Tenuous Wind Research Articles

Expansion and ongoing cosmic ray acceleration in HESS J1731−347

Diffusive shock acceleration in supernova remnants (SNRs) is considered one of the prime mechanisms of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) acceleration. It is still unclear, however, whether SNRs can contribute to the GCR spectrum up to the “knee” (1 PeV) band as acceleration to such energies requires an efficient magnetic field amplification process around the shocks. The presence of such a process is challenging to test observationally. Here, we report on the detection of fast variability in the X-ray synchrotron emission from the forward shock in the SNR HESS J1731−347, which implies the presence of a strong (∼0.2 mG) field exceeding background values, and thus of effective field amplification. We also report a direct measurement of the high forward shock expansion velocity of 4000–5500 km s−1, confirming that the SNR is expanding in a tenuous wind bubble blown by the SNR progenitor, is significantly younger (2.4–9 kyr) than previously assumed by some authors, and only recently started interacting with the dense material outside of the bubble. We finally conclude that there is strong evidence for ongoing hadronic GCR acceleration in this SNR.

Source-dependent Properties of Two Slow Solar Wind States

Abstract Two states of the slow solar wind are identified from in situ measurements by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) inside 50 solar radii from the Sun. At such distances the wind measured by PSP has not yet undergone significant transformation related to the expansion and propagation of the wind. We focus in this study on the properties of the quiet solar wind with no magnetic switchbacks. The two states differ by their plasma beta, flux, and magnetic pressure. PSP’s magnetic connectivity established with potential field source surface reconstructions, tested against extreme ultraviolet and white-light imaging, reveals the two states correspond to a transition from a streamer to an equatorial coronal hole. The expansion factors of magnetic field lines in the streamer are 20 times greater than those rooted near the center of the coronal hole. The very different expansion rates of the magnetic field result in different magnetic pressures measured by PSP in the two plasma states. Solar wind simulations run along these differing flux tubes reproduce the slower and denser wind measured in the streamer and the more tenuous wind measured in the coronal hole. Plasma heating is more intense at the base of the streamer field lines rooted near the boundary of the equatorial hole than those rooted closer to the center of the hole. This results in a higher wind flux driven inside the streamer than deeper inside the equatorial hole.

Signatures of Coronal Loop Opening via Interchange Reconnection in the Slow Solar Wind at 1 AU

The opening of closed magnetic loops via reconnection with open solar flux, so called “interchange reconnection”, is invoked in a number of models of slow solar wind release. In the heliosphere, this is expected to result in local switchbacks or inversions in heliospheric magnetic flux (HMF). When observed at 1 AU, inverted HMF has previously been shown to exhibit high ion charge states, suggestive of hot coronal loops, and to map to the locations of coronal magnetic separatrices. However, simulations show that inverted HMF produced directly by reconnection in the low corona is unlikely to survive to 1 AU without the amplification by solar wind speed shear. By considering the surrounding solar wind, we show that inverted HMF is preferably associated with regions of solar wind shear at 1 AU. Compared with the surrounding solar wind, inverted HMF intervals have lower magnetic field intensity and show intermediate speed and density values between the faster, more tenuous wind ahead and the slower, denser wind behind. There is no coherent signature in iron charge states, but oxygen and carbon charge states within the inverted HMF are in agreement with the higher values in the slow wind behind. Conversely, the iron-to-oxygen abundance ratio is in better agreement with the lower values in the solar wind ahead, while the alpha-to-proton abundance ratio shows no variation. One possible explanation for these observations is that the interchange reconnection (and subsequent solar wind shear) that is responsible for generation of inverted HMF involves very small, quiet-Sun loops of approximately photospheric composition, which are impulsively heated in the low corona, rather than large-scale active region loops with enhanced first-ionisation potential elements. Whether signatures of such small loops could be detected in situ at 1 AU still remains to be determined.

