Pulsar bow-shock nebulae

Free access article

Issue		A&A Volume 387, Number 3, June I 2002


Page(s)		1066 - 1073
Section		Diffuse matter in space
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020495

A&A 387, 1066-1073 (2002)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20020495

II. Hydrodynamical simulation

N. Bucciantini

Dip. di Astronomia e Scienza dello Spazio, Università di Firenze, Largo E.Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy

(Received 14 November 2001 / Accepted 19 March 2002 )

Abstract
We present hydrodynamical simulations, using a 2-D two component model (ambient medium and pulsar wind have different specific heat ratios), of bow shocks in a representative regime for pulsar wind driven bow-shock nebulae. We also investigate the behaviour of a passive toroidal magnetic field wound around the pulsar velocity direction. Moreover we estimate the opacity of the bow-shock to penetration of ISM neutral hydrogen: this quantity affects observable properties of the nebula, like its size, shape, velocity and surface brightness distribution. Finally we compare these numerical results with those from an analytical model. The development of more realistic models is needed in order to tune the criteria for searches of new such objects, as well as to interpret data on the known objects.

Key words: shock waves -- stars: pulsars: general -- stars: winds, outflows -- hydrodynamics -- methods: numerical

SIMBAD Objects

What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.

If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.