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At least 19 records

Forbidden coronal iron-like emission in the Puppis A shock front - The effect of inhomogeneities

CCD images of the shock front at the eastern rim of Pup A, obtained in the forbidden lines of Fe X (6374 A) and Fe XIV (5303 A), are reported and compared to Einstein high-resolution-image soft X-ray data. The observed part of the remnant is complex, containing density irregularities. Optical and X-ray data are consistent in showing a nearly flat gradient of ionization temperature behind the shock. To determine conditions in the shock, scans of surface brightness across it in the optical lines were compared to surface brightnesses predicted by idealized Sedov models. It was not possible to match both the red and green line scans by a simple, single-component model, and the failure is ascribed to the presence of the density inhomogeneities. This result has important implications for the determination of SNR shock-front models by fitting X-ray data with Sedov models.

Teske, Richard G.

Forbidden coronal iron line emission in the Puppis A shock front: The effect of inhomogeneities

We have obtained CCD images of the shock front at the eastern rim of Puppis A in (Fe X) lambda 6374 and (Fe XIV) lambda 5303 and have compared the optical data to Einstein HRI soft X-ray data. The observed part of the remnant is complex, containing density irregularities. Optical and X-ray data are consistent in showing a nearly flat gradient of ionization behind the shock. To determine conditions in the shock, scans of surface brightness across it in the optical lines were compared to surface brightnesses predicted by idealized Sedov models. We were unable to match both the red and green line scans by a simple, single-component model, and have ascribed the failure to the presence of the density inhomogeneities. Our result has important implications for the determination of SNR shock front models by means of fitting X-ray data with Sedov models.

Teske, Richard G.

Momentum-dependent diffusive particle acceleration in modified shock fronts

In the presently derived analytic solutions of the steady transport equation for diffusive particle acceleration in a modified, planar shock front having free escape boundaries, the fluid velocity profile through the shock transition decreases monotonically between the upstream and downstream boundaries. The spatial diffusion coefficient's spatial dependence is linked to that of the fluid velocity profile. Attention is given to the solution corresponding to monoenergetic particle injection at the shock front, with free particle escape at finite distances both upstream and downstream of the shock. The accelerated particle spectrum is dominated at high energies by an exponential cutoff, due to the competition between acceleration by the first-order Fermi mechanism and particle loss through the free escape boundaries.

Webb, G. M.

Diffusive electron acceleration at SNR shock fronts and the observed SNR radio spectral indices

The radio synchrotron emission from relativistic electrons in shell supernova remnants (SNRs) provides a unique opportunity to probe the energy distribution of energetic electrons at their acceleration site (SNR shock fronts). This information provides insight into the acceleration mechanism(s). The implications of these observations for the diffusive (first-order Fermi) acceleration of electrons at the SNR shock fronts are discussed.

Bogdan, T. J.

Evolution of the shock front and turbulence structures in the shock/turbulence interaction

The interaction of a weak shock front with isotropic turbulence has been investigated using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). Two problems were considered: the ability of the field equation (the equation for a propagating surface) to model the shock; and a quantitative study of the evolution of turbulence structure using the database generated by Lee et al. Field equation model predictions for front shape have been compared with DNS results; good agreement is found for shock wave interaction with 2D turbulence and for a single steady vorticity wave. In the interaction of 3D isotropic turbulence with a normal shock, strong alignment of vorticity with the intermediate eigenvector of the rate of strain tensor (S(sup *)(sub ij) = S(sub ij) - (1/3)(delta(sub ij))(S(sub kk))) is seen to develop upstream of the shock and to be further amplified on passage through the shock. Vorticity tends to align at 90 deg to the largest eigenvector, but there is no preferred alignment with the smallest eigenvector. Upstream of the shock, the alignments continue to develop even after the velocity derivative skewness saturates. There is a significant tendency, which increases with time throughout the computational domain, for velocity to align with vorticity. The alignment between velocity and vorticity is strongest in eddy regions and weakest in convergence regions.

Kevlahan, N.

Microstrip-Transmission-Line Shock-Front Sensor

Microstrip-transmission-line sensor measures velocities of low-overpressure shock fronts and offers dynamic range needed for measurements both far from and near explosions. Fabricated easily, relatively inexpensive, and repaired in field. In addition, basic geometry modified easily, as needed.

Leiweke, Robert J.

Shapes of strong shock fronts in an inhomogeneous solar wind

The shapes expected for solar-flare-produced strong shock fronts in the solar wind have been calculated, large-scale variations in the ambient medium being taken into account. It has been shown that for reasonable ambient solar wind conditions the mean and the standard deviation of the east-west shock normal angle are in agreement with experimental observations including shocks of all strengths. The results further suggest that near a high-speed stream it is difficult to distinguish between corotating shocks and flare-associated shocks on the basis of the shock normal alone. Although the calculated shapes are outside the range of validity of the linear approximation, these results indicate that the variations in the ambient solar wind may account for large deviations of shock normals from the radial direction.

Heinemann, M. A.