Adiabatic Shock Research Articles

A Multifrequency View of the Radio Phoenix in the A85 Cluster

Radio phoenices are complex and filamentary diffuse radio sources found in both merging and relaxed clusters. The formation of these sources has been proposed to be due to adiabatic compression of old active galactic nucleus plasma in shock waves. Most of the previous spectral studies of these sources have been limited to integrated spectral indices, which were found to be very steep and show a curved spectrum. Here, we have performed a multifrequency investigation of the radio phoenix in the A85 cluster. Owing to the sensitive high-resolution observations, we found some of the finer filamentary structures that had been previously undetected. We produced resolved spectral index maps of the radio phoenix between 323, 700, and 1280 MHz. The orientation of the filaments, as well as the gradient across the spectral index maps, suggest the possible direction of the shock motion from northeast to southwest. The integrated spectrum of the radio phoenix was found to be very steep and curved toward high frequencies. Furthermore, the spectral index of the filaments was found to be less steep compared to the nonfilamentary regions, implying greater energy injection in the filaments. The observed features in the radio phoenix in the A85 cluster seem to be in support of an adiabatic shock compression mechanism.

Ups and downs in the X-ray emission of the colliding wind binaries HD 168112 and HD 167971

Context. The long-period O-star binary system HD 168112 and the triple O-star system HD 167971 are well-known sources of non-thermal radio emission that arises from a colliding wind interaction. The wind-wind collisions in these systems should result in phase-dependent X-ray emissions. The presence of a population of relativistic electrons in the wind interaction zone could affect the properties of the X-ray emission and make it deviate from the behaviour expected for adiabatic shocks. Aims. We investigate the X-ray emission of these systems with the goals of quantifying the fraction of the X-ray flux arising from wind interactions and determining whether these emissions follow the predictions for adiabatic wind-wind collisions. Methods. Six X-ray observations were collected with XMM-Newton. Three observations were scheduled around the most recent peri-astron passage of HD 168112. Spectra and light curves were analysed and compared with simple predictions of model calculations for X-ray emission from colliding wind systems. Results. The X-ray emission of HD 168112 varies as the inverse of the orbital separation, as expected for an adiabatic wind interaction zone. The relative contribution of intrinsic X-ray emission from wind-embedded shocks varies between 38% at periastron to 81% at apastron. The wind-wind collision zone remains adiabatic even around periastron passage. The X-ray emission of HD 167971 displays variations on the orbital timescale of the inner eclipsing binary. The existing data of this system do not allow us to probe variations on the timescale of the outer orbit. Conclusions. Shock modification due to the action of relativistic electrons does not seem to be efficiently operating in the HD 168112 system. In the existing observations, a significant part of the emission of HD 167971 must arise in the inner eclipsing binary. The origin of this emission is as yet unclear.

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Shock Behavior Near the Critical Point

Abstract This paper aims to provide an understanding of sCO2 inviscid adiabatic normal shock behavior near the critical point and to develop an explicit tool for faster prediction of the shock relations that can aid the supercritical turbomachinery design process. An iterative algorithm was developed to compute shockwave behaviors for nonideal fluids. Three important shock behavior parameters were investigated: postshock Mach number, shock strength, and polytropic efficiency. A comparative study was carried out between air (ideal gas assumption), ideal gas CO2 (ideal gas assumption), and nonideal fluid CO2 (Span–Wagner equation of state). The distinct differences show the inadequacy of the perfect gas shock relations when predicting sCO2 shock behavior near the critical point. The results of nonideal fluid calculations show a general trend of stronger shock strengths and higher polytropic efficiencies toward lower preshock entropy conditions. This is also distinctive near the critical point due to the reduced speed of sound. Finally, explicit expressions for these parameters were retrieved using symbolic regression. The fitted models have significant improvements compared to the prediction from perfect gas shock relations with a 5–20% point reduction in relative errors. This study also shows the potential for machine learning to be applied in nonideal fluid effects modeling and the methodology developed in this paper can be easily introduced to other working fluids in their ranges of interest.