Relating Streamer Flows to Density and Magnetic Structures at the Parker Solar Probe

Abstract The physical mechanisms that produce the slow solar wind are still highly debated. Parker Solar Probe’s (PSP’s) second solar encounter provided a new opportunity to relate in situ measurements of the nascent slow solar wind with white-light images of streamer flows. We exploit data taken by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), and the Wide Imager on Solar Probe to reveal for the first time a close link between imaged streamer flows and the high-density plasma measured by the Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons (SWEAP) experiment. We identify different types of slow winds measured by PSP that we relate to the spacecraft’s magnetic connectivity (or not) to streamer flows. SWEAP measured high-density and highly variable plasma when PSP was well connected to streamers but more tenuous wind with much weaker density variations when it exited streamer flows. STEREO imaging of the release and propagation of small transients from the Sun to PSP reveals that the spacecraft was continually impacted by the southern edge of streamer transients. The impact of specific density structures is marked by a higher occurrence of magnetic field reversals measured by the FIELDS magnetometers. Magnetic reversals are associated with much stronger density variations inside than outside streamer flows. We tentatively interpret these findings in terms of magnetic reconnection between open magnetic fields and coronal loops with different properties, providing support for the formation of a subset of the slow wind by magnetic reconnection.

HST/COS Spectra of the Wind Lines of VFTS 102 and 285

Abstract Rapid rotation in massive stars imposes a latitudinal variation in the mass loss from radiatively driven winds that can lead to enhanced mass loss at the poles (with little angular momentum loss) and/or equator (with maximal angular momentum loss). Here we present an examination of the stellar wind lines of the two O-type stars with the fastest known equatorial velocities, VFTS 102 ( km s−1; O9: Vnnne+) and VFTS 285 ( km s−1; O7.5 Vnnn) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Ultraviolet spectra of both stars were obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. The spectrum of VFTS 285 displays a fast outflow in N v and a much slower wind in Si iv, and we argue that there is a two-wind regime in which mass loss is strong at the poles (fast and tenuous wind) but dominant at the equator (slow and dense winds). These ions and wind lines are not present in the spectrum of the cooler star VFTS 102, but the double-peaked Hα emission in its spectrum implies equatorial mass loss into a circumstellar disk. The results suggest that in the fastest rotating O-stars, most mass is lost as an equatorial outflow, promoting angular momentum loss that contributes to a spin-down over time.

Bipolar rings from jet-inflated bubbles around evolved binary stars

We show that a fast wind that expands into a bipolar nebula composed of two opposite jet-inflated bubbles can form a pair of bipolar rings around giant stars. Our model assumes three mass loss episodes: a spherical slow and dense shell, two opposite jets, and a spherical fast wind. We use the FLASH hydrodynamical code in three-dimensions to simulate the flow, and obtain the structure of the nebula. We assume that the jets are launched from an accretion disk around a stellar companion to the giant star. The accretion disk is assumed to be formed when the primary giant star and the secondary star suffer a strong interaction accompanied by a rapid mass transfer process from the primary to the secondary star, mainly a main sequence star. Later in the evolution the primary star is assumed to shrink and blow a fast tenuous wind that interacts with the dense gas on the surface of the bipolar structure. We assume that the dense mass loss episode before the jets are launched is spherically symmetric. Our results might be applicable to some planetary nebulae, and further emphasize the large variety of morphological features that can be formed by jets. But we could not reproduce some of the properties of the outer rings of SN1987A. It seems that some objects, like SN1987A, require a pre-jets mass loss episode with a mass concentration at mid-latitudes.

A burst in a wind bubble and the impact on baryonic ejecta: high-energy gamma-ray flashes and afterglows from fast radio bursts and pulsar-driven supernova remnants

