Self-similar solutions for the dynamical condensation of a radiative gas layer
Self-similar solutions for the dynamical condensation of a radiative gas layer
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DOI:
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.13294.x
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发表时间:
2008-06
期刊:
影响因子:
--
通讯作者:
K. Iwasaki;T. Tsuribe
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文献类型:
--
作者:
K. Iwasaki;T. Tsuribe
A new self-similar solution describing the dynamical condensation of a radiative gas is investigated under a plane-parallel geometry. The dynamical condensation is caused by thermal instability. The solution is applicable to generic flow with a net cooling rate per unit volume and time $\propto \rho^2 T^\alpha$, where $\rho$, $T$ and $\alpha$ are density, temperature and a free parameter, respectively. Given $\alpha$, a family of self-similar solutions with one parameter $\eta$ is found in which the central density and pressure evolve as follows: $\rho(x=0,t)\propto (t_\mathrm{c}-t)^{-\eta/(2-\alpha)}$ and $P(x=0,t)\propto (t_\mathrm{c}-t)^{(1-\eta)/(1-\alpha)}$, where $t_\mathrm{c}$ is an epoch when the central density becomes infinite. For $\eta\sim 0$, the solution describes the isochoric mode, whereas for $\eta\sim1$, the solution describes the isobaric mode. The self-similar solutions exist in the range between the two limits; that is, for $0 1$. We compare the obtained self-similar solutions with the results of one-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations. In a converging flow, the results of the numerical simulations agree well with the self-similar solutions in the high-density limit. Our self-similar solutions are applicable to the formation of interstellar clouds (HI cloud and molecular cloud) by thermal instability.