TY - JOUR
T1 - Interstellar shock waves
AU - McKee, Christopher F.
AU - Draine, Bruce T.
PY - 1991
Y1 - 1991
N2 - An understanding of interstellar shock waves is crucial in determining the structure of the interstellar medium. By causing the gas to radiate, interstellar shocks provide astronomers with valuable diagnostics on both the physical conditions in the interstellar medium and the energy source that produced the shock. The complexity of the interstellar plasma - its degree of ionization, its molecular content, the presence of small dust grains and cosmic rays, and the magnetic field - leads to a rich variety of structures for interstellar shocks, which are being actively investigated both observationally and theoretically.
AB - An understanding of interstellar shock waves is crucial in determining the structure of the interstellar medium. By causing the gas to radiate, interstellar shocks provide astronomers with valuable diagnostics on both the physical conditions in the interstellar medium and the energy source that produced the shock. The complexity of the interstellar plasma - its degree of ionization, its molecular content, the presence of small dust grains and cosmic rays, and the magnetic field - leads to a rich variety of structures for interstellar shocks, which are being actively investigated both observationally and theoretically.
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U2 - 10.1126/science.252.5004.397
DO - 10.1126/science.252.5004.397
M3 - Article
C2 - 17740938
AN - SCOPUS:0004003467
SN - 0036-8075
VL - 252
SP - 397
EP - 403
JO - Science
JF - Science
IS - 5004
ER -