Three dimensional test particle simulation of interstellar oxygen interacting with the heliosphere and analyses for the IBEX mission
Abstract
Our solar system locates in a cocoon created by the interaction of the solar wind (SW) with the local interstellar medium (LISM). This structure filters the charged LISM particles out from our neighbourhood, yet the neutral LISM particles are able to penetrate the boundaries. The Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) spacecraft directly detects these neutral particles travelling from deep space. IBEX also captures neutrals which have been diffracted through several charge-exchange events due to the collision with a particle in the opposite ionization state. Understanding these measurements requires a theoretical model of the heliosphere interface which includes computational techniques. With several assumptions and simplifications, we develop a framework of the combination of time-forward simulation and time-backward analysis to compare the simulation result with the IBEX oxygen observations. In this thesis, I will describe our approach to this LISM oxygen interaction problem with new results and a comparison with previous studies.
- Publication:
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Masters Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012MsT.........23K
- Keywords:
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- Physics, Astrophysics;Physics, Fluid and Plasma