A UNIFIED STELLAR JET MOLECULAR OUTFLOW MODEL

DOI: 
Publication date: 
01/09/1993
Main author: 
RAGA, AC
IAA authors: 
TORRELLES, JM
Authors: 
RAGA, AC; CANTO, J; CALVET, N; RODRIGUEZ, LF; TORRELLES, JM
Journal: 
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Publication type: 
Article
Volume: 
276
Pages: 
539-548
Number: 
Abstract: 
We present a coupled stellar jet/molecular outflow model. In this model, the stellar jet is assumed to have a large number of ''internal working surfaces'' that intercept material from the jet beam and eject it sideways into the near environment. This sideways ejection of mass and momentum leads to the formation of a ''turbulent envelope'' in which the jet material is mixed with entrained environmental gas. Under the assumption that the jet has a large number of internal working surfaces (which would probably be the case for an evolved outflow), we derive a simple theoretical framework for describing this flow. We then use this model to obtain predictions of intensity maps and position-velocity diagrams which can be directly compared with observations of molecular outflows. We also discuss the general characteristics predicted from our model, which apparently show a good qualitative agreement with observations of molecular outflows. However, our model appears to predict a somewhat too high degree of collimation for the molecular outflows. This discrepancy could be a result of the simple parametrization that we have adopted for the description of the turbulent flow.
Database: 
WOK
Keywords: 
HYDRODYNAMICS; TURBULENCE; INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM, JETS AND OUTFLOWS; INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM, MOLECULES