Shock–multicloud interactions in galactic outflows – I. Cloud layers with lognormal density distributions
ABSTRACT We report three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of shocks (${\cal M_{\rm shock}}\ge 4$) interacting with fractal multicloud layers. The evolution of shock–multicloud systems consists of four stages: a shock-splitting phase in which reflected and refracted shocks are generated, a compression phase in which the forward shock compresses cloud material, an expansion phase triggered by internal heating and shock re-acceleration, and a mixing phase in which shear instabilities generate turbulence. We compare multicloud layers with narrow ($\sigma _{\rho }=1.9\bar{\rho }$) and wide ($\sigma _{\rho }=5.9\bar{\rho }$) lognormal density distributions characteristic of Mach ≈ 5 supersonic turbulence driven by solenoidal and compressive modes. Our simulations show that outflowing cloud material contains imprints of the density structure of their native environments. The dynamics and disruption of multicloud systems depend on the porosity and the number of cloudlets in the layers. ‘Solenoidal’ layers mix less, generate less turbulence, accelerate faster, and form a more coherent mixed-gas shell than the more porous ‘compressive’ layers. Similarly, multicloud systems with more cloudlets quench mixing via a shielding effect and enhance momentum transfer. Mass loading of diffuse mixed gas is efficient in all models, but direct dense gas entrainment is highly inefficient. Dense gas only survives in compressive clouds, more »
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Award ID(s):
Publication Date:
NSF-PAR ID:
10244183
Journal Name:
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume:
499
Issue:
2
Page Range or eLocation-ID:
2173 to 2195
ISSN:
0035-8711
2. Direct numerical simulations are performed to investigate a stratified shear layer at high Reynolds number ( $Re$ ) in a study where the Richardson number ( $Ri$ ) is varied among cases. Unlike previous work on a two-layer configuration in which the shear layer resides between two layers with constant density, an unbounded fluid with uniform stratification is considered here. The evolution of the shear layer includes a primary Kelvin–Helmholtz shear instability followed by a wide range of secondary shear and convective instabilities, similar to the two-layer configuration. During transition to turbulence, the shear layers at low $Ri$ exhibit a period of thickness contraction (not observed at lower $Re$ ) when the momentum and buoyancy fluxes are counter-gradient. The behaviour in the turbulent regime is significantly different from the case with a two-layer density profile. The transition layers, which are zones with elevated shear and stratification that form at the shear-layer edges, are stronger and also able to support a significant internal wave flux. After the shear layer becomes turbulent, mixing in the transition layers is shown to be more efficient than that which develops in the centre of the shear layer. Overall, the cumulative mixing efficiency ( $E^C$ )more »
3. ABSTRACT Cosmic ray (CR)-modified shocks are a demanding test of numerical codes. We use them to test and validate the two-moment method for CR hydrodynamics, as well as characterize the realism of CR shock acceleration in two-fluid simulations which inevitably arises. Previously, numerical codes were unable to incorporate streaming in this demanding regime, and have never been compared against analytic solutions. First, we find a new analytic solution highly discrepant in acceleration efficiency from the standard solution. It arises from bi-directional streaming of CRs away from the subshock, similar to a Zeldovich spike in radiative shocks. Since fewer CRs diffuse back upstream, this favours a much lower acceleration efficiency, typically ${\lesssim}10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ (even for Mach number > 10) as opposed to ${\gtrsim}50{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ found in previous analytic work. At Mach number ≳10, the new solution bifurcates into three branches, with efficient, intermediate, and inefficient CR acceleration. Our two-moment code accurately recovers these solutions across the entire parameter space probed, with no ad hoc closure relations. For generic initial conditions, the inefficient branch is robustly chosen by the code; the intermediate branch is unstable. The preferred branch is very weakly modified by CRs. At high Mach numbersmore »