Simulations of Radiative Shocked YSO Jets:

II. Towards Comparisons with Observations

Ovidiu Tesileanu, Andrea Mignone, Silvano Massaglia

Università degli Studi di Torino, Dipartimento di Fisica Generale
via P. Giuria 1, I-10125, Torino, Italy.
Email: ovidiu.tesileanu@ph.unito.it

Introduction – Aims Effective cooling – comparisons

In the frame of the JETSET network, our aim is to perform realistic numerical Tests and comparisons of the effective cooling rate with other models were an
simulations of YSO jets. The MHD simulation code we use - PLUTO, is developed important step in the testing process of the newly developed cooling function,
and maintained at the Turin University by A. Mignone (http://plutocode.to.astro.it).
The newly developed cooling module permits a detailed treatment of non- We have compared the effective cooling rate with the previously used, simplified
equilibrium cooling losses and is much more accurate than the previously cooling model and with the much more sophisticated model employed by the
employed models. Cloudy atomic network code (Ferland & al 1998).
For the YSO jets, we are interested in the following plasma conditions: The graph on the right shows the
−2 −3 computed effective cooling rate for the
ne ∈ (10 ,10 )cm 5
detailed (NEq) cooling, the simplified
T ∈ (2 ⋅103 , 2 ⋅105 ) K model previously used, and Cloudy
results for two metalicities (Z=0.3 and
with solar element abundances. In these conditions, the plasma is optically thin. Z=1 with respect to Solar). A very
important contribution to cooling at low
The cooling model accounts for the evolution of the following ion species: H, He I temperatures is due to FeII emission, so
and II, C I to V, N I to V, O I to V, Ne I to V, S I to V. These species should give a we have added it empirically to the
detailed model (without adding the
good approximation of the cooling for the above conditions (see also Raga & al ionizations fractions computation). This
1997). The S, although not having an important contribution to cooling, is added explains the slope of the two models
especially for diagnostic purposes. below 3,000K that is different from the
Cloudy one. The Cloudy curves were
Non-equilibrium ionization fractions are computed at runtime. The ionization created by Michal Rozyczka and
Guillermo Tenorio-Tagle (unpublished
balance is first computed in equilibrium conditions, and used as initial condition for work) and later updated by Tomek
the MHD simulation. Plewa with the help of version 84.06.
The following processes are taken into consideration: collisional ionization,
radiative and dielectronic recombination, charge-transfer with H, H+ and He. It can be seen that while the detailed cooling model accounts with good accuracy
for the cooling losses up to 200,000K, the simplified one cannot follow them above
above 30,000K because it lacks higher ionization stages for the atoms. Our results
are situated between Cloudy’s metalicities 0.3 and 1.0 due to the fact that for now,
Influence of cooling on the dynamics only few metals are included – C, N, O, Ne and S – as a compromise between
efficiency and complexity.
The radiative cooling is essential for the MHD simulations of astrophysical clouds
and jets having important effects on the structure dynamics.

Jet head evolution Emission line ratios

2D Tests were performed for the propagation of a propagating jet in an uniform After the post-processing of the MHD simulation results, the emission in selected
medium, in the absence of cooling, with a simplified model (implying the sum of the lines is obtained. The emission line ratios can then be directly compared to
17 most important emission lines from Hydrogen and metals), and with the detailed observations.
treatment of radiative losses (NEq cooling function). Here we have such a result, for the
Below there are comparative plots of density and temperature, in logarithmic scale, HH30 jet and [OI]/[NII] ratio. The fit
for the three cases of cooling losses: was obtained for an initial velocity
perturbation of 50km/s, n0 = 5 ×10 4 cm −3
and B0 =100 µG .
Since the model is an extremely
simple 1D one of a single propagating
shock, we mainly aim at obtaining
values that are reasonably close to
Adiabatic Simplified cooling Detailed cooling the observed ones, and cannot
account for the knots of emission
visible along the HH30 jet.

Conclusion and perspectives

er ut ar ep me T

The smooth structure that can be seen in the absence of cooling disappears when
cooling processes are present. Also, the distance between the bow-shock and the
Mach disk diminishes, together with the maximum temperatures attained. The total
cooling seems to be overestimated by the simplified model.
Shock-Cloud interaction
yti s ne D
The effective cooling curve compares well with other results, the differences being
expected due to the compromise we had to do between accuracy and speed. An
important advantage can be noted with respect to the simplified model.
We are currently working on simulating actually observed emission line ratios in
some YSO jets, especially in the forbidden lines of SII, OI and NII. 2D jet
simulations will follow.

This is one of the test problems in the Pluto MHD code distribution package. Here it
was dimensionalized for astrophysics, and cooling was applied as above.

References
Ferland, G.J., Korista, K.T., Verner, D.A., &al., 1998, PASP, 110, 761
Nahar S.N., Pradhan A.K., 2004, Radiation Physics and Chemistry 70, 323
Osterbrock D.E., Astrophysics of Gaseous Nebulae, W. H. Freeman and Co., 1974
Pèquignot D. & al, 1991, A& A 251, 680P
Raga A.C., Mellema G., Lundqvist P., 1997, ApJ Supplement 109, 517
Raymond J.C., 1992, Private communication
er ut ar ep me T

Acknowledgements
The shock propagation speed and the peak temperature are maximum in the
The project has been supported by the EU contract MRTN-CT-2004-005592.
absence of cooling.