Radiative Shocks in the Context of Young Stellar Objects: A Combined Analysis from Experiments and Simulations

Abstract

Hypersonic flows occurring during stellar formation are structured by radiation. When radiation is reabsorbed in different locations of the accretion flows or in the bow shocks of highly supersonic jets, the coupling between hydrodynamics and radiation becomes an important feature that significantly affects the hydrodynamical structure as well as spectroscopic signatures of these shocks. Radiative shocks can now be studied in the laboratory using high-energy lasers. Using recent laboratory experiment and state-of-the-art multi-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics simulations, we present an up to date description of the physical and hydrodynamical properties of radiative shocks, with an emphasis on the aspects that are important for stellar hypersonic flows.