Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Superbubbles, T. R. Gull, F. C. Bruhweiler, Menas Kafatos, S. Sofia

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Individual massive stars with Mbol < -6 have huge stellar winds that create interstellar bubbles. Stars with masses greater than 8Mo (4Mo?) are considered supernova progenitors. These massive stars are numerous in OB associations where few supernova remnants are detected. Model calculations describing the evolution of an association show: i) that large, hot cavities are formed by pushing the ambient gas into neutral shells; 2) that the shell radii change with galactocentric radius, 3) that only thirty percent of the interstellar medium is in the form of supercavities and 4) that a consequence is that only a small fraction of supernovae form supernova remnants. These results have strong bearing on interpretation of interstellar studies being done by IUE and by HEAO-B.