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I am trying to get a basic understanding of the physics of the interstellar medium and the current models which describe it (FGH and McKee-Ostriker).
A first question arises regarding the possible assumption of a gas in ionization equilibrium, in which ionizarion and recombination occur at same rates. Does such an assumption imply that a radiation field cannot be a main source of heating of the gas (since the thermal electrons due to ionization will be trapped again)? I wonder that in the FGH model the main sources of heating are cosmic rays and free electrons from dust and metals.
A first question arises regarding the possible assumption of a gas in ionization equilibrium, in which ionizarion and recombination occur at same rates. Does such an assumption imply that a radiation field cannot be a main source of heating of the gas (since the thermal electrons due to ionization will be trapped again)? I wonder that in the FGH model the main sources of heating are cosmic rays and free electrons from dust and metals.