HR: 10:35h
AN: SH12B-02 INVITED    [Abstracts]
TI: Imaging the Heliosphere With ENA's From a Non-thermal Heliosheath
AU: * Heerikhuisen, J
EM: jacobh@ucr.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AU: Pogorelov, N V
EM: nikolai.pogorelov@ucr.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AU: Florinski, V
EM: vflorins@ucr.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AU: Zank, G P
EM: zank@ucr.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AU: le Roux, J
EM: jakobus@ucr.edu
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AB: With the launch of NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) in less than a year, energetic neutral atoms (ENA's) are destined to become one of the leading tools in understanding the global structure of the heliosheath. Although little is known about the nature of the heliosheath, it seems likely that the plasma is not in thermal equilibrium. Instead, it is probably better described by a kappa distribution, with a relatively cool core and a power law tail. I will present simulated ENA flux maps from a coupled MHD-plasma/kinetic-neutral code, in which we have approximated the heliosheath plasma as having a kappa distribution. I will show some key features of the simulated heliosheath which are reflected in the ENA maps, and describe how IBEX can be used to infer such features in the real heliosheath. A brief overview of future challenges in heliospheric modeling and ENA imaging will also be given.
DE: 2114 Energetic particles (7514)
DE: 2124 Heliopause and solar wind termination
DE: 2126 Heliosphere/interstellar medium interactions
DE: 2151 Neutral particles (7837)
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting