KOMPANEETS MODEL FITTING OF THE ORION–ERIDANUS SUPERBUBBLE. II. THINKING OUTSIDE OF BARNARD’S LOOP

Abstract

The Orion star-forming region is the nearest active high-mass star-forming region and has created a large superbubble, the Orion–Eridanus superbubble. Recent work by Ochsendorf et al. has extended the accepted boundary of the superbubble. We fit Kompaneets models of superbubbles expanding in exponential atmospheres to the new larger shape of the Orion–Eridanus superbubble. We find that this larger morphology of the superbubble is consistent with the evolution of the superbubble being primarily controlled by expansion into the exponential Galactic disk ISM if the superbubble is oriented with the Eridanus side farther from the Sun than the Orion side. Unlike previous Kompaneets model fits that required abnormally small scale heights for the Galactic disk (<40 pc), we find morphologically consistent models with scale heights of 80 pc, similar to that expected for the Galactic disk.