Nested shells reveal the rejuvenation of the Orion-Eridanus superbubble

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the Orion-Eridanus superbubble, revealing its complex nested shell structure, ongoing mass-loading processes, and implications for star formation and dust processing over tens of millions of years.

Contribution

It introduces a new, detailed model of the superbubble as a series of nested shells, based on combined observational data, highlighting ongoing rejuvenation and star formation processes.

Findings

Barnard's Loop is a complete bubble structure.

The superbubble contains nested shells expanding within each other.

Mass-loading and star formation are episodic, rejuvenating the superbubble.

Abstract

The Orion-Eridanus superbubble is the prototypical superbubble due to its proximity and evolutionary state. Here, we provide a synthesis of recent observational data from WISE and Planck with archival data, allowing to draw a new and more complete picture on the history and evolution of the Orion-Eridanus region. We discuss the general morphological structures and observational characteristics of the superbubble, and derive quantitative properties of the gas- and dust inside Barnard's Loop. We reveal that Barnard's Loop is a complete bubble structure which, together with the lambda Ori region and other smaller-scale bubbles, expands within the Orion-Eridanus superbubble. We argue that the Orion-Eridanus superbubble is larger and more complex than previously thought, and that it can be viewed as a series of nested shells, superimposed along the line of sight. During the lifetime of the superbubble, HII region champagne flows and thermal evaporation of embedded clouds continuously mass-load the superbubble interior, while winds or supernovae from the Orion OB association rejuvenate the superbubble by sweeping up the material from the interior cavities in an episodic fashion, possibly triggering the formation of new stars that form shells of their own. The steady supply of material into the superbubble cavity implies that dust processing from interior supernova remnants is more efficient than previously thought. The cycle of mass-loading, interior cleansing, and star formation repeats until the molecular reservoir is depleted or the clouds have been disrupted. While the nested shells come and go, the superbubble remains for tens of millions of years.