Misc,
Time-dependent Photoionization of Gaseous Nebulae: the Pure Hydrogen Case
(2013)cite arxiv:1308.0258Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 36 pages, 12 figures.
Abstract
We study the problem of time-dependent photoionization of low density gaseous
nebulae subjected to sudden changes in the intensity of ionizing radiation. To
this end, we write a computer code that solves the full time-dependent energy
balance, ionization balance, and radiation transfer equations in a
self-consistent fashion for a simplified pure hydrogen case. It is shown that
changes in the ionizing radiation yield ionization/thermal fronts that
propagate through the cloud, but the propagation times and response times to
such fronts vary widely and non-linearly from the illuminated face of the cloud
to the ionization front (IF). Ionization/thermal fronts are often supersonic,
and in slabs initially in pressure equilibrium such fronts yield large pressure
imbalances that are likely to produce important dynamical effects in the cloud.
Further, we studied the case of periodic variations in the ionizing flux. It
is found that the physical conditions of the plasma have complex behaviors that
differ from any steady-state solutions. Moreover, even the time average
ionization and temperature is different from any steady-state case. This time
average is characterized by over-ionization and a broader IF with respect to
the steady-state solution for a mean value of the radiation flux. Around the
time average of physical conditions there is large dispersion in instantaneous
conditions, particularly across the IF, which increases with the period of
radiation flux variations. Moreover, the variations in physical conditions are
asynchronous along the slab due to the combination of non-linear propagation
times for thermal/ionization fronts and equilibration times.
