Stellar Bow Shocks Research Articles

Strong Bow Shocks: Turbulence and an Exact Self-similar Asymptotic

We show that strong bow shocks are turbulent and nonuniversal near the head but asymptote to a universal, steady, self-similar, and analytically solvable flow in the downstream. The turbulence is essentially 3D and has been confirmed by a 3D simulation. The asymptotic behavior is confirmed with high-resolution 2D and 3D simulations of a cold uniform wind encountering both a solid spherical obstacle and stellar wind. This solution is relevant in the context of (i) probing the kinematic properties of observed high-velocity compact bodies—e.g., runaway stars and/or supernova ejecta blobs—flying through the interstellar medium; and (ii) constraining stellar bow shock luminosities invoked by some quasiperiodic eruption models.

Particle acceleration at the bow shock of runaway star LS 2355: non-thermal radio emission but no γ-ray counterpart

ABSTRACT Massive stars that travel at supersonic speeds can create bow shocks as their stellar winds interact with the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). These bow shocks – prominent sites for mechanical feedback of individual massive stars – are predominantly observed in the infrared (IR) band. Confirmed high-energy emission from stellar bow shocks has remained elusive and confirmed radio counterparts, while rising in recent years, remain rare. Here, we present an in-depth multiwavelength exploration of the bow shock driven by LS 2355, focusing on its non-thermal properties. Using the most recent Fermi source catalogue, we rule out its previously proposed association with an unidentified γ-ray source. Furthermore, we use deep Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) observations from the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey and the Evolutionary Map of the Universe survey to identify a non-thermal radio counterpart: the third spectrally confirmed non-thermal bow shock counterpart after BD+43°3654 and BD+60°2522. We finally use Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) IR data and Gaia to study the surrounding ISM and update the motion of LS 2355. Specifically, we derive a substantially reduced stellar velocity, $v_* = 7.0\pm 2.5$ km s−1, compared to previous estimates. The observed non-thermal properties of the bow shock can be explained by an interaction between the wind of LS 2355 and a dense H ii region, at a magnetic field close to the maximum magnetic field strength allowed by the compressibility of the ISM. Similar to earlier works, we find that the thermal radio emission of the shocked ISM is likely to be substantially suppressed for it to be consistent with the observed radio spectrum.

TYC 3340-2437-1: A Quadruple System with a Massive Star

Hierarchical massive quadruple systems are ideal laboratories for examining the theories of star formation, dynamical evolution, and stellar evolution. The successive mergers of hierarchical quadruple systems might explain the mass gap between neutron stars and black holes. Looking for light curves of O-type binaries identified by LAMOST, we find a (2+2) quadruple system: TYC 3340-2437-1, located in the stellar bow-shock nebula (SBN). It has a probability of over 99.99% being a quadruple system derived from the surface density of the vicinity stars. Its inner orbital periods are 3.390602(89) days and 2.4378(16) days, respectively, and the total mass is about (11.47 + 5.79) + (5.2 + 2.02) = 24.48 M ⊙. The line-of-sight inclinations of the inner binaries, B1 and B2, are 55.°94 and 78.°2, respectively, indicating that they are not coplanar. Based on observations spanning 34 months and the significance of the astrometric excess noise (D > 2) in Gaia Data Release 3 data, we guess that its outer orbital period might be a few years. If it were true, the quadruple system might form through the disk fragmentation mechanism with outer eccentric greater than zero. This eccentricity could be the cause of both the arc-like feature of the SBN and the noncoplanarity of the inner orbit. The outer orbital period and outer eccentric could be determined with the release of future epoch astrometric data of Gaia.