Tenuous wind bubbles, which are formed by the spin-down activity of central compact remnants, are relevant in some models of fast radio bursts (FRBs) and super-luminous supernovae. We study their high-energy signatures, focusing on the role of pair-enriched bubbles produced by young magnetars, rapidly-rotating neutron stars, and magnetized white dwarfs. (i) First, we study the nebular properties and the conditions allowing for escape of high-energy gamma-rays and radio waves, showing that their escape is possible for nebulae with ages of >10-100 yr. In the rapidly-rotating neutron star scenario, we find that radio emission from the quasi-steady nebula itself may be bright enough to be detected especially at sub-mm frequencies, which is relevant as a possible counterpart of pulsar-driven SNe and FRBs. (ii) Second, we consider the fate of bursting emission in the nebulae. We suggest that an impulsive burst may lead to a highly relativistic flow, which would interact with the nebula. If the shocked nebula is still relativistic, pre-existing non-thermal particles in the nebula can be significantly boosted by the forward shock, leading to short-duration (maybe millisecond or longer) high-energy gamma-ray flashes. Possible dissipation at the reverse shock may also lead to gamma-ray emission. (iii) After such flares, interactions with the baryonic ejecta may lead to afterglow emission with a duration of days to weeks. In the magnetar scenario, this burst-in-bubble model leads to the expectation that nearby (<10-100 Mpc) high-energy gamma-ray flashes may be detected by HAWC and CTA, and the subsequent afterglow emission may be seen by radio telescopes such as VLA. (iv) Finally, we discuss several implications specific to FRBs, including constraints on the emission regions and limits on soft gamma-ray counterparts.

Three-dimensional radiative transfer in clumped hot star winds

The true mass-loss rates from massive stars are important for many branches of astrophysics. For the correct modeling of the resonance lines, which are among the key diagnostics of stellar mass-loss, the stellar wind clumping turned out to be very important. In order to incorporate clumping into radiative transfer calculation, 3-D models are required. Various properties of the clumps may have strong impact on the resonance line formation and, therefore, on the determination of empirical mass-loss rates. We incorporate the 3-D nature of the stellar wind clumping into radiative transfer calculations and investigate how different model parameters influence the resonance line formation. We develop a full 3-D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code for inhomogeneous expanding stellar winds. The number density of clumps follows the mass conservation. For the first time, realistic 3-D models that describe the dense as well as the tenuous wind components are used to model the formation of resonance lines in a clumped stellar wind. At the same time, non-monotonic velocity fields are accounted for. The 3-D density and velocity wind inhomogeneities show very strong impact on the resonance line formation. The different parameters describing the clumping and the velocity field results in different line strengths and profiles. We present a set of representative models for various sets of model parameters and investigate how the resonance lines are affected. Our 3-D models show that the line opacity is reduced for larger clump separation and for more shallow velocity gradients within the clumps. Our new model demonstrates that to obtain empirically correct mass-loss rates from the UV resonance lines, the wind clumping and its 3-D nature must be taken into account.

Diffuse X-ray emissions from dynamic planetary nebulae

We present theoretical results of a piecewise isothermal shock wind model devised for predicting the luminosity and surface brightness profile of diffuse X-ray emissions primarily from the inner shocked downstream wind zone of a planetary nebula (PN) surrounded by self-similar shocked dense shell and outer slow AGB wind envelope involving self-gravity and compare/fit our computational model results with available observations of a few grossly spherical X-ray emitting PNe. Matching shocked piecewise isothermal self-similar void (ISSV) solutions with self-gravity of Lou & Zhai (LZ) for the outer zone and a stationary isothermal fast tenuous wind with a reverse shock for the inner zone across an expanding contact discontinuity, we can consistently construct dynamic evolution models of PNe with diffuse X-ray emissions. On the basis of such a chosen dynamic wind interaction model, both X-ray luminosity and radial X-ray brightness profile are determined by three key parameters, namely the so-called X-ray parameter $X$, two radii $R_{rs}$ and $R_c$ of the reverse shock and the contact discontinuity. We find that morphologies of X-ray emissions would appear in the forms of either a central luminous sphere or a bright ring embedded within optically bright shells. In contrast to previous adiabatic models, the X-ray brightness peaks around the reverse shock, instead of the contact discontinuity surface just inside the outer shocked dense shell. Diffuse X-ray emissions of a few observed PNe appear to support this wind-wind dynamic interaction scenario.

