Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
P. Swaczyna, F. Rahmanifard, E. J. Zirnstein, J. Heerikhuisen
Summary: It has been found that elastic collisions, in addition to charge exchange collisions, contribute to the filtration of interstellar neutral helium atoms outside the heliopause. A global three-dimensional heliosphere model is used to calculate the transport of these atoms, and it is confirmed that momentum exchange modifies the velocity and temperature of the primary and secondary populations. The study emphasizes the importance of accounting for these processes in future observations of the heliosphere and interstellar neutral atoms.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Aerospace
Ralph L. McNutt, Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber, Mike Gruntman, Stamatios M. Krimigis, Edmond C. Roelof, Pontus C. Brandt, Steven R. Vernon, Michael Paul, Robert W. Stough, James D. Kinnison
Summary: The idea of an Outer solar system probe, originated from a report in 1960, has evolved into the concept of Interstellar Probe. The goal is to make new discoveries in unexplored areas, with a focus on combining compelling science with engineering and technical reality. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has been tasked with studying the mission and delivering a Technical Report in late 2021. The engineering requirements include readiness to launch by January 1, 2030, transmitting scientific data from 1000 AU, using no more than 600W (electric) at the beginning of the mission, and having a lifetime of at least 50 years.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
W. S. Kurth, L. F. Burlaga, T. Kim, N. V. Pogorelov, L. J. Granroth
Summary: The Voyager spacecraft have been in the local interstellar medium for several years. They carry a plasma wave instrument that can detect electron density through plasma waves. Recent observations show increases in density at shocks and pressure fronts, accompanied by increases in the magnetic field. Voyager 1 has not observed electron plasma oscillations since 2019, while Voyager 2 continues to observe them.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ding Sheng, Kaijun Liu, V Florinski, J. D. Perez
Summary: Hybrid simulations in 2D space and 3D velocity dimensions with continuous injection of pickup ions (PUIs) provide insights into plasma processes responsible for the pitch angle scattering of PUIs, demonstrating the dependence on PUIs energy, background magnetic field strength, and injection rate. The gradual injection of PUIs leads to the development of mirror mode waves and ion cyclotron waves, resulting in PUIs approaching an isotropic distribution over a time period of approximately months, a shorter time frame compared to the conventional mechanism.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. S. Rankin, D. J. McComas, E. J. Zirnstein, L. F. Burlaga, J. Heerikhuisen
Summary: The magnetic field observations of the Voyager missions and the IBEX mission have provided insights into the structure of the interstellar magnetic field and raised questions about its global behavior. The discrepancies between the measurements and predictions indicate a need for further investigation.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. J. Zirnstein, T. K. Kim, M. A. Dayeh, J. S. Rankin, D. J. McComas, P. Swaczyna
Summary: This study utilizes a dynamic 3D magnetohydrodynamic model to explain the heating process of ions and ENAs in the heliosphere. The study shows that the ENA fluxes at different energy levels are influenced by solar activity and solar wind dynamic pressure, and low-energy ENAs are more affected by solar wind transients.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
J. Krelowski, G. A. Galazutdinov, P. Gnacinski, W. Szajna, R. Hakalla, R. Siebenmorgen
Summary: The paper discusses the profile broadening and peak wavelength variation of diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) measured for 46 lines of sight, potentially caused by the physical properties of intervening clouds. The width of certain DIBs showed strong variability, with some doubling in width at times. Additionally, DIBs were found to be broader in clouds with abundantly populated vibrationally excited states of hydrogen molecules, correlating with the rotational temperature estimated on the H-2 nu = 2 vibrational level.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
K. Dialynas, V. J. Sterken, P. C. Brandt, L. Burlaga, D. B. Berdichevsky, R. B. Decker, S. Della Torre, R. DeMajistre, A. Galli, M. Gkioulidou, M. E. Hill, S. M. Krimigis, M. Kornbleuth, W. Kurth, B. Lavraud, R. McNutt, D. G. Mitchell, P. S. Mostafavi, R. Nikoukar, M. Opher, E. Provornikova, E. C. Roelof, P. G. Rancoita, J. D. Richardson, E. Roussos, J. M. Sokol, G. La Vacca, J. Westlake, T. Y. Chen
Summary: The recently published Interstellar Probe (ISP) study report describes a pragmatic mission concept with a launch window that starts in 2036 and is expected to reach several hundreds of astronomical units past the heliopause within a time frame of =50 years. This paper aims to highlight the importance of studying the physics of the interactions between the solar wind and the very local interstellar medium, focusing on three fundamental open science questions about the dynamical nature of the heliosphere. The authors argue that these questions can be addressed by a combination of in-situ measurements and remotely sensed Energetic Neutral Atoms from a future Interstellar Probe mission.