Two-photon Production in Low-velocity Shocks

The Galactic interstellar medium abounds in shocks with low velocities v s ≲ 70 km s−1. Some are descendants of higher velocity shocks, while others start off at low velocity (e.g., stellar bow shocks, intermediate velocity clouds, spiral density waves). Low-velocity shocks cool primarily via Lyα and two-photon continuum, augmented by optical recombination lines (e.g., Hα), forbidden lines of metals and free-bound emission, free–free emission. The dark far-ultraviolet (FUV) sky, aided by the fact that the two-photon continuum peaks at 1400 Å, makes the FUV band an ideal tracer of low-velocity shocks. GALEX FUV images reaffirm this expectation, discovering faint and large interstellar structure in old supernova remnants and thin arcs stretching across the sky. Interstellar bow shocks are expected from fast stars from the Galactic disk passing through the numerous gas clouds in the local interstellar medium within 15 pc of the Sun. Using the bests atomic data available to date, we present convenient fitting formulae for yields of Lyα, two-photon continuum, and Hα for pure hydrogen plasma in the temperature range of 104–105 K. The formulae presented here can be readily incorporated into time-dependent cooling models as well as collisional ionization equilibrium models.

Probing the non-thermal physics of stellar bow shocks using radio observations

Context. Massive runaway stars produce bow shocks in the interstellar medium. Recent observations revealed radio emission from a few of these objects, but the origin of this radiation remains poorly understood. Aims. We aim to interpret this radio emission and assess under which conditions it could be either thermal (free–free) or non-thermal (synchrotron), and how to use the observational data to infer physical properties of the bow shocks. Methods. We used an extended non-thermal emission model for stellar bow shocks for which we incorporated a consistent calculation of the thermal emission from the forward shock. We fitted this model to the available radio data (spectral and intensity maps), including largely unexplored data at low frequencies. In addition, we used a simplified one-zone model to estimate the gamma-ray emission from particles escaping the bow shocks. Results. We can only explain the radio data from the best sampled systems (BD+43°3654 and BD+60°2522) assuming a hard electron energy distribution below ∼1 GeV, a high efficiency of conversion of (shocked) wind kinetic power into relativistic electrons (∼1 − 5%), and a relatively high magnetic-to-thermal pressure ratio of ηB ∼ 0.2. In the other systems, the interpretation of the observed flux density is more ambiguous, although a non-thermal scenario is also favoured. We also show how complementary observations at other frequencies can allow us to place stronger constraints in the model. We also estimated the gamma-ray fluxes from the HII regions around the bow shocks of BD+43°3654 and BD+60°2522, and obtained luminosities at GeV energies of ∼1033 erg s−1 and 1032 erg s−1, respectively, under reasonable assumptions. Conclusions. Stellar bow shocks can potentially be very efficient particle accelerators. This work provides multi-wavelength predictions of their emission and demonstrates the key role of low-frequency radio observations in unveiling particle acceleration processes. The prospects of detections with next-generation observatories such as SKA and ngVLA are very promising. Finally, BD+43°3654 may be detected in GeV in the near future, while bow shocks in general may turn out to be non-negligible sources of (at least leptonic) low-energy cosmic rays.

The Spatial and Emission Properties of the Large [O iii] Emission Nebula Near M31

Drechsler et al. reported the unexpected discovery of a 1.°5 long [O iii] emission nebula 1.°2 southeast of the M31 nucleus. Here we present additional images of this large emission arc, called the Strottner–Drechsler–Sainty Object (SDSO), along with radial velocity and flux measurements from low-dispersion spectra. Independent sets of [O iii] images show SDSO to be composed of broad streaks of diffuse emission aligned northeast–southwest. Deep Hα images reveal no strong coincident emission suggesting a high [O iii]/Hα ratio. We also find no other [O iii] emission nebulosity as bright as SDSO within several degrees of M31 and no filamentary Hα emission connected to SDSO. Optical spectra taken along the nebula’s northern limb reveal [O iii] λ λ4959, 5007 emissions matching the location and extent seen in our [O iii] images. The heliocentric velocity of this [O iii] nebulosity is −9.8 ± 6.8 km s−1 with a peak surface brightness of (4 ± 2) × 10−18 erg s−1 cm−2 arcsec−2 (∼0.55 Rayleigh). We discuss SDSO as a possible unrecognized supernova remnant, a large and unusually nearby planetary nebula, a stellar bow shock nebula, or an interaction of M31's outer halo with Local Group circumgalactic gas. We conclude that galactic origins for SDSO are unlikely and favor instead an extragalactic M31 halo–circumgalactic cloud interaction scenario, despite the nebula’s low radial velocity. We then describe new observations that may help resolve the nature and origin of this large nebulosity so close to M31 in the sky.

Kinematics of the Central Stars Powering Bowshock Nebulae and the Large Multiplicity Fraction of Runaway OB Stars

OB stars powering stellar bowshock nebulae (SBNe) have been presumed to have large peculiar velocities. We measured peculiar velocities of SBN central stars to assess their kinematics relative to the general O-star population using Gaia EDR3 data for 267 SBN central stars and a sample of 455 Galactic O stars to derive projected velocities v 2D. For a subset of each sample, we obtained new optical spectroscopy to measure radial velocities and identify multiple-star systems. We find a minimum multiplicity fraction of 36% ± 6% among SBN central stars, consistent with >28% among runaway Galactic O stars. The large multiplicity fraction among runaways implicates very efficient dynamical ejection rather than binary-supernova origins. The median v 2D of SBN central stars is v 2D = 14.6 km s−1, larger than the median v 2D = 11.4 km s−1 for non-bowshock O stars. Central stars of SBNe have a runaway (v 2D > 25 km s−1) fraction of 24%, consistent with the % for control-sample O stars. Most (76%) SBNe central stars are not runaways. Our analysis of alignment (ΔPA) between the nebular morphological and v 2D kinematic position angles reveals two populations: a highly aligned (σ PA = 25°) population that includes stars with the largest v 2D (31% of the sample) and a random (nonaligned) population (69%). SBNe that lie within or near H ii regions comprise a larger fraction of this latter component than SBNe in isolated environments, implicating localized ISM flows as a factor shaping their orientations and morphologies. We outline a new conceptual approach to computing the solar local standard of rest motion, yielding [U ⊙, V ⊙, W ⊙] = [5.5, 7.5,4.5] km s−1.

Radio detections of IR-selected runaway stellar bow shocks

ABSTRACT Massive stars moving at supersonic peculiar velocities through the interstellar medium (ISM) can create bow shocks, arc-like structures at the interface between the stellar wind and the ISM. Many such bow shocks have been detected and catalogued at IR wavelengths, but detections in other wavebands remain rare. Strikingly, while electrons are expected to be accelerated in the bow shock and their non-thermal emission may include synchrotron emission at low frequencies, only two massive runaway stellar bow shocks have to date been detected in the radio band. Here, we examine a sample of fifty IR-detected bow shocks from the E-BOSS catalogues in recently released radio images from the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey. We identify three confident and three likely counterparts, as well as three inconclusive candidates requiring confirmation via follow-up observations. These detections significantly increase the number of known radio massive stellar bow shocks and highlight the advantage of dedicated searches with current and next-generation radio telescopes. We investigate the underlying radio emission mechanism for these radio sources, finding a mix of free–free-dominated and synchrotron-dominated systems. We also discuss the non-detected targets by putting constraints on their emission properties and investigating their detectability with future observations. Finally, we propose several future avenues of research to advance the study and understanding of bow shocks at radio frequencies.

An In Situ Study of Turbulence near Stellar Bow Shocks

Abstract Stellar bow shocks are observed in a variety of interstellar environments and shaped by the conditions of gas in the interstellar medium (ISM). In situ measurements of turbulent density fluctuations near stellar bow shocks are only achievable with a few observational probes, including Hα-emitting bow shocks and the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM). In this paper, we examine density variations around the Guitar Nebula, an Hα bow shock associated with PSR B2224+65, in tandem with density variations probed by VIM near the boundary of the solar wind and ISM. High-resolution Hubble Space Telescope observations of the Guitar Nebula taken between 1994 and 2006 trace density variations over scales from hundreds to thousands of au, while VIM density measurements made with the Voyager 1 Plasma Wave System constrain variations from thousands of meters to tens of au. The power spectrum of density fluctuations constrains the amplitude of the turbulence wavenumber spectrum near the Guitar Nebula to log 10 C n 2 = − 0.8 ± 0.2 m−20/3 and for the very local ISM probed by Voyager to log 10 C n 2 = − 1.57 ± 0.02 m−20/3. Spectral amplitudes obtained from multiepoch observations of four other Hα bow shocks also show significant enhancements from values that are considered typical for the diffuse, warm ionized medium, suggesting that density fluctuations near these bow shocks may be amplified by shock interactions with the surrounding medium or selection effects that favor Hα emission from bow shocks embedded in denser media.

The TeV Cosmic-Ray Bump: A Message from the Epsilon Indi or Epsilon Eridani Star?

A recently observed bump in the cosmic-ray (CR) spectrum from 0.3 to 30 TV is likely caused by a stellar bow shock that reaccelerates preexisting CRs, which further propagate to the Sun along the magnetic field lines. Along their way, these particles generate an Iroshnikov-Kraichnan (I-K) turbulence that controls their propagation and sustains the bump. Ad hoc fitting of the bump shape requires six adjustable parameters. Our model requires none, merely depending on three physical unknowns that we constrain using the fit. These are the shock Mach number, M, its size, l ⊥, and the distance to it, ζ obs. Altogether, they define the bump rigidity R 0. With M ≈ 1.5-1.6 and R 0 ≈ 4.4 TV, the model fits the data with ≈0.08% accuracy. The fit critically requires the I-K spectrum predicted by the model and rules out the alternatives. These attributes of the fit make an accidental agreement highly unlikely. In turn, the R 0 and M derived from the fit impose the distance-size relation on the shock: . For sufficiently large bow shocks, l ⊥ = 10-3-10-2 pc, we find the distance of ζ obs = 3-10 pc. Three promising stars in this range are the Scholz's Star at 6.8 pc, Epsilon Indi at 3.6 pc, and Epsilon Eridani at 3.2 pc. Based on their current positions and velocities, we propose that Epsilon Indi and Epsilon Eridani can produce the observed spectral bump. Moreover, Epsilon Eridani's position is only ~6°.7 off of the magnetic field direction in the solar neighborhood, which also changes the CR arrival direction distribution. Given the proximity of these stars, the bump appearance may change in a relatively short time.

High-sensitivity radio study of the non-thermal stellar bow shock EB27

ABSTRACT We present a deep radio-polarimetric observation of the stellar bow shock EB27 associated with the massive star BD+43○3654. This is the only stellar bow shock confirmed to have non-thermal radio emission. We used the Jansky Very Large Array in S band (2–4 GHz) to test whether this synchrotron emission is polarized. The unprecedented sensitivity achieved allowed us to map even the fainter regions of the bow shock, revealing that the more diffuse emission is steeper and the bow shock brighter than previously reported. No linear polarization is detected in the bow shock above 0.5 per cent, although we detected polarized emission from two southern sources, probably extragalactic in nature. We modelled the intensity and morphology of the radio emission to better constrain the magnetic field and injected power in relativistic electrons. Finally, we derived a set of more precise parameters for the system EB27–BD+43○3654 using Gaia Early Data Release 3, including the spatial velocity. The new trajectory, back in time, intersects the core of the Cyg OB2 association.

