Radiative steady-state colliding stellar wind models: are they correct?

The properties of radiative steady‐state colliding stellar winds in binary systems are studied. It is shown that the presence of a singularity at the stagnation point has a major influence on the structure of these flows. This problem is of great importance if their stability properties are considered. None of the existing models treats this mathematical problem properly, and special efforts must be undertaken in the future in order to come to a firm conclusion about the physical nature of possible instabilities. At the moment, neither numerical nor analytical models can be considered to be of acceptable accuracy in the case of highly radiative steady‐state colliding stellar winds.