The isothermal evolution of a shock-filament interaction

TL;DR

This study uses 3D hydrodynamic simulations to explore how shock interactions with filaments behave under nearly isothermal conditions, revealing the importance of filament orientation, density contrast, and Mach number on their evolution and longevity.

Contribution

It provides new insights into shock-filament interactions in an isothermal regime, highlighting the effects of orientation and other parameters on filament morphology and dynamics.

Findings

Sideways-oriented filaments with density contrast 100 form three-rolled structures.

Filament orientation significantly affects wake length and turbulence.

Filaments at 85° orientation do not fragment and are longer-lived.

Abstract

Studies of filamentary structures that are prevalent throughout the interstellar medium are of great significance to a number of astrophysical fields. Here, we present 3D hydrodynamic simulations of shock-filament interactions where the equation of state has been softened to become almost isothermal. We investigate the effect of such an isothermal regime on the interaction (where both the shock and filament are isothermal), and we examine how the nature of the interaction changes when the orientation of the filament, the shock Mach number, and the filament density contrast are varied. We find that only sideways-oriented filaments with a density contrast of $10^2$ form a three-rolled structure, dissimilar to the results of a previous study. Moreover, the angle of orientation of the filament plays a large role in the evolution of the filament morphology: the greater the angle of orientation, the longer and less turbulent the wake. Turbulent stripping of filament material leading to fragmentation of the core occurs in most filaments; however, filaments orientated at an angle of $85^{\circ}$ to the shock front do not fragment and are longer-lived. In addition, values of the drag time are influenced by the filament length, with longer filaments being accelerated faster than shorter ones. Furthermore, filaments in an isothermal regime exhibit faster acceleration than those struck by an adiabatic shock. Finally, we find that the drag and mixing times of the filament increase as the angle of orientation of the filament is increased.