Paper detail

MHD-shock structures of astrospheres: $λ$ Cephei-like astrospheres

The interpretation of recent observations of bow shocks around O-stars and the creation of corresponding models require a detailed understanding of the associated (magneto-)hydrodynamic structures. We base our study on three-dimensional numerical magneto-)hydrodynamical models, which are analyzed using the dynamically relevant parameters, in particular, the (magneto)sonic Mach numbers. The analytic Rankine-Hugoniot relation for HD and MHD are compared with those obtained by the numerical model. In that context we also show that the only distance which can be approximately determined is that of the termination shock, if it is a hydrodynamical shock. For MHD shocks the stagnation point does not, in general, lie on the inflow line, which is the line parallel to the inflow vector and passing through the star. Thus an estimate via the Bernoulli equation as in the HD case is, in general, not possible. We also show that in O-star astrospheres, distinct regions exist in which the fast, slow, Alfvénic, and sonic Mach numbers become lower than one, implying sub-slow magnetosonic as well as sub-fast and sub-sonic flows. Nevertheless, the analytic MHD Rankine Hugoniot relations can be used for further studies of turbulence and cosmic ray modulation.