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In this poster we present the first results of a numerical gasdynamic study of the bipolar nebula surrounding eta Carinae. In an attempt to constrain parameters which determine the evolution of the nebula we have used the generalized interacting stellar winds (GISW) scenario where a fast, isotropic stellar wind expands into an aspherical slow wind. While it is expected that the nebula was formed from a combination of winds and an impulsive event in the mid 1800s, the use of the GISW scenario allows us to study the gasdynamical properties of models with similar integrated energy inputs. In addition, the GISW scenraio is a paradigm that is well understood and has proven successful in the modeling of bipolar planetary nebulae (Frank \& Mellema 1994).
Using a high order accurate numerical method for solving the non-radiative Euler equations we have calculated the evolution of models covering several grids of initial conditions. These initial conditions map a parameter space which includes the mass loss rates and velocities for both winds as well as the shape and density contrast of the slow wind. Our purpose in performing these calculations is to determine which regions of initial parameter space lead to models which recover the observable morphology, age, and kinematics of the eta Carinae bipolar nebula
This work was supported in part by NSF, NASA and the University of Minnesota Supercomputer Institute.
