Detonative Propagation and Accelerative Expansion of the Crab Nebula Shock Front

Abstract

The accelerative expansion of the Crab nebula's outer envelope is a mystery in dynamics as a conventional expanding blast wave decelerates when bumping into the surrounding interstellar medium. Here we show that the strong relativistic pulsar wind bumping into its surrounding nebula induces energy-generating processes and initiates a detonation wave that propagates outward to form the current outer edge, namely the shock front, of the nebula. The resulting detonation wave, with a reactive downstream, then provides the needed power to maintain propagation of the shock front. Furthermore, relaxation of the curvature-induced reduction of the propagation velocity from the initial state of formation to the asymptotic, planar state of Chapman-Jouguet propagation explains the observed accelerative expansion. The essential role of detonative propagation in the structure and dynamics of the Crab nebula offers potential richness in incorporating reactive fronts in the description of various astronomical phenomena.