated. Finally, both the tail curvature and the rebrightening at large distance can be qualitatively understood if Mira recently entered the Local Bubble. This is estimated to have occured 17 pc downstream from its current location.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

VLT / Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer Observations of Molecular Hydrogen Lines in the Knots in the Planetary Nebula NGC 7293 (the Helix Nebula)

Knots are commonly found in nearby planetary nebulae (PNe) and star forming regions. Within PNe, knots are often found to be associated with the brightest parts of the nebulae and understanding the physics involved in knots may reveal the processes dominating in PNe. As one of the closest PNe, the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is an ideal target to study such small-scale (~300 AU) structures. We have obtained infrared integral spectroscopy of a comet-shaped knot in the Helix Nebula using SINFONI on the Very Large Telescope at high spatial resolution (50-125 mas). With spatially resolved 2 micron spectra, we find that the H2 rotational temperature within the cometary knots is uniform. The rotational-vibrational temperature of the cometary knot (situated in the innermost region of the nebula, 2.5 arcmin away from the central star), is 1800 K, higher than the temperature seen in the outer regions (5-6 arcmin from the central star) of the nebula (900 K), showing that the excitation temperature varies across the nebula. The obtained intensities are reasonably well fitted with 27 km s-1 C-type shock model. This ambient gas velocity is slightly higher than the observed [HeII] wind velocity of 13 km s-1. The gas excitation can also be reproduced with a PDR (photo dominant region) model, but this requires an order of magnitude higher UV radiation. Both models have limitations, highlighting the need for models that treats both hydrodynamical physics and the PDR.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2007

The interaction of planetary nebulae and their AGB progenitors with the interstellar medium

Interaction with the Interstellar Medium (ISM) cannot be ignored in understanding planetary nebula (PN) evolution and shaping. In an effort to understand the range of shapes observed in the outer envelopes of PNe, we have run a comprehensive set of three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, from the beginning of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) superwind phase until the end of the post--AGB/PN phase. A 'triple-wind' model is used, including a slow AGB wind, fast post--AGB wind and third wind reflecting the linear movement through the ISM. A wide range of stellar velocities, mass-loss rates and ISM densities have been considered. We find ISM interaction strongly affects outer PN structures, with the dominant shaping occuring during the AGB phase. The simulations predict four stages of PN--ISM interaction whereby the PN is initially unaffected (1), then limb-brightened in the direction of motion (2), then distorted with the star moving away from the geometric centre (3) and finally so distorted that the object is no longer recognisable as a PN and may not be classed as such (4). Parsec-size shells around PN are predicted to be common. The structure and brightness of ancient PNe is largely determined by the ISM interaction, caused by rebrightening during the second stage; this effect may address the current discrepancies in Galactic PN abundance. The majority of PNe will have tail structures. Evidence for strong interaction is found for all known planetary nebulae in globular clusters.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2006

Detached shells as tracers of AGB-ISM bow shocks

New Spitzer imaging observations have revealed the structure around the Mira variable star R Hya to be a one-sided parabolic arc 100 arcsec to the West stretching from North to South. We successfully model R Hya and its surroundings in terms of an interaction of the stellar wind from an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star with the interstellar medium (ISM) the star moves through. Our three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation reproduces the structure as a bow shock into the oncoming ISM. We propose this as another explanation of detached shells around such stars which should be considered alongside current theories of internal origin. The simulation predicts the existence of a tail of ram-pressure-stripped AGB material stretching downstream. Indications for such a tail behind R Hya are seen in IRAS maps.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2005

The shaping of planetary nebula Sh 2-188 through interaction with the interstellar medium

Sh 2-188 is an example of strong interaction between a planetary nebula (PN) and the interstellar medium (ISM). Its structure is postulated to be the result of motion through the ISM. We present new H$α$ images from the Isaac Newton Telescope Photometric H$α$ Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane which reveal new structure. The nebula extends 15 arcmin on the sky in total. We have developed a `triple-wind' hydrodynamical model, comprising of the initial `slow' asymptotic giant branch (AGB) wind and the later `fast' stellar wind plus a third wind reflecting the motion through the ISM. Simulations at various velocities of the central star relative to the ISM indicate that a high velocity of 125 kms is required to reproduce the observed structure. We find most of the structure already forms during the AGB phase. The closure of the ring arises from the slow--fast wind interaction. Most of the mass lost on the AGB has been swept downstream, providing a potential explanation of the missing mass problem in PNe. We report a proper motion for the central star of 30 mas yr^-1 in the direction of the bright limb, implying a distance to the nebula of 850^{+500}_{-420} pc, consistent with a spectroscopic distances. Expansion velocities measured from spectroscopic data are consistent with velocities measured from the simulation. The model shows that the size of the PN was already set during the AGB phase.

astro-ph↗