Abstract Evacuation of solar wind plasma into the local interstellar medium is studied for the case of a relatively small heliosphere of 50–60 AU radius. A model of a heliopsheric plasma tail in equilibrium with the external medium is calculated taking into account the effects of thermal, ram, magnetic and cosmic rays pressures in LISM. A long tail of the order of ∼ 300 AU may develop with plasma properties distinct from the surrounding LISM plasmas. The resulting enhanced ionization of neutral H atoms inside the tail creates an additional long, deep, tailward neutral cavity. This in turn may cause a 8–15% decrease ( depending on the assumed initial conditions and details of the optical depth ) of the expected intensity of the backscattered radiation in the wings of solar Lyman-α line as seen from ∼ 40 AU. It is suggested that this effect could be detected by the Pioneer-10 Lyman-α photometer.
Plasma tail of the heliosphere: possibility of optical detection in lyman-α backscattered radiation
Advances in Space Research ; 9 , 4 ; 243-246
1989-01-01
4 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
The Backscattered Lyman-Alpha Glow Emission as a Signature of the Termination Shock
Online Contents | 1993
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