Hydrodynamic Instability of Ionization Front in HII Regions: From Linear to Nonlinear Evolution

We investigate hydrodynamic instabilities at an ionization front in a radiatively driven molecular cloud, using two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, including absorption of UV radiation from OB stars, recombination in HII gas, and radiative molecular cooling. We find a strong stabilization mech...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Astrophysics and space science 2005-06, Vol.298 (1-2), p.197-202
Main Authors: Mizuta, Akira, Takabe, Hideaki, Kane, Jave O, Remington, Bruce A, Ryutov, Dmitri D, Pound, Marc W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Astrophysics
Evolution
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Hydrodynamics
Instability
Ionization
Perturbation
Simulation
Stability
Stabilization
Stars & galaxies
Ultraviolet radiation
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Summary:We investigate hydrodynamic instabilities at an ionization front in a radiatively driven molecular cloud, using two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, including absorption of UV radiation from OB stars, recombination in HII gas, and radiative molecular cooling. We find a strong stabilization mechanism, if the initial perturbation is small, whereas column like structures can emerge, if the perturbation is large. Recombination plays a key role in the observed stabilization mechanism. When recombination is turned off in the simulations, the stabilization disappears, and the perturbation grows at a growth rate consistent with the classical Rayleigh-Taylor instability.
ISSN:0004-640X
1572-946X
DOI:10.1007/s10509-005-3932-2