The Role of Thin-Shell Mixing in X-Ray Production in the Winds of Massive Stars
Abstract
Strong, X-ray emitting shocks are an inherent feature of the hot, dense winds of luminous, massive stars. These shocks develop both due to intrinsic instabilities in the radiative driving and collision with the winds of a binary companion. In regions of high density where the shocks are radiative, the resulting narrowness of the the shock cooling region makes it subject to strong thin-shell instabilities. This poster presents 2D hydrodynamic modelling of the associated mixing of hot and cool gas as well as its effect on X-ray emission. An overall goal is to develop and test simple scaling relations for how thin-shell mixing reduces both the hardness and luminosity of X-ray emission from radiative shocks.
- Publication:
-
Massive Stars: From alpha to Omega
- Pub Date:
- June 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013msao.confE..76K