Three-dimensional Hydrodynamic Simulations Research Articles

Shock–multicloud interactions in galactic outflows – I. Cloud layers with lognormal density distributions

ABSTRACT We report three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of shocks (${\cal M_{\rm shock}}\ge 4$) interacting with fractal multicloud layers. The evolution of shock–multicloud systems consists of four stages: a shock-splitting phase in which reflected and refracted shocks are generated, a compression phase in which the forward shock compresses cloud material, an expansion phase triggered by internal heating and shock re-acceleration, and a mixing phase in which shear instabilities generate turbulence. We compare multicloud layers with narrow ($\sigma _{\rho }=1.9\bar{\rho }$) and wide ($\sigma _{\rho }=5.9\bar{\rho }$) lognormal density distributions characteristic of Mach ≈ 5 supersonic turbulence driven by solenoidal and compressive modes. Our simulations show that outflowing cloud material contains imprints of the density structure of their native environments. The dynamics and disruption of multicloud systems depend on the porosity and the number of cloudlets in the layers. ‘Solenoidal’ layers mix less, generate less turbulence, accelerate faster, and form a more coherent mixed-gas shell than the more porous ‘compressive’ layers. Similarly, multicloud systems with more cloudlets quench mixing via a shielding effect and enhance momentum transfer. Mass loading of diffuse mixed gas is efficient in all models, but direct dense gas entrainment is highly inefficient. Dense gas only survives in compressive clouds, but has low speeds. If normalized with respect to the shock-passage time, the evolution shows invariance for shock Mach numbers ≥10 and different cloud-generating seeds, and slightly weaker scaling for lower Mach numbers and thinner cloud layers. Multicloud systems also have better convergence properties than single-cloud systems, with a resolution of eight cells per cloud radius being sufficient to capture their overall dynamics.

Rotational manipulation of a microscopic object inside a microfluidic channel.

Observations and analyses of a microscopic object are essential processes in various fields such as chemical engineering and life science. Microfluidic techniques with various functions and extensions have often been used for such purposes to investigate the mechanical properties of microscopic objects such as biological cells. One of such extensions proposed in this context is a real-time visual feedback manipulation system, which is composed of a high-speed camera and a piezoelectric actuator with a single-line microfluidic channel. Although the on-chip manipulation system enables us to control the 1 degree-of-freedom position of a target object by the real-time pressure control, it has suffered from unintended changes in the object orientation, which is out of control in the previous system. In this study, we propose and demonstrate a novel shear-flow-based mechanism for the control of the orientation of a target object in addition to the position control in a microchannel to overcome the problem of the unintended rotation. We designed a tributary channel using a three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation with boundary conditions appropriate for the particle manipulation to apply shear stress to the target particle placed at the junction and succeeded in rotating the particle at an angular velocity of 0.2 rad/s even under the position control in the experiment. The proposed mechanism would be applied to feedback controls of a target object in a microchannel to be in a desired orientation and at a desired position, which could be a universally useful function for various microfluidic platforms.

Simulating Jets from a Neutron Star Companion Hours after a Core-collapse Supernova

Abstract We conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to explore the interaction of the jets that a neutron star (NS) companion to a type Ic or type Ib core-collapse supernova (CCSN) launches a few hours after explosion with the ejecta of the CCSN. We assume that an NS companion at 5 R ⊙ from the exploding star accretes mass from the slower inner ejecta through an accretion disk, and that the disk launches two opposite jets. Although the energy of the jets is only about one percent of the total energy of the ejecta, it is comparable to the energy of the slower inner part of the ejecta. We find that the jets inflate one low-density hot bubble to one side of the ejecta, and that this bubble expands to influence ejecta gas up to expansion velocities of . The postshock jets’ material develops a large meridional flow and small vortexes. The boundary between the ejecta and jets’ postshock gases is unstable. The instabilities and vortexes mix jets’ gas with the ejecta. We expect such a hot bubble to contribute to the light curve of CCSNe that are progenitors of binary NS systems, in particular to observers on the side of the bubble.

Are the spiral arms in the MWC 758 protoplanetary disc driven by a companion inside the cavity?

