Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
May 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003ap%26ss.284.1035f&link_type=abstract
Astrophysics and Space Science, v. 284, Issue 3, p. 1035-1054 (2003).
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
2
Scientific paper
Previous models of the interaction of the solar and interstellar hydrodynamic flows have clearly recognized the need to correctly describe the charge-exchange induced coupling of these flows. Neutral atoms and protons are coupled by mass-, momentum-, and energy- exchange terms due to charge exchange collisions between ionized and neutral particle species. However, treating as implified case of this problem, namely the penetration of an H-atom flow through the plasma wall ahead of the heliopause, we demonstrate that the exchange terms previously used in hydrodynamic treatments lead to a singularity with an O-type critical point at the sonic point of the H-atom flow. At this point a continuous integration of the hydrodynamic set of differential equations is impeded. We show that the remedy of this problem is given by a more accurate formulation of the momentum exchange term for the regime of quasi- and sub-sonic H-atom flows. Using a momentum exchange term derived from basic kinetic Boltzmann principles we now obtain a characteristic equation with an X-type critical point which allows to present a continuous solution from supersonic to subsonic flow conditions. Under these new auspices the already often treated problem of the penetration of interstellar H-atoms into the inner heliosphere has urgently to be revisited, since H-atoms are more effectively decelerated at their penetration into the inner heliosphere and are more strongly deflected to the flanks of the heliopause.
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