Accretion Shock - Angular Momentum



The velocity field in Model 14A at 0.751 s showing early disk formation as centrifugal forces begin to halt accretion near the equator and a toroidal accretion shock forms at about 550 km. Meanwhile accretion along the polar axis proceeds relatively uninhibited. The largest infall velocities just outside the accretion shock in the equator are about 25,000 km/s and at the pole 55,000 km/s. Material impacting the disk at high latitude is channeled into the accretion column. Some circulation in the disk is apparent. Because velocity arrows in this and subsequent figures have their tails in the zone they represent, the spherical inner boundary at 50 km is obscured.

Above picture: Gzipped Postscript



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Andrew MacFadyen- andrew@ucolick.org - October 20, 1998

Kerr Hall 237B - (831)459-2774
Lick Observatory and Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
UC Santa Cruz, CA 95064, U.S.A.