ABSTRACT Spiral arms in protoplanetary discs are thought to be linked to the presence of companions. We test the hypothesis that the double spiral arm morphology observed in the transition disc MWC 758 can be generated by an ≈10MJup companion on an eccentric orbit internal to the spiral arms. Previous studies on MWC 758 have assumed an external companion. We compare simulated observations from three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations of disc–companion interaction to scattered light, infrared and CO molecular line observations, taking into account observational biases. The inner companion hypothesis is found to explain the double spiral arms, as well as several additional features seen in MWC 758 – the arc in the north-west, substructures inside the spiral arms, the cavity in CO isotopologues, and the twist in the kinematics. Testable predictions include detection of fainter spiral structure, detection of a point source south-southeast of the primary, and proper motion of the spiral arms.

Disc formation and jet inclination effects in common envelopes

ABSTRACT The evolution and physics of the common envelope (CE) phase are still not well understood. Jets launched from a compact object during this stage may define the evolutionary outcome of the binary system. We focus on the case in which jets are launched from a neutron star (NS) engulfed in the outer layers of a red giant (RG). We run a set of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of jets with different luminosities and inclinations. The luminosity of the jet is self-regulated by the mass accretion rate and an efficiency η. Depending on the value of η the jet can break out of the previously formed bulge (‘successful jet’) and aligns against the incoming wind, in turn, it will realign in favour of the direction of the wind. The jet varies in size and orientation and may present quiescent and active epochs. The inclination of the jet and the Coriolis and centrifugal forces, only slightly affect the global evolution. As the accretion is hypercritical, and the specific angular momentum is above the critical value for the formation of a disc, we infer the formation of a disc and launching of jets. The discs’ mass and size would be ∼10−2 M⊙ and ≳1010 cm, and it may have rings with different rotation directions. In order to have a successful jet from a white dwarf, the ejection process needs to be very efficient (η ∼ 0.5). For main-sequence stars, there is not enough energy reservoir to launch a successful jet.

Simulating coliform transport and decay from 3D hydrodynamics model and in situ observation in Nice area

In coastal area, raw wastewater can be directly discharged in the sea during extreme rain events or failure of the sewage network. The highly urbanized and touristic area of Nice is directly exposed to this risk. In order to protect the bathing population and to apply the European regulation (DCE, 2000), Nice municipality has decided to work on a forecasting tool of transport and fate of fecal bacterial indicators such as Escherichia coli. This paper deals with the first step of this approach which consists in developing a three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulation coupled with water quality parameters. The model used is based on Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes’s equations for the calculation of the velocities and water depth (TELEMAC3D), and wave energy balance equation to account for the wave induced current (TOMAWAC). Two field measurements were conducted on a real wastewater pollution coming from a sewage pipe located at −38 m depth. The first campaign has validated the vertical diffusion of the effluent through the water column by the means of variable depth samples and has stressed the hourly variability of sewage bacterial quality. Due to the lack of data regarding this last point, the model could not be fully validated. The second campaign has been designed to overcome this issue and to gather all the data needed to proceed to the validation of our hydro-ecological simulation. The comparison of the field measurements and the simulations has successfully demonstrated the accuracy of the model. But the uncertainty associated with the laboratory analysis (MPN) are high, making the calibration and validation processes a complex task. Nevertheless, further research needs to be done regarding the variability of microbial quality in order to develop an operational tool allowing the forecast of bacterial pollution. The next step of this study will be to establish the hourly variation of microbial quality in the wastewater during dry and raining periods.

Common Envelope Wind Tunnel: The Effects of Binary Mass Ratio and Implications for the Accretion-driven Growth of LIGO Binary Black Holes

Abstract We present three-dimensional local hydrodynamic simulations of flows around objects embedded within stellar envelopes using a “wind tunnel” formalism. Our simulations model the common envelope dynamical inspiral phase in binary star systems in terms of dimensionless flow characteristics. We present suites of simulations that study the effects of varying the binary mass ratio, stellar structure, equation of state, relative Mach number of the object’s motion through the gas, and density gradients across the gravitational focusing scale. For each model, we measure coefficients of accretion and drag experienced by the embedded object. These coefficients regulate the coupled evolution of the object’s masses and orbital tightening during the dynamical inspiral phase of the common envelope. We extrapolate our simulation results to accreting black holes with masses comparable to that of the population of LIGO black holes. We demonstrate that the mass and spin accrued by these black holes per unit orbital tightening are directly related to the ratio of accretion to drag coefficients. We thus infer that the mass and dimensionless spin of initially nonrotating black holes change by of order 1% and 0.05, respectively, in a typical example scenario. Our prediction that the masses and spins of black holes remain largely unmodified by a common envelope phase aids in the interpretation of the properties of the growing observed population of merging binary black holes. Even if these black holes passed through a common envelope phase during their assembly, features of mass and spin imparted by previous evolutionary epochs should be preserved.