Investigating X-ray Emission from PPN and PN using numerical simulations

The shaping of Pre-planetary nebulae (PPN) and Planetary Nebulae (PN) is believed to result from the interaction of a fast, collimated post-AGB wind (CFW) plowing into the slow, dense wind emitted during the AGB phase, followed by an isotropic tenuous wind during the PN phase (Sahai &amp; Trauger 1998). The expanding shell which forms the PPN and later the PN is expected to produce extended X-ray emission due to the large speed of the fast wind and resulting high temperatures in the shocked gas. X-ray emission was only detected in 3 of 60 PNs observed with ROSAT, followed by a few more from CHANDRA and XMM (e.g. Guerrero et al. 2005). In the case of PPNs, there is so far only one confirmed X-ray detection (Sahai et al. 2003), although many have been observed with CHANDRA. The general problem of understanding the formation and shaping of PNs has been addressed analytically and numerically (see Balick &amp; Frank 2002, and references therein). X-ray emission is one of the most direct probes of the fast wind and the interaction process which drives PN formation. However, this probe has not been fully exploited in previous modeling studies. Very recently, Akashi et al. (2006, hereafter ASB06) used analytical, self-similar, spherically symmetric models to address this problem. We are performing numerical simulations with the hydrodynamics code FLASH varying the basic parameters of the fast and slow wind over an extensive parameter grid and computing the X-ray emission as a function of these parameters and the time history of the fast wind.

SN 1987A at Radio Wavelengths

SummarySN1987A has an intrinsic radio luminosity some four orders of magnitude less than SN1993J at maximum, largely a reflection of the tenuous wind . from the progenitor of SN1987A before explosion. Both remnants have an edge-brightened, ring-like morphology though, in the case of SN1987A, the expansion rate is currently only around 3500 km s−1. The flux density of the remnant of SN1987A continues to rise at all measured radio frequencies. Its spectral index is gradually flattening, indicating its transition into the supernova remnant phase. A campaign to increase the resolution of radio imaging by observing at higher frequencies is underway with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA).

Afterglow Light Curves of Jetted Gamma-ray Burst Ejecta in Stellar Winds

Optical and radio afterglows arising from the shocks by relativistic conical ejecta running into pre-burst massive stellar winds are revisited. Under the homogeneous thin-shell approximation and a realistic treatment for the lateral expansion of jets, our results show that a notable break exists in the optical light curve in most cases we calculated in which the physical parameters are varied within reasonable ranges. For a relatively tenuous wind which cannot decelerate the relativistic jet to cause a light curve break within days, the wind termination shock due to the ram pressure of the surrounding medium occurs at a small radius, namely, a few times 10^{17} cm. In such a structured wind environment, the jet will pass through the wind within several hours and run into the outer uniform dense medium. The resulting optical light curve flattens with a shallower drop after the jet encounters the uniform medium, and then declines deeply, triggered by runaway lateral expansion.

On the Velocity Structure in Clumpy Planetary Nebulae

Hydrodynamical, axisymmetric simulations and analytic calculations are presented for the interaction of a fast tenuous stellar wind with a spherical distribution of high-density clouds or clumps embedded in a stationary intercloud medium with an approximately inverse square density fall-off. Two distinct cases are studied. In the first case, clumps are formed by dynamic and thermal instabilities in the shocked wind. In the second case clumps, are assumed to have been formed by inhomogeneities in the AGB wind, prior to the onset of the fast wind. We find that the velocity distribution of these two cases is very different. However, in both cases the ensemble of clumps develops a positive velocity gradient with distance, and the kinematics might provide information on the evolutionary stage of the nebula.

Physical regimes for feedback in galaxy formation

We present a new (semi-)analytical model for feedback in galaxy formation. The interstellar medium (ISM) is modelled as a two-phase medium in pressure equilibrium, where the cold phase is fragmented into clouds with a given mass spectrum. Cold gas infalls from an external halo. Large clouds are continually formed by coagulation and destroyed by gravitational collapse. Stars form in the collapsing clouds; the remnants of exploding Type II supernovae (SNe) percolate into a single super-bubble (SB) that sweeps the ISM, heating the hot phase (if the SB is adiabatic) or cooling it (in the snowplough stage, when the interior gas of the SB has cooled). Different feedback regimes are obtained whenever SBs are stopped either in the adiabatic or in the snowplough stage, either by pressure confinement or by blowout. The resulting feedback regimes occur in well-defined regions of the space defined by vertical scalelength and surface density of the structure. In the adiabatic blowout regime, the efficiency of SNe in heating the ISM is rather low (∼5 per cent, with ∼80 per cent of the energy budget injected into the external halo), and the outcoming ISM is self-regulated to a state that, in conditions typical of our galaxy, is similar to that found in the Milky Way. Feedback is most efficient in the adiabatic confinement regime, where star formation is hampered by the very high thermal pressure and the resulting inefficient coagulation. In some significant regions of the parameter space, confinement takes place in the snowplough stage; in this case, the hot phase has a lower temperature and star formation is quicker. In some critical cases, found at different densities in several regions of the parameter space, the hot phase is strongly depleted and the cold phase percolates the whole volume, giving rise to a burst of star formation. While the hot phase is allowed to leak out of the star-forming region, and may give rise to a tenuous wind that escapes the potential well of a small galactic halo, strong galactic winds are predicted to occur only in critical cases or in the snowplough confinement regime whenever the SBs are able to percolate the volume. This model provides a starting point for constructing a realistic grid of feedback solutions to be used in galaxy formation codes, either semi-analytical or numerical. The predictive power of this model extends to many properties of the ISM, so that most parameters can be constrained by reproducing the main properties of the Milky Way.