FRONTIERS IN ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
R. Ringuette, D. Koutroumpa, K. D. Kuntz, P. Kaaret, K. Jahoda, D. LaRocca, M. Kounkel, J. Richardson, A. Zajczyk, J. Bluem
Summary: X-ray emission from solar wind charge exchange contaminates astrophysical observations, but can be isolated by observing the He cone. HaloSat, a CubeSat mission, completed specialized observations near and far from the ecliptic plane to test an SWCX emission model. The model predictions were consistent with observations near the ecliptic plane, but underpredicted at high ecliptic latitude near the south ecliptic pole, with additional high-temperature Galactic halo emission components reported.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
R. K. Bera, F. Fraternale, N. V. Pogorelov, V. Roytershteyn, M. Gedalin, D. J. Mccomas, G. P. Zank
Summary: The role of pickup ions (PUIs) in the solar wind's interaction with the local interstellar medium is investigated. The study utilizes 3D, multifluid simulations to describe the flow of charged particles and the behavior of neutrals. By treating PUIs as a separate fluid and deriving boundary conditions from kinetic simulations of collisionless shocks, the results are found to be more consistent with observational data. These findings have implications for the pressure and cooling of the inner heliosheath plasma, as well as the density and temperature of secondary neutral atoms. Simulation results are validated with New Horizons data.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. T. Michael, M. Opher, G. Toth, V Tenishev, D. Borovikov
Summary: This study presents a new numerical code called SHIELD, which is based on a self-consistent, kinetic-MHD model. The code accurately predicts the filtration of neutral hydrogen into the heliosphere and shows improvement compared to other models.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
S. Zamora, Angeles Diaz, Elena Terlevich, Vital Fernandez
Summary: This article presents a method to calculate extinction corrections based on weaker lines of He I and applies it to the study of the 30 Doradus nebula. The comparison between helium and hydrogen determinations of c(H beta) yields compatible results within the errors, and using both sets of lines simultaneously significantly reduces the error in the derivation.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Matteo Ricci, Pier Luigi Silvestrelli, John F. Dobson, Alberto Ambrosetti
Summary: This paper presents an exact theoretical framework for polarizability and asymptotic van der Waals correlation energy functionals of small isolated objects using a sum-rule approach. The functionals only require monomer ground-state properties as input and can be evaluated through a single position-space differential equation. Comparison to popular density functionals shows the best performance when density decay occurs at atomic scales.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jeffrey L. Linsky, Eberhard Moebius
Summary: The Voyager spacecraft, together with the IBEX and Hubble Space Telescope, provide the first in situ measurements of physical properties in the outer heliosphere. These measurements, along with physical models, help determine the pressures inside and outside the heliosphere and in the surrounding interstellar medium. The balance of total pressures in each region, including thermal, nonthermal, plasma, ram, and magnetic pressure components, is crucial in understanding the dynamics of the heliosphere and its interaction with the surrounding medium.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
O. A. Katushkina, I. I. Baliukin, V. V. Izmodenov, D. B. Alexashov
Summary: This paper explores the possible imprints of secondary interstellar hydrogen atoms created at the heliospheric boundary in full-sky maps of hydrogen fluxes at the Earth's orbit. Using a three-dimensional kinetic model, hydrogen flux maps are calculated for different phases of the solar cycle and energy ranges, revealing specific features during solar minimum conditions. The study shows that the geometry and shape of tails in these flux maps depend on the averaged velocity and kinetic temperatures of the secondary population far from the Sun. These results provide insight into detecting the secondary component of interstellar hydrogen separately from the primary component at 1 AU, which could be important for future space missions exploring the heliospheric boundary.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Olga Katushkina, Vladislav Izmodenov, Dimitra Koutroumpa, Eric Quemerais, Lan K. Jian
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A. Mishchenko, E. A. Godenko, V. V. Izmodenov
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2020)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vladislav V. Izmodenov, Dmitry B. Alexashov
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
(2020)
Correction
Astronomy & Astrophysics
O. A. Katushkina, V. V. Izmodenov
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2020)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
I. I. Baliukin, V. V. Izmodenov, D. B. Alexashov
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2020)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
O. A. Katushkina, A. Galli, V. V. Izmodenov, D. B. Alexashov
Summary: This paper analysed the interstellar hydrogen flux data measured by the IBEX spacecraft since 2009 and found the best-fit model parameters using a numerical kinetic model. The analysis of temporal variations in the flux ratio suggests that errors in the model predictions may be due to incorrect data processing or missing physical factors.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sergey Korolkov, Vladislav Izmodenov
Summary: The astropause is a tangential discontinuity separating the stellar wind from the interstellar plasma, with debates on its global shape. Results from numerical modeling show that it has a tube-like shape for small stellar wind flow speed Mach numbers, but the shape changes as the Mach number increases.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
O. A. Katushkina, I. I. Baliukin, V. V. Izmodenov, D. B. Alexashov
Summary: This paper explores the possible imprints of secondary interstellar hydrogen atoms created at the heliospheric boundary in full-sky maps of hydrogen fluxes at the Earth's orbit. Using a three-dimensional kinetic model, hydrogen flux maps are calculated for different phases of the solar cycle and energy ranges, revealing specific features during solar minimum conditions. The study shows that the geometry and shape of tails in these flux maps depend on the averaged velocity and kinetic temperatures of the secondary population far from the Sun. These results provide insight into detecting the secondary component of interstellar hydrogen separately from the primary component at 1 AU, which could be important for future space missions exploring the heliospheric boundary.
