Interstellar bubbles. II - Structure and evolution

The detailed structure of the interaction of a strong stellar wind with the interstellar medium is presented. First, an adiabatic similarity solution is given which is applicable at early times. Second, a similarity solution is derived which includes the effects of thermal conduction between the hot (about 1 million K) interior and the cold shell of swept-up interstellar matter. This solution is then modified to include the effects of radiative energy losses. The evolution of an interstellar bubble is calculated, including the radiative losses. The quantitative results for the outer-shell radius and velocity and the column density of highly ionized species such as O VI are within a factor 2 of the approximate results of Castor, McCray, and Weaver (1975). The effect of stellar motion on the structure of a bubble, the hydrodynamic stability of the outer shell, and the observable properties of the hot region and the outer shell are discussed.