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On the equilibrium of heated self-gravitating masses - Cooling by conductionAn investigation is given of the equilibrium states available to a self-gravitating mass of gas, cooling by conduction, and being heated at a rate proportional to the local gas density. The plane geometry situation is shown to be reducible to quadratures for the pressure, density, temperature, and gravitational potential. For a constant thermal conductivity it is shown that the gas density has either a central maximum or a central minimum, depending on the ratio of the thermal conductivity to a parameter taken to be a measure of the rate of heating. For a thermal conductivity which is a positive power of the temperature, it is shown that the gas density always has a central minimum and a maximum at the outer boundary of the configuration. For cylindrical and spherical geometrical configurations the same general properties are obtained. The physical origin of this behavior is discussed, and it is suggested that these exploratory calculations provide an effect which may not only aid in understanding thin filamentary structure observed in supernova remnants, but also help to assuage the difficulties of producing maser activity in the interior regions of 'cocoon' protostars.
Document ID
19810040249
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Lerche, I.
(Chicago, University Chicago, Ill., United States)
Low, B. C.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Space Sciences Laboratory, Huntsville, Ala., United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
December 15, 1980
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal
Subject Category
Astrophysics
Accession Number
81A24653
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGL-14-001-001
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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