SN 1987A: Rotation and a Binary Companion

In this paper we provide a possible link between the structure of the bipolar nebula surrounding SN 1987A and the properties of its progenitor star. A wind-blown bubble (WBB) scenario is employed in which a fast, tenuous wind from a blue supergiant expands into a slow, dense wind expelled during an earlier red supergiant phase. The bipolar shape develops because of a pole-to-equator density contrast in the slow wind (i.e., the slow wind forms a slow torus). We use the wind compressed disk (WCD) model of Bjorkman & Cassinelli to determine the shape of the slow torus. In the WCD scenario, the shape of the torus is determined by the rotation of the progenitor star. We then use a self-similar semianalytical method for WBB evolution to determine the shape of the resulting bipolar nebula. We find that the union of wind-compressed disk and bipolar WBB models allows us to recover the salient properties of the circumstellar nebula of SN 1987A. In particular, the size, speed, and density of the inner ring of SN 1987A are easily reproduced in our calculations. An exploration of parameter space shows that the red supergiant progenitor must have been rotating at 0.3 of its breakup speed. We conclude that the progenitor was most likely spun up by a merger with a binary companion. Using a simple model for the binary merger, we find that the companion is likely to have had a mass of 0.5 M?.

The radiation gas dynamics of planetary nebulae. 4. From the Owl to the Eskimo

We present the results of two-dimensional radiation-gasdynamic simulations of aspherical Planetary Nebulae (PNe) evolution. These simulations were constructed using the Generalized Interacting Stellar Winds (GISW) scenario of Balick (1987) where a fast, tenuous wind from the central star expands into a toroidal, slow, dense wind. We demonstrate that the GISW model can produce a wide range of aspherical flow patterns. We have constructed self-consistent synthetic observations of the models from forbidden line emissivities used in the energy loss term. We present integrated intensity and long-slit spectrum, (Position-Velocity) maps of the models projected at different angles on the sky. These synthetic observations are compared with real intensity and Position-Velocity maps of PNe. We find that there is a very good match between the synthetic and real observations in terms of morphologies, kinematics, and physical conditions. From the results of these simulations we conclude that the GISW scenario can account for most, if not all, PNe morphologies, thus confirming Balick's (1987) conjecture.

An eclipsing millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster Terzan 5

WE HAVE discovered an eclipsing binary millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster Terzan 5. This, the second known eclipsing binary pulsar after PSR1957 + 20, has a pulse period of 11.56 ms and a very short orbital period of 1.8 hours. In contrast to PSR1957 + 20, where the eclipses occupy about 10 per cent of the orbital period1, the eclipse duration in this pulsar is very variable and never less than one-third of the orbital period. The pulsar is in a circular orbit of radius 0.11 light seconds, which implies a minimum companion mass of 0.089 solar masses, about four times the companion mass of PSR1957 + 20. Timing observations suggest an identification of the pulsar with a variable continuum source locate about 30 arcsec west of the cluster centre. These observations and the variable eclipse duration show that the eclipse is due to absorption or scattering in a tenuous wind which flows from the companion star. We have also detected a second pulsar in the direction of Terzan 5. This pulsar, which has a period of 442 ms,may also be a cluster member, but is more likely to be a foreground object.