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C.R. Gwinn, K.A. Miller (UC Santa Barbara)
Idealized masers in a simulation of supersonic turbulence display some of the observed properties of astrophysical masers. Astrophysical masers often reside in shocked, turbulent regions where non-equilibrium processes provide pumping; in particular, the most powerful H2O masers are seen in the strong stellar winds from massive young stars. We simulated such an environment via 3D hydrodynamical merical simulations of shear flow, with relative Mach number of 2, using a 3D version of e ZEUS code. The shear quickly generates supersonic turbulence via the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. We identify velocity-coherent lines of sight in the turbulent region, and estimate the intensity for saturated or unsaturated maser amplification. Here we disregard details of the pumping mechanism, and assume that all velocity-coherent lines of sight in the turbulent region mase. We then calculate the simulated masers' two-point correlation function and velocity correlation function. These correlation functions, as well as the maps of the masers and proper motions of maser features, resemble those of observed H2O masers in stellar outflows.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.