Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system

Details Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsh33b2059s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SH33B-2059

Physics

Plasma Physics

[2126] Interplanetary Physics / Heliosphere/Interstellar Medium Interactions, [6213] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Dust, [7849] Space Plasma Physics / Plasma Interactions With Dust And Aerosols, [6025] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Interactions With Solar Wind Plasma And Fields

Scientific paper

The interstellar dust (ISD) size distribution has been modeled from astronomical observations by [1], and is referred to as the "MRN-distribution". However, when the interstellar grains from the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC) enter the solar system, several filtering effects take place for certain particle sizes due to Lorentz and radiation pressure forces. Some of this filtering takes place at the Heliospheric boundary (primary filtering) while some more filtering happens in the inner solar system (secondary filtering). Apart from astronomical observations, interstellar dust grains have also been measured in the solar system using dust detectors on spacecraft like Ulysses [2], Cassini [3] and Helios [4]. Still to date, missions like Cassini and New Horizons [5] keep on delivering data of dust impacts, including ISD. The fluctuations in interstellar dust flux throughout the solar cycle (the secondary filtering) were modeled by [6] and compared to the Ulysses data. A bulk of particles with radius 0.3 micron was found (assuming astronomical silicates). Smaller particles were less abundant than in the MRN-distribution, while larger particles were over-representative [7]. In this work, we reanalyze the size distribution of interstellar dust grains in the solar system using the results of extensive ISD dynamics modeling [8]. We start from the assumption of the MRN-distribution in the LIC, and apply the modeled heliospheric filtering on it for a variety of material properties and assumptions. We compare these "filtered MRN-distributions" to the existing data-set of Ulysses and discuss the results in the context of other mission results (e.g. Stardust, Galileo). The assumptions used are critically looked at (i.e. the filtering at the Heliopause, ISD size distribution in the LIC) and implications for material properties are discussed.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heliospheric filtering effects on the size distribution of interstellar grains in the solar system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-878977