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Oblique and rippled heliosphere structures from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer.
Eric J Zirnstein1, Bishwas L Shrestha1, David J McComas1
1Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA.
Nature Astronomy
|December 19, 2022
Summary
A 2014 solar event revealed dynamic heliosphere boundaries. Researchers mapped the heliospheric termination shock (HTS) and heliopause (HP) with unprecedented detail, showing rippled and asymmetric structures.
Area of Science:
- Heliophysics and Space Plasma Physics
- Solar Wind and Interstellar Medium Interaction
Background:
- Previous heliosphere structure analysis relied on averaged data, obscuring dynamic features.
- Energetic neutral atom (ENA) emissions correlate with solar wind pressure, offering insights into heliosphere boundaries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To utilize a significant solar wind pressure enhancement event in 2014 for high-resolution mapping of heliosphere boundaries.
- To simultaneously derive the three-dimensional distances of the heliospheric termination shock (HTS) and heliopause (HP).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux data from 2014.
- Correlation of ENA flux variations with the observed solar wind dynamic pressure increase.
- High-resolution derivation of HTS and HP distances based on ENA measurements.
Main Results:
- Revealed dynamic, rippled, and asymmetric HTS and HP surfaces, deviating from steady-state models.
- Estimated approximately 10 astronomical unit (AU)-sized spatial variations in heliosphere boundary distances.
- Observed a southwards-directed obliquity of the heliosphere surfaces in the meridional plane.
Conclusions:
- The 2014 pressure enhancement provided a unique opportunity to study dynamic heliosphere boundary structures.
- Significant hemispheric differences and temporal variations in heliosphere boundaries were identified, corroborated by Voyager data.
- Heliosphere boundaries exhibit complex, non-steady-state dynamics influenced by solar wind pressure changes.
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