Kinetic vs. multi-fluid approach for interstellar neutrals in the heliosphere: exploration of the interstellar magnetic field effects

Abstract

We present a new 3d self-consistent two-component (plasma and neutral hydrogen) model of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM). This model (K-MHD) combines the MHD treatment of the solar wind and the ionized LISM component, with a kinetic model of neutral interstellar hydrogen (LISH). The local interstellar magnetic field (BLISM) intensity and orientation are chosen based on an early analysis of the heliosheath flows (Opher et al. 2009). The properties of the plasma and neutrals obtained using the (K-MHD) model are compared to previous multi-fluid (Opher et al. 2009) and kinetic models (Izmodenov et al. 2005). The new treatment of LISH revealed important changes in the heliospheric properties not captures by the multi-fluid model. These include a decrease in the heliocentric distance to the termination shock (TS), a thinner heliosheath and a reduced deflection angle (θ) of the heliosheath flows. The asymmetry of the termination shock, however, seems to be unchanged by the kinetic aspect of the LISH.

submitted to Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (2)

• Probing Heliospheric Asymmetries with an MHD-kinetic Model
• Survival probability and energy modification of hydrogen Energetic Neutral Atoms on their way from the termination shock to Earth orbit

Cited by in corpus (13)

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• The existence and nature of the interstellar bow shock
• Shock structures of astrospheres
• Uncovering the magnetic environment of our solar system
• Galactic Cosmic Rays measured by UVS on Voyager 1 and the end of the modulation: Is the upwind heliopause a collapsed charge-exchange layer?
• The global structure of astrospheres: effect of Knudsen number
• Propagation into the heliosheath of a large-scale solar wind disturbance bounded by a pair of shocks
• Influence of fast interstellar gas flow on dynamics of dust grains
• On the stability of dust orbits in mean motion resonances with considered perturbation from an interstellar wind
• Orbital evolution under the action of fast interstellar gas flow with non-constant drag coefficient
• Dust particles in mean motion resonances influenced by an interstellar gas flow