On the theory of shock-heated atmospheres. III - Discussion of the formalism and application to stellar coronae
Abstract
Thermally sustained coronas and stellar winds are investigated using a two-zone corona model describing a lower zone at constant pressure in which the mechanical dissipation and wind effects are neglected, and an upper zone characterized by an extended isothermal region. The interface between the two zones is treated as a dissipative layer of neglectable vertical extent, so that jumps of the physical quantities are consistently fixed by the conservation equations. The physical meaning of transition zone and coronal temperature is discussed, and the lower zone, shock formalism, and dissipation layer are analyzed, as are the upper bounds for the coronal temperature, base pressure, and mechanical flux. A detailed study of the model's special loss function is presented, including the minimum shock strength, conduction dominated case, pressure-mechanical flux relation, and base-temperature relation.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- May 1982
- Bibcode:
- 1982A&A...109..205S
- Keywords:
-
- Shock Heating;
- Shock Waves;
- Stellar Atmospheres;
- Stellar Coronas;
- Stellar Winds;
- Atmospheric Temperature;
- Conservation Equations;
- Radiative Heat Transfer;
- Stellar Mass Ejection;
- Astrophysics