Abstract Details
Laboratory Experiments, Numerical Simulations, and Astronomical Observations of Deflected Supersonic Jets
Author: Patrick M Hartigan
Requested Type: Poster Only
Submitted: 2009-04-20 17:32:27
Co-authors: J. Foster, B. Wilde, R. Coker, P. Rosen, F. Hansen, B. Blue, R. Williams, R. Carver, A. Frank
Contact Info:
Rice University
6100 S Main
Houston, TX 77005-1
USA
Abstract Text:
Collimated supersonic flows in laboratory experiments behave in a similar manner to astrophysical jets provided that radiative fluxes, viscosity and thermal conductivity are unimportant in laboratory jets, and that the experimental and astrophysical jets share similar dimensionless parameters such as Mach numbers and the ratio of the density between the jet and the ambient medium. When these conditions apply, laboratory jets provide a means to study their astrophysical counterparts over a variety of initial conditions, arbitrary viewing angles, and extended times, attributes especially helpful for interpreting astronomical images where the viewing angle and initial conditions are fixed and the time domain is limited. Experiments are also a powerful way to test numerical fluid codes in a parameter range where the codes must perform well. In this work we combine images from a series of laboratory experiments at the Omega laser facility of deflected supersonic jets with numerical simulations and new spectral observations of an astrophysical example, the young stellar jet HH 110. The results provide new insights into how stellar jets evolve, and demonstrate the potential of the emerging field of laboratory astrophysics.
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