HR: 1340h
AN: SH14A-1691    [Abstracts]
TI: Heliospheric current sheet in the distant solar wind plasma
AU: * Borovikov, S
EM: sergeyb@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: nikolaip@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: Kryukov, I A
EM: ikryukov@gmail.com
AF: Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92521, United States
AB: Since Voyager 1 plasma instrument is not operational, understanding the data obtained by its magnetometer is of great importance for heliospheric community. One of the main difficulties one encounters when modeling the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the solar wind (SW) is the necessity of a very fine resolution of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). The angle between the Sun's rotation and magnetic-dipole axes is never zero, varying from about 8-9 degrees during solar minima to 90 degrees at solar maxima. As a result of Sun's rotation, the distance between two consecutive crossings of the ecliptic plane by the HCS becomes as small as about 3 AU in the supersonic SW and necessarily smaller in the inner heliosheath. As shown by Pogorelov (2006), charge exchange of the SW plasma with the interstellar medium neutrals can affect the HCS behavior qualitatively. This study is an attempt to investigate the HCS evolution in the SW from its origin at the inner boundary of the computational region out into the heliosheath. Comparison is made of the ideal MHD and MHD-neutral solutions.
DE: 2124 Heliopause and solar wind termination
DE: 2126 Heliosphere/interstellar medium interactions
DE: 2134 Interplanetary magnetic fields
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting