INTAS Joint Research Project
 

Physics of the heliosheath plasma flow and
structure of the termination shock

in cooperation between:

Moscow State University (MSU), Russia;
Institute for Problems in Mechanics (IPM), Russian Academy of Science, Russia;
Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy (IKFIA), Yakutsk, Russia;
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, Switzerland;
Service d'Aeronomie (SA), CNRS, FRANCE;
Max-Planck-Institute for Aeronomy (MPIA), Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany;
Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPIE), Garching, Germany;
 

WORK PROGRAMME:

OBJECTIVES

The interest in the structure of the termination shock and heliosheath plasma properties is growing dramatically due to the expectations that Voayger 2 will intersect the termination shock within 3 years. The increase of interest is also connected with future ENA experiments on the Interstellar Pathfinder spacecraft and with new methods of remote diagnostics of the heliosheath plasma properties through analyses of absorption Lyman-alpha lines toward nearby stars. A careful analyses of the heliospheric absorption will also provide important constraints on interstellar absorptions, and, therefore, on the interstellar D/H ratio, which has a significant cosmological importance.

The primary goals of the project are:

• to explore and establish observational constraints on the plasma flow at the solar wind termination shock and in the heliosheath;
• to study in detail the transport and interaction mechanisms of the distant heliospheric plasma components - solar wind protons and electrons, pickup ions, and anomalous cosmic rays -, which determine the location, the structure, and the shape of the solar wind termination shock;
• to calculate expected fluxes of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) in a wide energy range (0.2 keV - keV) for different models of the termination shock and heliosheath plasma flow;
• to verify model predictions by currently available observations such as remote diagnostics of the heliosheath plasma and gas properties by the SWICS instruments on board Ulysses and ACE, the CELIAS and SWAN instruments on board SOHO, the GHRS and STIS instruments of the HST, and anomalous cosmic ray (ACR) and plasma instruments on board the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. These data will provide all possible information on the properties of the distant solar wind.

Teams

CO: International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, Switzerland

PD Dr. Reinald Kallenbach, kallenbach@issi.unibe.ch
Prof. Johannes Geiss, geiss@issi.unibe.ch
Prof. Rudolf von Steiger, vonsteiger@issi.unibe.ch

CR1: Service d'Aeronomie (SA), CNRS, Verrières-le-Buisson, France

Prof. Rosine Lallement, Rosine.Lallement@aerov.jussieu.fr
Dr. Eric Quémerais, Eric.Quemerais@aerov.jussieu.fr

CR2: Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie (MPIA), Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

Dr. Martin Hilchenbach, hilchenbach@linax1.mpae.gwdg.de
Dr. Helmut Rosenbauer, rosenbauer@linmpi.mpg.de

CR3: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPIE), Garching, Germany

Dr. Heinz Wiechen, wiechen@ipp.mpg.de
Prof. Manfred Scholer, mbs@mpe.mpg.de
Prof. Rudolf Treumann, tre@mpe.mpg.de

CR4: Moscow State University (MSU), Moscow, Russia

Dr. Vladislav Izmodenov, izmod@ipmnet.ru
Prof. Vladimir B. Baranov, baranov@ipmnet.ru
Ph.D. student Pavel Nemtsov, nemtsov@ipmnet.ru

CR5: Institute of Cosmophysical Research and Aeronomy (IKFIA), Yakutsk, Russia

Prof. Evgeny G. Berezhko, Berezhko@sci.yakutia.ru
Dr. Leonid Ksenofontov, ksenofon@ikfia.ysn.ru

CR6: Institute for Problems in Mechanics (IPM), Moscow, Russia

Dr. Sergey V. Chalov, chalov@ipmnet.ru
Dr. Dmitry Alexashov, alexash@ipmnet.ru
Dr. Yury Malama, malama@ipmnet.ru
Dr. Artyom Myasnikov, myas@ipmnet.ru

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