The Wind beneath My Wings. I. Spectral Types and Multiplicity of the Central Stars Supporting Stellar Bow Shock Nebulae

The Wind beneath My Wings. I. Spectral Types and Multiplicity of the Central Stars Supporting Stellar Bow Shock Nebulae

Constraining the accretion flow density profile near Sgr A* using theL′-band emission of the S2 star

Context.The density of the ambient medium around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the way it varies with distance plays an important role in our understanding of the inflow-outflow mechanisms in the Galactic centre (GC). This dependence is often fitted by spherical power-law profiles based on observations in the X-ray, infrared (IR), submillimetre (submm), and radio domains.Aims.Nevertheless, the density profile is poorly constrained at the intermediate scales of 1000 Schwarzschild radii (Rs). Here we independently constrain the spherical density profile using the stellar bow shock of the star S2 which orbits the SMBH at the GC with the pericentre distance of 14.4 mas (∼1500 Rs).Methods.Assuming an elliptical orbit, we apply celestial mechanics and the theory of bow shocks that are at ram pressure equilibrium. We analyse the measured IR flux density and magnitudes of S2 in theL′-band (3.8 micron) obtained over seven epochs in the years between 2004–2018. We put an upper limit on the emission from S2’s associated putative bow shock and constrain the density profile of the ambient medium.Results.We detect no significant change in S2 flux density until the recent periapse in May 2018. The intrinsic flux variability of S2 is at the level of 2–3%. Based on the dust-extinction model, the upper limit on the number density at the S2 periapse is ∼1.87 × 109 cm−3, which yields a density slope of at most 3.20. Using the synchrotron bow-shock emission, we obtain the ambient density of ≲1.01 × 105 cm−3and a slope of ≲1.47. These values are consistent with a wide variety of media from hot accretion flows to potentially colder and denser media comparable in properties to broad-line-region clouds. However, a standard thin disc can be excluded at the distance of S2’s pericentre.Conclusions.With the current photometry sensitivity of 0.01 mag, we are not able to make stringent constraints on the density of the ambient medium in the GC using S2-star observations. We can distinguish between hot accretion flows and thin, cold discs, where the latter can be excluded at the scale of the S2 periapse. Future observations of stars in the S cluster using instruments such as Mid-IR Extremely Large Telescope Imager and Spectrograph at Extremely Large Telescope with the photometric sensitivity of as much as 10−3mag will allow the GC medium to be probed at intermediate scales at densities as low as ∼700 cm−3in case of non-thermal bow-shock emission. The new instrumentation, in combination with discoveries of stars with smaller pericentre distances, will help to independently constrain the density profile around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*).

Runaway O-star Bow Shocks as Particle Accelerators? The Case of AE Aur Revisited

Abstract We present results of our Chandra/ACIS observations of the field centered on the fast, runaway O star AE Aur and its bow shock. Previous XMM-Newton observations revealed an X-ray “blob” near the IR arc tracing the bow shock, possibly a nonthermal source consistent with models of Inverse Compton scattering of dust IR photons by electrons accelerated at the shock. The new, subarcsecond-resolution Chandra data, while confirming the presence of the XMM-Newton source, clearly indicate that the latter is neither extended nor coincident with the IR arc and strongly suggest it is a background active galactic nucleus. Motivated by results published for the bow shock of BD+43°3654, we extended our study to the radio domain by analyzing archival EVLA data. We find no radio emission from the AE Aur bow shock either. The corresponding upper limits for the absorbed (unabsorbed) X-ray flux of 5.9(7.8) × 10−15 erg cm−2 s−1 (3σ) and, in the radio range of 2 mJy (1.4 GHz) and 0.4 mJy (5.0 GHz), are used to put constraints on model predictions for particle acceleration within the bow shock. In the “classical” framework of diffusive shock acceleration, we find that the predicted X-ray and radio emission by the bow shock is at least two orders of magnitude below the current upper limits, consistent with the systematic nondetections of up to 60 stellar bow shocks. The only exception so far remains that of BD+43°3654, which is probably the result of its very large mass-loss rate among runaway O stars.