Three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the upper atmosphere of π Men c: Comparison with Lyα transit observations

Context. π Men c is the first planet to have been discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. It orbits a bright, nearby star and has a relatively low average density, making it an excellent target for atmospheric characterisation. The existing planetary upper atmosphere models of π Men c predict significant atmospheric escape, but Lyα transit observations indicate the non-detection of hydrogen escaping from the planet. Aims. Our study is aimed at constraining the conditions of the wind and high-energy emission of the host star and reproducing the non-detection of Lyα planetary absorption. Methods. We modelled the escaping planetary atmosphere, the stellar wind, and their interaction employing a multi-fluid, three-dimensional hydrodynamic code. We assumed a planetary atmosphere composed of hydrogen and helium. We ran models varying the stellar high-energy emission and stellar mass-loss rate, and, for each case, we further computed the Lyα synthetic planetary atmospheric absorption and compared it with the observations. Results. We find that a non-detection of Lyα in absorption employing the stellar high-energy emission estimated from far-ultraviolet and X-ray data requires a stellar wind with a stellar mass-loss rate about six times lower than solar. This result is a consequence of the fact that, for π Men c, detectable Lyα absorption can be caused exclusively by energetic neutral atoms, which become more abundant with increasing velocity or density of the stellar wind. By considering, instead, that the star has a solar-like wind, the non-detection requires a stellar ionising radiation about four times higher than estimated. The reason for this is that despite the fact that a stronger stellar high-energy emission ionises hydrogen more rapidly, it also increases the upper atmosphere heating and expansion, pushing the interaction region with the stellar wind farther away from the planet, where the planet atmospheric density that remains neutral becomes smaller and the production of energetic neutral atoms less efficient. Conclusions. Comparing the results of our grid of models with what is expected and estimated for the stellar wind and high-energy emission, respectively, we support the idea that it is likely that the atmosphere of π Men c is not hydrogen-dominated. Therefore, future observations should focus on the search for planetary atmospheric absorption at the position of lines of heavier elements, such as He, C, and O.

The Interaction of Type Iax Supernova Ejecta with a Helium Companion Star

Abstract Type Iax supernovae (SNe Iax) are an important subluminous class of SNe Ia. However, their progenitors and explosion mechanisms are not yet understood. It has been suggested that SNe Iax may be produced from weak deflagration explosions of Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs (WDs) in binary systems with a helium (He) star donor. In such progenitor systems, the stripped He companion material caused by the ejecta-companion interaction is expected to present some He features in their late-time spectra. However, the detection of He lines in late-time spectra of SNe Iax has not yet been successful, which gives an upper limit on the amount of stripped He mass of . In this work, we study the interaction between SN Iax ejecta and a He star companion by performing three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations with a weak pure deflagration explosion model. We find that about of He material can be stripped off from the companion star by SN explosion, which is very close to (or lower than) the observational upper limit on the total stripped He mass in SNe Iax. We, therefore, conclude that nondetection of He lines in late-time spectra of SNe Iax could be reasonably explained if they indeed resulted from weak pure deflagration explosions of Chandrasekhar-mass WDs in progenitor systems with a He star donor.

Galactic Center IRS 13E: Colliding Stellar Winds or an Intermediate-mass Black Hole?

Abstract A small cluster of massive stars residing in the Galactic center, collectively known as IRS 13E, is of special interest due to its close proximity to the central supermassive black hole Sgr A* and the possibility that an embedded intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) binds its member stars. It has been suggested that colliding winds from two member stars, both classified as Wolf–Rayet type, are responsible for the observed X-ray, infrared, and radio emission from IRS 13E. We have conducted an in-depth study of the X-ray spatial, temporal, and spectral properties of IRS 13E, based on 5.6 Ms of ultradeep Chandra observations obtained over 20 years. These X-ray observations show no significant evidence for source variability. We have also explored the kinematics of the cluster members, using Keck near-infrared imaging and spectroscopic data on a 14 yr baseline that considerably improve the accuracy of the stars’ proper motions. The observations are interpreted using three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of colliding winds tailored to match the physical conditions of IRS 13E, leading us to conclude that the observed X-ray spectrum and morphology can be well explained by the colliding wind scenario, in the meantime offering no support for the presence of a putative IMBH. An IMBH more massive than a few 103 M⊙ is also strongly disfavored by the stellar kinematics.

Hydrodynamical turbulence in eccentric circumbinary discs and its impact on the in situ formation of circumbinary planets

ABSTRACT Eccentric gaseous discs are unstable to a parametric instability involving the resonant interaction between inertial-gravity waves and the eccentric mode in the disc. We present three-dimensional global hydrodynamical simulations of inviscid circumbinary discs that form an inner cavity and become eccentric through interaction with the central binary. The parametric instability grows and generates turbulence that transports angular momentum with stress parameter α ∼ 5 × 10−3 at distances ≲ 7 abin, where abin is the binary semimajor axis. Vertical turbulent diffusion occurs at a rate corresponding to αdiff ∼ 1–2 × 10−3. We examine the impact of turbulent diffusion on the vertical settling of pebbles, and on the rate of pebble accretion by embedded planets. In steady state, dust particles with Stokes numbers St ≲ 0.1 form a layer of finite thickness Hd ≳ 0.1H, where H is the gas scale height. Pebble accretion efficiency is then reduced by a factor racc/Hd, where racc is the accretion radius, compared to the rate in a laminar disc. For accreting core masses with mp ≲ 0.1 M⊕, pebble accretion for particles with St ≳ 0.5 is also reduced because of velocity kicks induced by the turbulence. These effects combine to make the time needed by a Ceres mass object to grow to the pebble isolation mass, when significant gas accretion can occur, longer than typical disc lifetimes. Hence, the origins of circumbinary planets orbiting close to their central binary systems, as discovered by the Kepler mission, are difficult to explain using an in situ model that invokes a combination of the streaming instability and pebble accretion.

The formation of Supersonically Induced Gas Objects (SIGOs) with H2 cooling

AbstractDuring the recombination of the universe, supersonic relative motion between baryons and dark matter (DM) generally existed. In the presence of such streaming motions, gas clumps can collapse outside of virial radii of their closest dark matter halos. Such baryon dominant objects are thought to be self-gravitating and are called supersonically induced gas objects; SIGOs. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations by including H2 chemical reactions and stream velocity and follow SIGO’s formation from z = 200 to z = 25. SIGOs can be formed under the influence of stream velocity, and cooling is effective in contracting gas clouds. We follow its further evolution with higher resolution. We find that there are SIGOs which become Jeans unstable outside of the virial radius of the closest DM halos. Those SIGOs are gravitationally unstable and trigger star formation.

Kinematics of Filaments in Cooling Flow Clusters and Heating by Mixing

Abstract We compare a recent study of the kinematics of optical filaments in three cooling flow clusters of galaxies with previous numerical simulations of jet-inflated hot bubbles, and conclude that the velocity structure functions (VSFs) of the filaments better fit direct excitation by the jets than by turbulent cascade from the largest turbulent eddies. The observed VSFs of the optical filaments in the three clusters are steeper than that expected from a classical cascade in turbulent dissipation. Our three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations show that as the jets inflate bubbles in the intracluster medium (ICM), they form vortexes in a large range of scales. These vortexes might drive the ICM turbulence with eddies of over more than an order of magnitude in size. A direct excitation of turbulence by the vortexes that the jets form and the slow turbulent dissipation imply that heating the ICM by mixing with hot bubbles is more efficient than heating by turbulent dissipation.

Structure and instability of the ionization fronts around moving black holes

ABSTRACT In this paper, we focus on understanding the physical processes that lead to stable or unstable ionization fronts (I-fronts) observed in simulations of moving black holes (BHs). The front instability may trigger bursts of gas accretion, rendering the BH significantly more luminous than at steady state. We perform a series of idealized three-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations resolving the I-fronts around BHs of mass MBH and velocity $v$∞ accreting from a medium of density nH. The I-front, with radius RI, transitions from D-type to R-type as the BH velocity becomes larger than a critical value $v_\mathrm{R}\sim 40\, \mathrm{km\,s}^{-1}$. The D-type front is preceded by a bow-shock of thickness ΔRI that decreases as $v$∞ approaches $v$R. We find that both D-type and R-type fronts can be unstable given the following two conditions: (i) for D-type fronts the shell thickness must be ΔRI/RI < 0.05 (i.e. $v_\infty \gtrsim 20\, \mathrm{km\,s}^{ -1}$), while no similar restriction holds for R-type fronts; (ii) the temperature jump across the I-front must be TII/TI > 3. This second condition is satisfied if $T_\mathrm{I}\lt 5000\, \mathrm{K}$ or if $n_\mathrm{H}\, M_\mathrm{BH} \gtrsim 10^6\, M_\odot \, \mathrm{cm^{-3}}$. Due to X-ray pre-heating typically $T_\mathrm{I} \sim 10^4\, \mathrm{K}$, unless the D-type shell is optically thick to X-rays, which also happens when $n_\mathrm{H}\, M_\mathrm{BH}$ is greater than a metallicity-dependent critical value. We thus conclude that I-fronts around BHs are unstable only for relatively massive BHs moving trough very dense molecular clouds. We briefly discuss the observational consequences of the X-ray luminosity bursts likely associated with this instability.

Multiphase Gas and the Fractal Nature of Radiative Turbulent Mixing Layers

Abstract A common situation in galactic and intergalactic gas involves cold dense gas in motion relative to hot diffuse gas. Kelvin–Helmholtz instability creates a turbulent mixing layer and populates the intermediate-temperature phase, which often cools rapidly. The energy lost to cooling is balanced by the advection of hot high enthalpy gas into the mixing layer, resulting in growth and acceleration of the cold phase. This process may play a major role in determining the interstellar medium and circumgalactic medium phase structure, and accelerating cold gas in galactic winds and cosmic filaments. Cooling in these mixing layers occurs in a thin corrugated sheet, which we argue has an area with fractal dimension D = 5/2 and a thickness that adjusts to match the hot phase mixing time to the cooling time. These cooling sheet properties form the basis of a new model for how the cooling rate and hot gas inflow velocity depend on the size L, cooling time of the mixed phase , relative velocity , and density contrast of the system. Entrainment is expected to be enhanced in environments with short , large , and large . Using a large suite of three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, we demonstrate that this fractal cooling layer model accurately captures the energetics and evolution of turbulent interfaces and can therefore be used as a foundation for understanding multiphase mixing with strong radiative cooling.

Wind morphology around cool evolved stars in binaries

Context. The late evolutionary phase of low- and intermediate-mass stars is strongly constrained by their mass-loss rate, which is orders of magnitude higher than during the main sequence. The wind surrounding these cool expanded stars frequently shows nonspherical symmetry, which is thought to be due to an unseen companion orbiting the donor star. The imprints left in the outflow carry information about the companion and also the launching mechanism of these dust-driven winds. Aims. We study the morphology of the circumbinary envelope and identify the conditions of formation of a wind-captured disk around the companion. Long-term orbital changes induced by mass loss and mass transfer to the secondary are also investigated. We pay particular attention to oxygen-rich, that is slowly accelerating, outflows in order to look for systematic differences between the dynamics of the wind around carbon and oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. Methods. We present a model based on a parametrized wind acceleration and a reduced number of dimensionless parameters to connect the wind morphology to the properties of the underlying binary system. Thanks to the high performance code MPI-AMRVAC, we ran an extensive set of 72 three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations of a progressively accelerating wind propagating in the Roche potential of a mass-losing evolved star in orbit with a main sequence companion. The highly adaptive mesh refinement that we used, enabled us to resolve the flow structure both in the immediate vicinity of the secondary, where bow shocks, outflows, and wind-captured disks form, and up to 40 orbital separations, where spiral arms, arcs, and equatorial density enhancements develop. Results. When the companion is deeply engulfed in the wind, the lower terminal wind speeds and more progressive wind acceleration around oxygen-rich AGB stars make them more prone than carbon-rich AGB stars to display more disturbed outflows, a disk-like structure around the companion, and a wind concentrated in the orbital plane. In these configurations, a large fraction of the wind is captured by the companion, which leads to a significant shrinking of the orbit over the mass-loss timescale, if the donor star is at least a few times more massive than its companion. In the other cases, an increase of the orbital separation is to be expected, though at a rate lower than the mass-loss rate of the donor star. Provided the companion has a mass of at least a tenth of the mass of the donor star, it can compress the wind in the orbital plane up to large distances. Conclusions. The grid of models that we computed covers a wide scope of configurations: We vary the terminal wind speed relative to the orbital speed, the extension of the dust condensation region around the cool evolved star relative to the orbital separation, and the mass ratio, and we consider a carbon-rich and an oxygen-rich donor star. It provides a convenient frame of reference to interpret high-resolution maps of the outflows surrounding cool evolved stars.