From graph theory and geometric probabilities to a representative width for three-dimensional detonation cells

We present a model for predicting a representative width for the three-dimensional irregular patterns observed on the front views of cellular detonation fronts in reactive gases. Its physical premise is that the cellular combustion process produces the same burnt mass per unit of time as the average planar steady Zel’dovich-von Neuman-Döring (ZND) process. The transverse waves of irregular cells are described as a stochastic system subject to a stationary ergodic process, considering that the distributions of the patterns should have identical temporal and statistical average properties. Graph theory then defines an ideal cell whose grouping is equivalent to the actual 3D cellular front, geometric probabilities determine the mean burned fraction that parameterizes the model, and ZND calculations close the problem with the time-position relationship of a fluid element in the ZND reaction zone. The model is limited to detonation reaction zones whose only ignition mechanism is adiabatic shock compression, such as those of the mixtures with H2, C3H8 or C2H4 as fuels considered in this work. The comparison of their measured and calculated widths shows an agreement better than or within the accepted experimental uncertainties, depending on the quality of the chemical kinetic scheme used for the ZND calculations. However, the comparison for CH4:O2 mixtures shows high overestimates, indirectly confirming that the detonation reaction zones in these mixtures certainly include other ignition mechanisms contributing to the combustion process, such as turbulent diffusion. In these situations, the cell widths on longitudinal soot recordings have a very large dispersion, so a mean width may thus not be a relevant detonation characteristic length. The model is easily implementable as a post-process of ZND profiles and provides rapid estimates of the cell width, length and reaction time.

Nanovoid collapse mechanism in defect-free aluminum under isothermal and adiabatic conditions

Together with void nucleation, growth, and coalescence, void collapse is a crucial component in ductile spallation. This work reports single void collapse behaviors in perfect Al under isothermal and adiabatic conditions based on molecular dynamics simulations. Two typical void collapse mechanisms, spontaneous collapse and compressive collapse, are clearly revealed. At the initial stage of void collapse, the former may be primarily attributed to the surface tension and the viscosity effects, and the latter is due to the expanding compression of a big void to a small one. The inertia effect predominates the void collapse, especially at the late stage of collapse; the temperature softening effect also conduces to the collapse under adiabatic circumstances. The average radius of the void follows an exponent decrease, and void collapse behavior is unaffected by the spallation sequence. Lastly, it is phenomenologically discovered that isothermal tension and adiabatic shock are pretty similar in void evolution.

Influence of tube cross-section geometry on high-pressure hydrogen-flow-induced self-ignition

Self-ignition within a cylindrical tube that discharges high-pressure hydrogen results in flame formation. Because rectangular tubes are used to visualize fuel-flow dynamics, the influence of the tube cross-section on the self-ignition characteristics is investigated. As experimental investigation of the mechanisms underlying the self-ignition phenomenon in cylindrical tubes is difficult, three-dimensional numerical simulation is employed. Following the bursting of diaphragm by high-pressure hydrogen with a storage pressure of 9.0 MPa and a temperature of 300 K, initial self-ignition occurs at the center of the rectangular tube sidewall. This is because of the mixing of air and hydrogen induced by the bow-shock reflection-generated jet flow and resulting adiabatic shock compression-induced temperature increase. This temperature rise induces a secondary self-ignition at the tube corners. In the cylindrical tube, a solitary ring-shaped self-ignition occurs near the sidewall. The flame evolutions in rectangular and cylindrical tubes reveal similar flame-spreading trends, which indicates similar bow-shock reflection-induced self-ignition mechanisms.

Interpretation of the light curve of gamma-ray emission from the 2021 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi

Nova outbursts take place in binary star systems comprising a white dwarf (WD) and either a low-mass Sun-like star (classical novae) or, a red giant. GeV gamma-ray emission has been detected from a dozen of classical novae and from one novae in symbiotic system (V407 Cyg) by Fermi-LAT. For classical novae, gamma-ray emission is generally thought to be related to internal shocks formed as fast outflow collides with the slow outflow. However, for V407 Cyg, the origin of the gamma-ray emission has been debated, as both internal shock and external shock, resulted from the collision between the nova ejecta and the ambient wind of the giant companion, were suggested to explain the gamma-ray data. Recently, bright GeV and TeV gamma-ray emission has been detected from a nova in symbiotic system, RS Ophiuchi, during its 2021 outburst, which shows a remarkably smooth power-law decay in time up to about one month after the outburst. We show that this temporal decay behavior can be interpreted as arising from an adiabatic external shock expanding in the red giant wind. In this interpretation, the gamma-rays are produced by shock-accelerated protons interacting with the dense wind through the hadronic process. We also derive the scaling relations for the decay slopes for both adiabatic and radiative nova shocks in the self-similar deceleration phase.

Dynamics and structure of detonations in stratified product-gas diluted mixtures

The dynamics and structure of detonations in stratified, product-gas diluted mixtures are examined using high resolution two-dimensional simulations with detailed chemistry. A stoichiometric methane/oxygen/nitrogen mixture with a product-gas dilution level similar to that found in rotating detonation engines is considered. A parametric analysis of the stratification size is performed. For stratification sizes larger than the induction length lind, the traditional detonation cell structure is lost and triple-points are absent. For stratification sizes an order of magnitude larger than lind, large regions of unburned, cold gases are found far behind the detonation front, and are subsequently consumed through an isobaric combustion process initiated by scalar mixing. This mechanism results in a deficit of energy provided to the detonation and to a significant reduction in the overall detonation velocity. A one-dimensional model using ZND theory is constructed to gain insights on the transient detonation structure. This model predicts a slower detonation velocity through the cold gases, which is supported by the results from the simulations with large stratification sizes. In these cases, the detonation structure is well predicted by the model in the regions that undergo ignition by shock compression, i.e., for intermediate and high levels of product-gas dilution. In the absence of triple-points, the detonation structure and dynamics can be locally considered as quasi-one-dimensional. The model and simulation results have a larger discrepancy for small stratification sizes, implying that phenomena other than adiabatic shock compression, involving heat and/or mass transfer, might play a role to ignite the reactants.

Thermomechanical coupling effect on the phase transition wave propagation in an SMA TiNi bar subjected to shock loading

Phase transition can strongly affect the stress wave propagation features. In this paper, the influence of temperature on the phase transformation wave (PTW) propagation was investigated theoretically and numerically with a thermo-mechanical coupling constitutive model and kinetic relation of the phase transition. The results showed that the temperature interface is also the phase transition threshold stress discontinuity. For shock wave propagating in the rod with fixed temperature interfaces, the transformation from shock wave to phase transition wave, then to an elastic wave was predicted due to the temperature interface effect, and an unloading elastic wave during loading was discovered induced by the boundary effect, which has barely been studied before. Moreover, for the adiabatic shock loading, phase transition wave front is not only a material interface, but also a temperature discontinuity. A loading shock wave with phase transition was predicted due to the second phase strengthening and an unloading shock wave with reverse transformation was generated arising from unloading path changing effect induced by adiabatic temperature rise across the transformation shock front. The theoretical analysis and simulation discloses the evolution of phase transition waves affected by temperature interfaces and reflect the intrinsic characteristic of phase transition materials with strong nonlinear behavior due to the dynamic thermo-mechanical coupling.

EROSITA spectro-imaging analysis of the Abell 3408 galaxy cluster

Context.The X-ray telescope eROSITA on board the newly launched Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission serendipitously observed the galaxy cluster Abell 3408 (A3408) during the performance verification observation of the active galactic nucleus 1H 0707–495. The field of view of eROSITA is one degree, which allowed us to trace the intriguing elongated morphology of the nearby (z= 0.0420) A3408 cluster. Despite its brightness (F500≈ 7 × 10−12ergs s−1cm−2) and large extent (r200≈ 21'), it has not been observed by any modern X-ray observatory in over 20 yr. A neighboring cluster in the NW direction, A3407 (r200≈ 18',z= 0.0428), appears to be close at least in projection (~1.7 Mpc). This cluster pair might be in a pre- or post-merger state.Aims.We aim to determine the detailed thermodynamical properties of this special cluster system for the first time. Furthermore, we aim to determine which of the previously suggested merger scenarios (pre- or post-merger) is preferred.Methods.We performed a detailed X-ray spectro-imaging analysis of A3408. We constructed particle-background-subtracted and exposure-corrected images and surface brightness profiles in different sectors. The spectral analysis was performed out to 1.4r500and included normalization, temperature, and metallicity profiles determined from elliptical annuli aligned with the elongation of A3408. Additionally, a temperature map is presented that depicts the distribution of the intracluster medium (ICM) temperature. Furthermore, we make use of data from the ROSAT all-sky survey to estimate some bulk properties of A3408 and A3407, using the growth-curve analysis method and scaling relations.Results.The imaging analysis shows the complex morphology of A3408 with a strong elongation in the SE-NW direction. This is quantified by comparing the surface brightness profiles of the NW, SW, SE, and NE directions, where the NW and SE directions show a significantly higher surface brightness than the other directions. We determine a gas temperaturekBr500= (2.23 ± 0.09) keV in the range 0.2r500to 0.5r500from the spectral analysis. The temperature profile reveals a hot core within two arcminutes of the emission peak, ${k_{\rm{B}}}T = 3.04_{- 0.25}^{+ 0.29}$ keV. Employing a mass–temperature relation, we obtainM500= (9.27 ± 0.75) × 1013M⊙iteratively. Ther200of A3407 and A3408 are found to overlap in projection, which makes ongoing interactions plausible. The two-dimensional temperature map reveals higher temperatures in the W than in the E direction.Conclusions.The elliptical morphology together with the temperature distribution suggests that A3408 is an unrelaxed system. The system A3407 and A3408 is likely in a pre-merger state, with some interactions already affecting the ICM thermodynamical properties. In particular, increased temperatures in the direction of A3407 indicate adiabatic compression or shocks due to the starting interaction.

Adiabatic–radiative shock systems in YSO jets and novae outflows

Context. The termination regions of non-relativistic jets in protostars and supersonic outflows in classical novae are non-thermal emitters. This has been confirmed by radio and gamma-ray detection, respectively. A two-shock system is expected to be formed in the termination region where the jet, or the outflow material, and the ambient medium impact. Radiative shocks are expected to form in these systems given their high densities. However, in the presence of high velocities, the formation of adiabatic shocks is also possible. A case of interest is when the two types of shocks occur simultaneously. Adiabatic shocks are more efficient at particle acceleration while radiative shocks strongly compress the gas. Furthermore, a combined adiabatic–radiative shock system is very prone to developing instabilities in the contact discontinuity, leading to mixing, turbulence, and density enhancement. Additionally, these dense non-relativistic jets and outflows are excellent candidates for laboratory experiments as demonstrated by magnetohydrodynamics scaling. Aims. We aim to study the combination of adiabatic and radiative shocks in protostellar jets and novae outflows. We focus on determining the conditions under which this combination is feasible together with its physical implications. Methods. We performed an analytical study of the shocks in both types of sources for a set of parameters by comparing cooling times and propagation velocities. We also estimated the timescales for the growth of instabilities in the contact discontinuity separating both shocks. We studied the hydrodynamical evolution of a jet colliding with an ambient medium with 2D numerical simulations, confirming our initial theoretical estimates. Results. We show that for a wide set of observationally constrained parameters, the combination of an adiabatic and a radiative shock is possible at the working surface of the termination region in jets from young stars and novae outflows. We find that instabilities are developed at the contact discontinuity, mixing the shocked materials. Additionally, we explore the magnetohydrodynamic parameter scaling required for studying protostellar jets and novae outflows using laboratory experiments on laser facilities. Conclusions. The coexistence of an adiabatic and a radiative shock is expected at the termination region of protostellar jets and novae outflows. This scenario is very promising for particle acceleration and gamma-ray emission. The parameters for scaled laboratory experiments are very much in line with plasma conditions achievable in currently operating high-power laser facilities. This provides a new means for studying novae outflows that has never been considered before.

Stars Crushed by Black Holes. II. A Physical Model of Adiabatic Compression and Shock Formation in Tidal Disruption Events

Abstract We develop a Newtonian model of a deep tidal disruption event (TDE), for which the pericenter distance of the star, r p, is well within the tidal radius of the black hole, r t, i.e., when β ≡ r t/r p ≫ 1. We find that shocks form for β ≳ 3, but they are weak (with Mach numbers ∼1) for all β, and that they reach the center of the star prior to the time of maximum adiabatic compression for β ≳ 10. The maximum density and temperature reached during the TDE follow much shallower relations with β than the previously predicted ρ max ∝ β 3 and T max ∝ β 2 scalings. Below β ≃ 10, this shallower dependence occurs because the pressure gradient is dynamically significant before the pressure is comparable to the ram pressure of the free-falling gas, while above β ≃ 10, we find that shocks prematurely halt the compression and yield the scalings ρ max ∝ β 1.62 and T max ∝ β 1.12 . We find excellent agreement between our results and high-resolution simulations. Our results demonstrate that, in the Newtonian limit, the compression experienced by the star is completely independent of the mass of the black hole. We discuss our results in the context of existing (affine) models, polytropic versus non-polytropic stars, and general relativistic effects, which become important when the pericenter of the star nears the direct capture radius, at β ∼ 12.5 (2.7) for a solar-like star disrupted by a 106 M ⊙ (107 M ⊙) supermassive black hole.

A physics-based study of the stagnation enthalpy rise of moving normal shocks

Normal shocks are generally treated by defining a stationary adiabatic shock discontinuity with a supersonic upstream velocity. A fundamental feature of this approach is that the problem is steady, and the stagnation enthalpy is constant across the shock, greatly simplifying the analysis. However, shocks are generally not stationary, but rather are unsteady flow features often translating into a quiescent medium. Moreover, the stagnation enthalpy of a fluid will rise in a moving shock, an often unexpected result for students studying compressible flow. In this paper, stationary normal shocks are analyzed using the classic Rankine–Hugoniot equations. The analysis is then transformed to consider a moving shock propagating into a quiescent medium. This analysis produces a simple expression relating the stagnation enthalpy rise across a moving normal shock as a function of the shock strength as measured by either the shock pressure ratio or differential pressure across the shock. An unsteady integral control volume analysis is then used to show that the cause for the stagnation enthalpy rise is the work done by the fluid downstream of the shock to compress the upstream fluid upstream.

Powerful winds in high-redshift obscured and red quasars

ABSTRACT Quasar-driven outflows must have made their most significant impact on galaxy formation during the epoch when massive galaxies were forming most rapidly. To study the impact of quasar feedback, we conducted rest-frame optical integral field spectrograph (IFS) observations of three extremely red quasars (ERQs) and one type-2 quasar at z = 2–3, obtained with the NIFS and OSIRIS instruments at the Gemini North and W. M. Keck Observatory with the assistance of laser-guided adaptive optics. We use the kinematics and morphologies of the [O iii] 5007 Å and H α 6563 Å emission lines redshifted into the near-infrared to gauge the extents, kinetic energies and momentum fluxes of the ionized outflows in the quasars host galaxies. For the ERQs, the galactic-scale outflows are likely driven by radiation pressure in a high column density environment or due to an adiabatic shock. The outflows in the ERQs carry a significant amount of energy ranging from 0.05 to 5 ${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the quasar’s bolometric luminosity, powerful enough to have a significant impact on the quasar host galaxies. The outflows are resolved on kpc scales, the observed outflow sizes are generally smaller than other ionized outflows observed at high redshift. The high ratio between the momentum flux of the ionized outflow and the photon momentum flux from the quasar accretion disc and high nuclear obscuration makes these ERQs great candidates for transitional objects where the outflows are likely responsible for clearing material in the inner regions of each galaxy, unveiling the quasar accretion disc at optical wavelengths.

Thornado-hydro: A Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Supernova Hydrodynamics with Nuclear Equations of State*

Abstract This paper describes algorithms for nonrelativistic hydrodynamics in the toolkit for high-order neutrino radiation hydrodynamics (thornado), which is being developed for multiphysics simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and related problems with Runge–Kutta discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG) methods. More specifically, thornado employs a spectral-type nodal collocation approximation, and we have extended limiters—a slope limiter to prevent nonphysical oscillations and a bound-enforcing limiter to prevent nonphysical states—from the standard RKDG framework to be able to accommodate a tabulated nuclear equation of state (EoS). To demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithms with a nuclear EoS, we first present numerical results from basic test problems in idealized settings in one and two spatial dimensions, employing Cartesian, spherical-polar, and cylindrical coordinates. Then, we apply the RKDG method to the problem of adiabatic collapse, shock formation, and shock propagation in spherical symmetry, initiated with a 15 M ⊙ progenitor. We find that the extended limiters improve the fidelity and robustness of the RKDG method in idealized settings. The bound-enforcing limiter improves the robustness of the RKDG method in the adiabatic collapse application, while we find that slope limiting in characteristic fields is vulnerable to structures in the EoS—more specifically, in the phase transition from nuclei and nucleons to bulk nuclear matter. The success of these applications marks an important step toward applying RKDG methods to more realistic CCSN simulations with thornado in the future.

Projectile Impact Shock-Induced Deformation of One-Component Polymer Nanocomposite Thin Films.

Matrix-free assemblies of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNs) enable mechanically robust materials for a variety of structural, electronic, and optical applications. Recent quasi-static mechanical studies have identified the key parameters that enhance canopy entanglement and promote plasticity of the PGNs below Tg. Here we experimentally explore the high-strain-rate shock impact behavior of polystyrene grafted NPs and compare their energy absorption capabilities to that of homopolystyrene for film thicknesses ranging from 75 to 550 nm and for impact velocities from 350 to 800 m/s. Modeling reveals that the initial shock compression results in a rapid temperature increase at the impact site. The uniformity of this heating is consistent with observations of greater kinetic energy absorption per mass (Ep*) of thinner films due to extensive visco-plastic deformation of molten film around the penetration site. Adiabatic heating is insufficient to raise the temperature at the exit surface of the thickest films resulting in increased strain localization at the impact periphery with less melt elongation. The extent and distribution of entanglements also influence Ep*. Structurally, each NP acts as a giant cross-link node, coupling surrounding nodes via the number of canopy chains per NP and the nature and number of entanglements between canopies anchored to different NPs. Load sharing via this dual network, along with geometrical factors such as film thickness, lead to extreme Ep* arising from the sequence of instantaneous adiabatic shock heating followed by visco-plastic drawing of the film by the projectile. These observations elucidate the critical factors necessary to create robust polymer-nanocomposite multifunctional films.

A mechanism of electric charge losses in adiabatically compressed ferroelectrics

A ferroelectric depolarized by high strain-rates induced by the passage of adiabatic shock waves releases a high-density electric charge, initiating the generation of high voltage and megawatt power levels. Additionally, this depolarization process alters physical and mechanical properties that might cause energy and electric charge losses in the ferroelectric materials. We report, herein, the results of an experimental study of electric charge losses in Pb0.99(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.98Nb0.02O3 and Pb0.99(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.99Nb0.01O3 ferroelectrics subjected to shock compression. We found that electric charge losses mainly occur in the compressed zone of ferroelectric elements; i.e., shock compression is an essential part of the charge loss mechanism. Based on our analysis of the experimental results, charge losses are explained by the leakage current flowing through microscopic conductive pathways (conductive channels), which are formed due to the effects of high magnitude stress and high electric fields in compressed zones of ferroelectric elements. It is shown that the Joule heating of conductive channels by the leakage current increases their temperature and conductance, eventually short-circuiting the electrodes of the shocked ferroelectric element and causing electric breakdown. The leakage current density, jleak, and breakdown delay time, tcr, can be described by the relationship, jleak2tcr=β (where β is the material dependent constant), over a wide range of delay times. The breakdown criterion we propose is based on the integral of specific current action and can be used to characterize the electric breakdown in a broad range of shock-compressed ferroelectric materials.

The structure of nearly isothermal, adiabatic shock waves

ABSTRACT An explosively generated shock wave with time-dependent radius R(t) is characterized by a phase in which the shocked gas becomes radiative with an effective adiabatic index γ ≃ 1. Using the result that the post-shock gas is compressed into a shell of width ΔR/R ≃ δ, where δ = γ − 1, we show that a choice of self-similar variable that exploits this compressive behaviour in the limit that γ → 1 naturally leads to a series expansion of the post-shock fluid density, pressure, and velocity in the small quantity δ. We demonstrate that the leading-order (in δ) solutions, which are increasingly accurate as γ → 1, can be written in simple, closed forms when the fluid is still approximated to be in the energy-conserving regime (i.e. the Sedov–Taylor limit), and that the density declines exponentially rapidly with distance behind the shock. We also analyse the solutions for the bubble surrounding a stellar or galactic wind that interacts with its surroundings, and derive expressions for the location of the contact discontinuity that separates the shocked ambient gas from the shocked wind. We discuss the implications of our findings in the context of the dynamical stability of nearly isothermal shocks.

The isothermal evolution of a shock-filament interaction

ABSTRACTStudies of filamentary structures that are prevalent throughout the interstellar medium are of great significance to a number of astrophysical fields. Here, we present 3D hydrodynamic simulations of shock-filament interactions where the equation of state has been softened to become almost isothermal. We investigate the effect of such an isothermal regime on the interaction (where both the shock and filament are isothermal), and we examine how the nature of the interaction changes when the orientation of the filament, the shock Mach number, and the filament density contrast are varied. We find that only sideways-oriented filaments with a density contrast of 102 form a three-rolled structure, dissimilar to the results of a previous study. Moreover, the angle of orientation of the filament plays a large role in the evolution of the filament morphology: the greater the angle of orientation, the longer and less turbulent the wake. Turbulent stripping of filament material leading to fragmentation of the core occurs in most filaments; however, filaments orientated at an angle of 85° to the shock front do not fragment and are longer lived. In addition, values of the drag time are influenced by the filament length, with longer filaments being accelerated faster than shorter ones. Furthermore, filaments in an isothermal regime exhibit faster acceleration than those struck by an adiabatic shock. Finally, we find that the drag and mixing times of the filament increase as the angle of orientation of the filament is increased.

Microstructural material characterization of hypervelocity-impact-induced pitting damage

In a hypervelocity impact (HVI) between the micrometeoroids/orbital debris (MMOD) and multi-layered shielding mechanisms of spacecraft, the debris cloud, formed by shattered materials of the outer bumper layer and projectile, commits multitudinous pitting craters and cracks that are disorderedly scattered in the rear wall layer. Material degradation due to the pitting damage is a precursor of structural fragmentation and system failure of the space assets. In this study, microscopic material degradation of the rear wall of a typical dual-layered Whipple shield, initiated and intensified by the debris cloud-engendered pitting damage, is characterized using metallographic analysis including optical microscope (OM), laser scanning microscope (LSM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results have revealed that (1) the degree of material degradation shows difference in the central cratered area, the ring cratered area, and the spray area, respectively; (2) the dynamic recrystallization gives rise to the formation of fine grains adjacent to pitting craters; (3) the extents of recrystallization and dislocation depend on the strain rate levels during HVI; and (4) the temperature elevation, caused by the heat transformed from the adiabatic plastic deformation energy and shock heating, warrants the recrystallization. Two types of damage, namely micro-voids and micro-cracks, are identified beneath the pitting damage area; under the extremely high compressive strain rate induced by HVI, micro-voids are initiated by the nucleation of grains or deteriorate from existing material defects, and these micro-voids further expand at the grain boundaries and within the grains to form micro-cracks under a tensile-type wave converted from the HVI-induced shock wave.