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Accretion Shock

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Definition

Generally, an accretion shock is a shock wave occurring at the surface of a compact object or dense region that is accreting matter supersonically from its environment. In the context of astrobiology, an accretion shock is normally understood to mean the shock wave present at the surface of the protosolar nebula or the corresponding nebula surrounding a protostar, as it accretes interstellar matter from the surrounding molecular cloud.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Solar System Exploration Division, Code 691, Astrochemistry Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 699, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Steven B. Charnley

Authors
  1. Steven B. Charnley
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Correspondence to Steven B. Charnley .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Charnley, S.B. (2014). Accretion Shock. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_13-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_13-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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