Explosions in the early universe

The results of detailed calculations of the evolution of explosions in the early universe are presented which describe the evolution of an explosion of arbitrary strength at any epoch in a variety of possible cosmological models. The calculations were performed using a spherically symmetric hydrodynamic computer code which included effects due to electron conductivity, radiative cooling, gravity, ion viscosity, and the difference between the electron and ion temperatures. The evolution of the explosions is discussed in terms of the quantities most clearly related to observable effects on the intergalactic medium. In all cases most of the matter passed by the shock is eventually swept up into relatively dense shells. For certain epochs and ranges of energy, nonradial instabilities can occur of either the Rayleigh-Taylor or the Jeans type, leading to the formation of dense fragments.