Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsh31b..02m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SH31B-02
Physics
[2126] Interplanetary Physics / Heliosphere/Interstellar Medium Interactions, [2144] Interplanetary Physics / Interstellar Gas, [2151] Interplanetary Physics / Neutral Particles
Scientific paper
Due to the motion of the Sun relative to its neighborhood, the neutral gas of the local in-terstellar medium (LISM) flows through the inner heliosphere where it is subject to ioni-zation, the Sun’s gravity, and radiation pressure. Observing the resulting spatial distribu-tion and flow pattern of several interstellar gas species with UV backscatter, pickup ion, and neutral atom imaging techniques allows us to unravel the physical conditions of the LISM and its interaction with the heliosphere. Imaging of the neutral gas flow directly with energetic neutral atom (ENA) cameras yields the most accurate account of the ki-netic parameters of the interstellar gas, but so far this has been carried out only for He using Ulysses GAS. IBEX, which was launched in October 2008, provides the capability for simultaneous flow observations of several interstellar species with its triple-time-of-flight IBEX-Lo sensor. Because H and O are strongly affected by the heliospheric inter-face while He is not, a direct comparison between these species enables an independent assessment of the slowdown and heating processes in the outer heliosheath. Likewise, IBEX observations will constrain models of the heliospheric interaction and provide a test of the heliospheric asymmetry - recently inferred from Voyager and SOHO SWAN observations - that is seen as an indicator for the interstellar magnetic field direction. During the first half year of its mission IBEX has observed the interstellar He, O, and H flow. We will present an overview and preliminary analysis of these first interstellar mul-tispecies scans of the interstellar gas flow in spring and fall 2009.
Bochsler Peter A.
Bzowski Maciej
Crew Geoff B.
Funsten Herbert O.
Fuselier Stephen A.
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