Wind accretion in Cygnus X-1

Context. Cygnus X-1 is a black hole X-ray binary system in which the black hole captures and accretes gas from the strong stellar wind emitted by its supergiant O9.7 companion star. The irradiation of the supergiant star essentially determines the flow properties of the stellar wind and the X-ray luminosity from the system. The results of three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of wind-fed X-ray binary systems reported in recent work reveal that the ionizing feedback of the X-ray irradiation leads to the existence of two stable states with either a soft or a hard spectrum. Aims. We discuss the observed radiation of Cygnus X-1 in the soft and hard state in the context of mass flow in the corona and disk, as predicted by the recent application of a condensation model. Methods. The rates of gas condensation from the corona to the disk for Cygnus X-1 are determined, and the spectra of the hard and soft radiation are computed. The theoretical results are compared with the MAXI observations of Cygnus X-1 from 2009 to 2018. In particular, we evaluate the hardness-intensity diagrams (HIDs) for its ten episodes of soft and hard states which show that Cygnus X-1 is distinct in its spectral changes as compared to those found in the HIDs of low-mass X-ray binaries. Results. The theoretically derived values of photon counts and hardness are in approximate agreement with the observed data in the HID. However, the scatter in the diagram is not reproduced. Improved agreement could result from variations in the viscosity associated with clumping in the stellar wind and corresponding changes of the magnetic fields in the disk. The observed dipping events in the hard state may also contribute to the scatter and to a harder spectrum than predicted by the model.

Numerical simulations of colliding jets in an external wind: application to 3C 75

ABSTRACT The radio galaxy 3C 75 is remarkable because it contains a pair of radio-loud active galaxies, each of which produces a two-sided jet, with the jet beams appearing to collide and merge to the west of the galaxies. Motivated by 3C 75, we have conducted three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of jet collisions. We have extended previous studies by modelling the physical properties of the cluster atmosphere, including an external wind, and using realistic jet powers obtained from observational data. We are able to produce a morphology similar to that of 3C 75. The simulations imply that direct contact between the bulk jet flows on the west of the source is required to produce a morphology consistent with 3C 75. We quantify how the merging jets decelerate, how the wind deflects the jets and cocoons, the entrainment of intra-cluster material into the cocoons, the cocoon energetics, and how the jet interactions generate enstrophy. By comparing simulations of pairs of two-sided jets with those of single two-sided sources, we determine how the interaction between two bipolar jets changes their evolution. The unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution of upcoming observatories will lead to the detection of many more complex sources at high redshift, where interacting jets are expected to be more numerous. The morphology of these complex sources can provide significant insight into the conditions in their environments.

Three-dimensional Simulations of Magnetar-powered Superluminous Supernovae

Abstract A rapidly spinning magnetar in a young supernova (SN) can produce a superluminous transient by converting a fraction of its rotational energy into radiation. Here, we present the first three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations ever performed of a magnetar-powered SN in the circumstellar medium formed by the ejection of the outer layers of the star prior to the blast. We find that hydrodynamical instabilities form on two scales in the ejecta, not just one as in ordinary core-collapse SNe: in the hot bubble energized by the magnetar and in the forward shock of the SN as it plows up ambient gas. Pressure from the bubble also makes the instabilities behind the forward shock more violent and causes more mixing in the explosion than in normal SNe, with important consequences for the light curves and spectra of the event that cannot be captured by one-dimensional models. We also find that the magnetar can accelerate Ca and Si to velocities of ∼12,000 and account for their broadened emission lines in observations. Our simulations also reveal that energy from even weak magnetars can accelerate iron-group elements deep in the ejecta to 5000–7000 and explain the high-velocity Fe observed at early times in some core-collapse SNe such as SN 1987A.

Effects of initial conditions and transport on ram pressure, Mach number, and uniformity for plasma liner formation and implosion

Plasma jet driven magneto-inertial fusion involves the merging of high Mach number plasma jets in a spherically converging geometry to form an imploding plasma liner. A three-dimensional smooth particle hydrodynamic simulation tool was used to study the number of plasma jets, jet density, and implosion velocity on the effects of formation and subsequent implosion of a plasma liner. The effects of different transport physics are presented. Thermal radiation and two-temperature modeling were found to have the most significant impact on the ram pressure. Solid angle averaged ram pressure and Mach number degradation were of particular interest in this study. Higher jet numbers were found to result in higher peak ram pressure. A spherical harmonic analysis was conducted for each case, providing a quantitative measure of the non-uniformity of the liner during the implosion process and how non-uniformities are affected by the different parameters explored in this study.