3D hydrodynamic numerical models for nebulae around runaway Wolf-Rayet stars

Abstract

We present 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the circumstellar bubble from a Wolf-Rayet runaway star. In the models two properties were taken into account: (a) the proper motion of the central star through the interstellar medium (ISM) and (b) the evolution of the stellar wind from the red supergiant (RSG) stage to the Wolf-Rayet (WR) stage. From the hydrodynamic results synthetic X-ray maps in the [0.3 − 1.2] keV energy range were computed. These maps show that the bubble morphology is affected by the stellar motion, producing a bow shock in the RSG stage that can explain the limb-brightened morphology observed. Additionally, these synthetic maps show filamentary and clumpy appearance produced by instabilities triggered from the interaction between the WR wind and the RSG shell. It was found that these types of collisions can explain the origin of the X-ray emission observed in the nebulae of Wolf- Rayet stars.