Concerning the occurrence of bow shocks around high-mass X-ray binaries

Context.We investigate the occurrence of stellar bow shocks around high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) in the Galaxy.Aims.We seek to conduct a survey of HMXBs in the mid-infrared to search for the presence of bow shocks around these objects.Methods.Telescopes operating in the mid-infrared, such as theSpitzerSpace Telescope or Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), are potent tools for searching for the stellar bow shocks. We used the available archival data from these telescopes to search for bow shock candidates around the confirmed and candidate HMXBs in the Galaxy.Results.We detected extended mid-infrared structures around several surveyed confirmed and candidate HMXBs. Two of these structures, associated with Vela X-1 and 4U 1907+09, are genuine bow shocks that have been studied previously. However, there are no new unambiguous bow shocks among the rest of the objects. The paucity of bow shocks around HMXBs suggests that the majority of these systems still reside within hot, low-density bubbles around their parent star clusters or associations. This also implies that the dynamical ejection of massive binaries is apparently less efficient than the ejections caused by the supernova explosions inside a binary.

Multi-zone non-thermal radiative model for stellar bowshocks

Context. Runaway stars produce bowshocks that are usually observed at infrared (IR) wavelengths. Non-thermal radio emission has been detected so far only from the bowshock of BD+43°3654, whereas the detection of non-thermal radiation from these bowshocks at high energies remains elusive. Aims. We aim at characterising in detail the radio, X-ray, and γ-ray emission from stellar bowshocks accounting for the structure of the region of interaction between the stellar wind and its environment. Methods. We develop a broadband-radiative, multi-zone model for stellar bowshocks that takes into account the spatial structure of the emitting region and the observational constraints. The model predicts the evolution and the emission of the relativistic particles accelerated and streaming together with the shocked flow. Results. We present broadband non-thermal spectral energy distributions for different scenarios, synthetic radio-cm synchrotron maps that reproduce the morphology of BD+43°3654, and updated predictions in X-ray and γ-ray energy ranges. We also compare the results of the multi-zone model applied in this work with those of a refined one-zone model. Conclusions. A multi-zone model provides better constraints than a one-zone model on the relevant parameters, namely the magnetic field intensity and the amount of energy deposited in non-thermal particles. However, one-zone models can be improved by carefully characterising the intensity of the IR dust photon field and the escape rate of the plasma from the shocked region. Finally, comparing observed radio maps with those obtained from a multi-zone model enables constraints to be obtained on the direction of stellar motion with respect to the observer.

Possible Association of Two Stellar Bowshocks with Unidentified Fermi Sources

Abstract The bowshocks of runaway stars had been theoretically proposed as gamma-ray sources. However, this hypothesis has not been confirmed by observations to date. In this paper, we present two runaway stars (λ Cep and LS 2355) whose bowshocks are coincident with the unidentified Fermi gamma-ray sources 3FLG J2210.1+5925 and 3FGL J1128.7–6232, respectively. After performing a cross-correlation between different catalogs at distinct wavelengths, we found that these bowshocks are the most peculiar objects in the Fermi position ellipses. Then we computed the inverse Compton emission and fitted the Fermi data in order to test the viability of both runaway stars as potential counterparts of the two high-energy sources. We obtained very reasonable values for the fitted parameters of both stars. We also evaluated the possibility for the source 3FGL J1128.7–6232, which is positionally coincident with a H ii region, to be the result of background cosmic-ray protons interacting with the matter of the cloud, as well as the probability of a pure chance association. We conclude that the gamma rays from these Fermi sources might be produced in the bowshocks of the considered runaway stars. In such a case, these would be the first sources of this class ever detected at gamma rays.

