The SimpleX Radiative Transfer Algorithm Applied to 3D SPH Simulations of Eta Car's Colliding Winds
Abstract
Eta Carinae is a peculiar object that allow us to study, among other topics, massive binary interactions and evolution and binary colliding winds. In order to improve our knowledge of the system, we need to generate synthetic observations and compare them with the already available and future HST/STIS data. We present initial results from full 3D radiative transfer post-processing of 3D SPH hydrodynamical simulations of the interacting winds of Eta Carinae. We use SimpleX algorithm to obtain the ionization fractions of hydrogen and helium, this results in ionization maps of both species that constrain the regions where these lines can form. These results will allow us to put constraints on the number of ionizing photons coming from the companion. This construction of synthetic observations allows us to obtain insight into the highly complex 3D flows in Eta, from the shape of the ionized volume and its resulting optical/spectral appearance.
- Publication:
-
Massive Stars: From alpha to Omega
- Pub Date:
- June 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013msao.confE.144C