Numerical simulations of axisymmetric adiabatic flow past a gravitating solid sphere

Takuya Matsuda, Nobuhiro Sekino, Eiji Shima, Keisuke Sawada

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1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Numerical simulations of the uniform axisymmetric flow past a gravitating solid sphere are performed using Eulerian equations. Only the cases of adiabatic flow with an adiabatic index equal to 5/3 and the Mach number of the uniform gas equal to 1.4 are considered. It is found that the flow is very unsteady if the central body does not absorb gas. An atmosphere is formed about the body from an incident gas, and vortex rings develop in the atmosphere because of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the atmospheric surface. The detached distance of a bow shock oscillates heavily. It is found that the amplitude and the period of the oscillation depend on the numerical resolution. The finest grid seems to give a converged solution, though. It is pointed out that one must be careful in drawing quantitative figures from this type of simulation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)817-828
Number of pages12
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume236
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1989 Feb
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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