Systematic search for very-high-energy gamma-ray emission from bow shocks of runaway stars

Context. Runaway stars form bow shocks by ploughing through the interstellar medium at supersonic speeds and are promising sources of non-thermal emission of photons. One of these objects has been found to emit non-thermal radiation in the radio band. This triggered the development of theoretical models predicting non-thermal photons from radio up to very-high-energy (VHE, E ≥ 0.1 TeV) gamma rays. Subsequently, one bow shock was also detected in X-ray observations. However, the data did not allow discrimination between a hot thermal and a non-thermal origin. Further observations of different candidates at X-ray energies showed no evidence for emission at the position of the bow shocks either. A systematic search in the Fermi-LAT energy regime resulted in flux upper limits for 27 candidates listed in the E-BOSS catalogue.Aim. Here we perform the first systematic search for VHE gamma-ray emission from bow shocks of runaway stars.Methods. Using all available archival H.E.S.S. data we search for very-high-energy gamma-ray emission at the positions of bow shock candidates listed in the second E-BOSS catalogue release. Out of the 73 bow shock candidates in this catalogue, 32 have been observed with H.E.S.S.Results. None of the observed 32 bow shock candidates in this population study show significant emission in the H.E.S.S. energy range. Therefore, flux upper limits are calculated in five energy bins and the fraction of the kinetic wind power that is converted into VHE gamma rays is constrained.Conclusions. Emission from stellar bow shocks is not detected in the energy range between 0.14 and 18 TeV.The resulting upper limits constrain the level of VHE gamma-ray emission from these objects down to 0.1–1% of the kinetic wind energy.

True versus apparent shapes of bow shocks

Astrophysical bow shocks are a common result of the interaction between two supersonic plasma flows, such as winds or jets from stars or active galaxies, or streams due to the relative motion between a star and the interstellar medium. For cylindrically symmetric bow shocks, we develop a general theory for the effects of inclination angle on the apparent shape. We propose a new two-dimensional classification scheme for bow shapes, which is based on dimensionless geometric ratios that can be estimated from observational images. The two ratios are related to the flatness of the bow's apex, which we term planitude and the openness of its wings, which we term alatude. We calculate the expected distribution in the planitude-alatude plane for a variety of simple geometrical and physical models: quadrics of revolution, wilkinoids, cantoids, and ancantoids. We further test our methods against numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations of stellar bow shocks and find that the apparent planitude and alatude measured from infrared dust continuum maps serve as accurate diagnostics of the shape of the contact discontinuity, which can be used to discriminate between different physical models. We present an algorithm that can determine the planitude and alatude from observed bow shock emission maps with a precision of 10 to 20%.

E-BOSS: An Extensive stellar BOw Shock Survey

Context. Stellar bow shocks have been studied not only observationally, but also theoretically since the late 1980s. Only a few catalogues of them exist. The bow shocks show emission along all the electromagnetic spectrum, but they are detected more easily in infrared wavelengths. The release of new and high-quality infrared data eases the discovery and subsequent study of new objects. Aims. We search stellar bow-shock candidates associated with nearby runaway stars, and gather them together with those found elsewhere, to enlarge the list of the E-BOSS first release. We aim to characterize the bow-shock candidates and provide a database suitable for statistical studies. We investigate the low-frequency radio emission at the position of the bow-shock features, that can contribute to further studies of high-energy emission from these objects. Methods. We considered samples from different literature sources and searched for bow-shaped structures associated with stars in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) images. We looked for each bow-shock candidate on centimeter radio surveys. Results. We reunited 45 bow-shock candidates and generated composed WISE images to show the emission in different infrared bands. Among them there are new sources, previously studied objects, and bow shocks found serendipitously. Five bow shocks show evidence of radio emission. Conclusions. Stellar bow shocks constitute an active field with open questions and enormous amounts of data to be analyzed. Future research at all wavelengths databases, and use of instruments like Gaia, will provide a more complete picture of these objects. For instance, infrared spectral energy distributions can give information about physical parameters of the bow shock matter. In addition, dedicated high-sensitivity radio observations can help to understand the radio-$\gamma$ connection.