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Kornbleuth, M. Opher, I Baliukin, M. Gkioulidou, J. D. Richardson, G. P. Zank, A. T. Michael, G. Toth, V Tenishev, V Izmodenov, D. Alexashov, S. Fuselier, J. F. Drake, K. Dialynas
Summary: Global models of the heliosphere are essential for understanding heliospheric observations. The comparison between two MHD models, BU and Moscow, reveals the impact of different numerical treatments and physical assumptions on the heliospheric solution. Differences in plasma solutions between the two models may affect measurements of the heliosphere.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Kornbleuth, M. Opher, I Baliukin, M. A. Dayeh, E. Zirnstein, M. Gkioulidou, K. Dialynas, A. Galli, J. D. Richardson, V Izmodenov, G. P. Zank, S. Fuselier
Summary: The study compared two kinetic-MHD models of the heliosphere in terms of their manifestation in ENA maps and found that scaling of the modeled ENA maps is necessary to match observational data. This suggests a need for higher neutral density or acceleration of PUIs in the heliosheath in ENA models with the Maxwellian approximation of multiple ion species.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Opher, J. F. Drake, G. Zank, E. Powell, W. Shelley, M. Kornbleuth, V Florinski, V Izmodenov, J. Giacalone, S. Fuselier, K. Dialynas, A. Loeb, J. Richardson
Summary: The heliosphere is the bubble formed by the solar wind interacting with the interstellar medium, with recent simulations showing distinct north and south columns in the heliotail. Disagreements exist in models regarding the extent of these structures and the penetration of the ambient ISM. Magnetohydrodynamic simulations reveal that turbulence in the heliosphere is driven by the interaction of neutral hydrogen atoms with ionized matter, leading to instability in the heliospheric jets and potential implications for particle acceleration.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
G. P. Zank, V Sterken, J. Giacalone, E. Mobius, R. von Steiger, E. S. Stone, S. M. Krimigis, J. D. Richardson, J. Linsky, V Izmodenov, B. Heber
Summary: This article presents a brief history of the conceptual and observation evolution of our understanding of the interaction of the heliosphere with the local interstellar medium, up until approximately 1996.
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
M. Kornbleuth, M. Opher, K. Dialynas, G. P. Zank, B. B. Wang, I. Baliukin, M. Gkioulidou, J. Giacalone, V. Izmodenov, J. M. Sokol, M. A. Dayeh
Summary: The shape of the heliosphere is currently debated, and energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) are the best method for studying its global structure. Existing global ENA observations are limited to Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) and Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) data. This study compares modeled global ENA results with IBEX-Hi and INCA observations, finding similar results for different heliotail configurations. It concludes that current ENA observations are insufficient for probing the shape and length of the heliotail, but predicts that the future IMAP-Ultra mission will be able to identify the heliotail shape at 80 keV.
ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
E. A. Godenko, V. V. Izmodenov
Summary: Interstellar dust penetrates into the heliosphere due to relative motion of the Sun and the local interstellar medium. Distribution of interstellar dust is modified by electromagnetic forces, solar gravitation, and radiation pressure, leading to inhomogeneous distribution within the heliosphere. Singularities have been discovered in the density distribution of interstellar dust, with dispersion in velocity distribution affecting the singularities significantly.
ASTRONOMY LETTERS-A JOURNAL OF ASTRONOMY AND SPACE ASTROPHYSICS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
A. A. Petrukovich, H. Malova, V. Yu Popov, E. Maiewski, V. V. Izmodenov, O. A. Katushkina, A. A. Vinogradov, M. O. Riazantseva, L. S. Rakhmanova, T. Podladchikova, G. N. Zastenker, Yu Yermolaev, I. G. Lodkina, L. S. Chesalin
