Bibcode
DOI
Villaver, Eva; García-Segura, Guillermo; Manchado, A.
Referencia bibliográfica
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 585, Issue 1, pp. L49-L53.
Fecha de publicación:
3
2003
Revista
Número de citas
69
Número de citas referidas
49
Descripción
We present two-dimensional numerical simulations of the evolution of a
low-mass star moving supersonically through its surrounding interstellar
medium (ISM). We show that the ejecta of a moving star with a systemic
velocity of 20 km s-1 will interact with the ISM and will
form bow shock structures qualitatively similar to what is observed. We
find that, owing to ram pressure stripping, most of the mass ejected
during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase is left downstream of the
moving star. As a consequence, the formation of the planetary nebula is
highly influenced, even at the low relative velocity of the star. The
models are based on the predictions of stellar evolution calculations.
Therefore, the density and velocity of the AGB and post-AGB winds are
time dependent and give rise to the formation of shock regions inside
the cavity formed by the previous winds. As a result, the stand-off
distance is also time dependent and cannot be determined by simple
analytical arguments.