The termination of the solar wind |
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Authors: | Thomas R. McDonough Neil M. Brice |
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Affiliation: | Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA |
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Abstract: | It has previously been suggested that the solar wind might terminate at distances of 5 AU to 20 AU from the Sun, and that the solar wind might be drastically slowed down by charge exchange and photoionization of interstellar hydrogen atoms which approach the Sun. However, recent satellite measurements of resonantly scattered Lyman alpha radiation, together with pulsar dispersion and Faraday rotation measures, imply very small values for the interstellar hydrogen density (0.05 cm−3) and magnetic field strength (3 μG). As a result, the solar wind is not expected to be slowed down by more than about 30% inside the termination distance, which is expected to be about 100 AU. |
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