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A theory of the interstellar medium - Three components regulated by supernova explosions in an inhomogeneous substrate
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1977
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Supernova explosions in a cloudy interstellar medium generate a three‑component medium dominated by hot, tenuous gas, while evaporation of embedded cool clouds alters remnant evolution and amplifies radiative losses. Mass balance between cloud evaporation and dense shell formation, together with energy balance between supernova shock input and radiation loss, determine the hot medium’s density and temperature. The resulting self‑consistent model reproduces the observed pressure of interstellar clouds, the galactic soft X‑ray background, O VI absorption, and the ionization, heating, and motions of the clouds. Published in The Astrophysical Journal (1977), DOI:10.1086/155667.
McKee, C. F. ; Ostriker, J. P. Abstract Supernova explosions in a cloudy interstellar medium produce a three-component medium in which a large fraction of the volume is filled with hot, tenuous gas. In the disk of the galaxy the evolution of supernova remnants is altered by evaporation of cool clouds embedded in the hot medium. Radiative losses are enhanced by the resulting increase in density and by radiation from the conductive interfaces between clouds and hot gas. Mass balance (cloud evaporation rate = dense shell formation rate) and energy balance (supernova shock input = radiation loss) determine the density and temperature of the hot medium. A self-consistent model of the interstellar medium developed herein accounts for the observed pressure of interstellar clouds, the galactic soft X-ray background, the O VI absorption line observations, the ionization and heating of much of the interstellar medium, and the motions of the clouds. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: November 1977 DOI: 10.1086/155667 Bibcode: 1977ApJ...218..148M Keywords: Interstellar Matter; Nebulae; Supernova Remnants; X Ray Sources; Absorption Spectra; Adiabatic Conditions; Astronomical Models; Background Radiation; Clouds; Evaporation; High Temperature Gases; Rarefied Gases; Astrophysics full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (7) Related Materials (1) Related Paper: 1990ASPC...12....3M