Cool heliosheath plasma and deceleration of the upstream solar wind at the termination shock

Nature ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 454 (7200) ◽  
pp. 63-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Richardson ◽  
Justin C. Kasper ◽  
Chi Wang ◽  
John W. Belcher ◽  
Alan J. Lazarus
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Termination Shock ◽  
Upstream Solar Wind

scholarly journals On the electron temperature downstream of the solar wind termination shock

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1205-1212 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. V. Chashei ◽  
H. J. Fahr
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Termination Shock ◽  
Heating Process ◽  
Ionization Source ◽  
Limited Region ◽  
Plasma Species ◽  
Solar Wind Termination Shock ◽  
Upstream Solar Wind

Abstract. In this paper we study the temperatures of electrons convected with the solar wind to large solar distances and finally transported over the solar wind termination shock. Nearly nothing, unless at high energies in the cosmic ray regime, is known about the thermodynamical behaviour of these distant electrons from in~situ plasma observations. Hence it is tacitly assumed these electrons, due to their adiabatic behaviour and vanishing heat conduction or energization processes, have rapidly cooled off to very low temperatures once they eventually arrive at the solar wind termination shock (at about 100 AU). In this paper we show that such electrons, however, at their passage over the termination shock due to the shock–electric field action undergo an over-adiabatic heating and therefore appear on the downstream side as a substantially heated plasma species. Looking quantitatively into this heating process we find that solar wind electrons achieve temperatures of the order of 2–4 × 106 K downstream of the termination shock, depending on the upstream solar wind bulk velocity and the shock compression ratio. Hence these electrons therewith play an important dynamical role in structuring this shock and determining the downstream plasma flow properties. Furthermore, they present an additional ionization source for incoming neutral interstellar hydrogen and excite X-ray emission. They also behave similar to cosmic ray electrons and extend to some limited region upstream of the shock of the order of 0.1 AU by spatial diffusion and thereby also modify the upstream solar wind properties.

scholarly journals Effects of the solar wind termination shock and heliosheath on theheliospheric modulation of galactic and anomalous Helium

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 3063-3072 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. W. Langner ◽  
M. S. Potgieter
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Magnetic Polarity ◽  
Termination Shock ◽  
Shock Acceleration ◽  
Diffusive Shock Acceleration ◽  
Cosmic Ray Modulation ◽  
Low Energies ◽  
Solar Wind Termination Shock ◽  
Charge Sign

Abstract. The interest in the role of the solar wind termination shock and heliosheath in cosmic ray modulation studies has increased significantly as the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft approach the estimated position of the solar wind termination shock. The effect of the solar wind termination shock on charge-sign dependent modulation, as is experienced by galactic cosmic ray Helium (He++) and anomalous Helium (He+), is the main topic of this work, and is complementary to the previous work on protons, anti-protons, electrons, and positrons. The modulation of galactic and anomalous Helium is studied with a numerical model including a more fundamental and comprehensive set of diffusion coefficients, a solar wind termination shock with diffusive shock acceleration, a heliosheath and particle drifts. The model allows a comparison of modulation with and without a solar wind termination shock and is applicable to a number of cosmic ray species during both magnetic polarity cycles of the Sun. The modulation of Helium, including an anomalous component, is also done to establish charge-sign dependence at low energies. We found that the heliosheath is important for cosmic ray modulation and that its effect on modulation is very similar for protons and Helium. The local Helium interstellar spectrum may not be known at energies

scholarly journals Density holes in the upstream solar wind

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. K. Parks ◽  
E. Lee ◽  
N. Lin ◽  
F. Mozer ◽  
M. Wilber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Upstream Solar Wind
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