Boltzmann-Kinetic studies of MHD-plasma properties near the solar wind termination shock and the heliosheath

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Hans-Jörg Fahr
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Astrophysik und Astronomie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2006 bis 2009
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 18202737

To describe plasma-plasma interaction scenarios like the heliospheric interface in the up-to-now literature only classical magneto-hydrodynamic approaches are used. These, however, fail in many respects, since non-idealities in the magnetic field behaviour and charge-exchange induced deviations from the hypothesized equilibrium distribution functions cannot be taken into account in these magneto-fluid approaches. In this project we aim at a Boltzmann-kinetic controle on presently discussed MHD solutions for the heliospheric interface structures. We calculate kinetically induced non-ideal resistivities and their violation of the adopted ideal frozen-in field concept. We also study kinetic properties of plasma panicles at their bowshock or termination shock transititon producing highly non-relaxated, unstable distribution functions which contain substantial amounts of free energy by which they drive shock-generated turbulences. In these studies we also take into account the diamagnetic action of shocked plasma species in reducing the postshock magnitude of the magnetic field induction which most likely may explain the surprising plasma properties recently observed with the distant spaceprobe VOYAGER-1. We also show that charge-exchange induced non-equilibrium distribution functions will in fact be observable with upcoming space missions like IBEX and then will give extremely valuable hints to the actually ongoing physics in the heliospheric interface.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen