Penetration of interstellar dust into the Solar System

Levy, E. H.; Jokipii, J. R.

doi:10.1038/264423a0

Cited by 52 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The a ∼ 0.05 µm grains are the boundary case. Observations [64], [65], [122] and models [128], [134], [121], [31] confirm that the large interstellar grains can reach the inner solar system. The interstellar dust particles are suppressed below masses ∼ 10 −16 kg or sizes ∼0.2 µm.…”

Section: Example: Interstellar Grains Near the Heliospherementioning

confidence: 84%

Dust in the planetary system: Dust interactions in space plasmas of the solar system

Mann¹,

Meyer‐Vernet²,

Czechowski³

2014

Physics Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cosmic dust particles are small solid objects observed in the solar planetary system and in many astronomical objects like the surrounding of stars, the interstellar and even the intergalactic medium. In the solar system the dust is best observed and most often found within the region of the orbits of terrestrial planets where the dust interactions and dynamics are observed directly from spacecraft. Dust is observed in space near Earth and also enters the atmosphere of the Earth where it takes part in physical and chemical processes. Hence space offers a laboratory to study dust plasma interactions and dust dynamics. A recent example is the observation of nanodust of sizes smaller than 10 nm. We outline the theoretical considerations on which our knowledge of dust electric charges in space plasmas are founded. We discuss the dynamics of the dust particles and show how the small charged particles are accelerated by the solar wind that carries a magnetic field. Finally, as examples for the space observation of cosmic dust interactions, we describe the first detection of fast nanodust in the solar wind near Earth orbit and the first bi-static observations of PMSE, the radar echoes that are observed in the Earth ionosphere in the presence of charged dust.

show abstract

Section: Example: Interstellar Grains Near the Heliospherementioning

confidence: 84%

Dust in the planetary system: Dust interactions in space plasmas of the solar system

Mann¹,

Meyer‐Vernet²,

Czechowski³

2014

Physics Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Apart from the effect of the solar radiation pressure force, Levy & Jokipii (1976) predicted the effects of the Lorentz force on the stream of interstellar grains and concluded that nanometer-sized grains are excluded from the inner solar system. The effect of focusing and defocusing (w.r.t.…”

Section: Filtering In the Inner Solar Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

The filtering of interstellar dust in the solar system

Sterken

Altobelli

Kempf

et al. 2013

A&A

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context. Theoretical predictions demonstrate that small (<0.1 µm) interstellar grains are mostly excluded from reaching the planetary system by electromagnetic interactions in the heliopause region and in the inner heliosphere. Bigger interstellar grains have been recorded in the planetary system by dust measurements on board Ulysses and other spacecraft. It was found that the interstellar dust flux is modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field. Aims. The objective of this study is to analyze the heliospheric filtering of the interstellar dust flow through the solar system and throughout the solar cycle. In the heliosphere the dynamics of interstellar dust is governed by the gravitational pull of the Sun, by the repulsion of solar radiation, and by the deflection caused by the interaction of the charged interstellar dust (ISD) grains with the interplanetary magnetic field. These interactions are described by the parameters of the radiation pressure constant β and the charge-to-mass ratio Q/m, which depend on the particle's size, physical properties, and composition. A previous paper studied the flow characteristics of ISD moving through the solar system were studied. In this follow-up paper, we focus on how the ISD size distribution varies during its passage through the solar system. Methods. In a parametric study of 70 different β and Q/m values, we calculated interstellar dust trajectories starting at the boundary of the heliosphere with starting times spread over a complete solar cycle of 22 years. Results. As a result we obtained the interstellar dust flux and dust speed for these times and positions and demonstrate the effects of the filtering on the dust size distributions. The size distribution of ISD observed at any time and at any position in the planetary system is strongly modified from when it entered the heliosphere. Peaks in relative flux of 10 times the original flux possibly depend on the grain size and place and time in the solar system. We did a detailed study of three cases of the flux and size distribution of interstellar grains reaching the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and the main-belt asteroid Ceres. These cases are used to get a first idea of what a dust detector or collector on a mission to these bodies might see of ISD.

show abstract

“…The upstream direction of the interstellar helium gas (254 • longitude, 5.6 • latitude, Witte et al 1993) lies within the 1σ range of the determined dust direction. Levy & Jokipii (1976) predicted that ISD grains carry a net charge causing the particles to interact with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) through the Lorentz force. They predicted that this would exclude ISD grains with a high charge-tomass-ratio from the solar system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The flow of interstellar dust into the solar system

Sterken

Altobelli

Kempf

et al. 2012

A&A

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context. Interstellar dust (ISD) is a major component in the formation and evolution of stars, stellar systems, and planets. Astronomical observations of interstellar extinction and polarization, and of the infrared emission of the dust, are the most commonly used technique for characterizing interstellar dust. Besides this, the interstellar dust from the local interstellar cloud enters the solar system owing to the relative motion of the Sun with respect to this cloud. Once in the solar system, in-situ observations can be made by spacecraft using impact ionization detectors and time-of-flight spectrometers like the ones flown on the Cassini, Ulysses, and Galileo, spacecrafts. Also a sample return can be done, as in the Stardust mission. Once in the solar system, the trajectories of these dust grains are shaped by gravitational, solar radiation pressure, and Lorentz forces. The Lorentz forces result from the interaction of the charged dust particles with the interplanetary magnetic field. The ISD densities in the solar system thus depend both on the location in the solar system and on time, correlated to the solar cycle. Aims. This paper aims at giving the reader insight into the flow patterns of ISD when it moves through the solar system. This is useful for designing future in-situ or sample return missions or for knowing whether for specific missions, simplified assumptions can be used for the dust flux and direction, or whether full simulations are needed. Methods. We characterize the flow of ISD through the solar system using simulations of the dust trajectories. We start from the simple case without Lorentz forces and expand to the full simulation. We pay attention to the different ways of modeling the interplanetary magnetic field and discuss the influence of the dust parameters on the resulting flow patterns. Dust densities, fluxes, and directionalities are derived from the trajectory simulations. Different graphics representations are used to gain insight into the flow patterns. As an illustration of how the model can be used, we predict the fluxes and directionalities of the ISD for the Cassini mission. Results. The characteristics of the flow of ISD through the solar system have been investigated to gain insight in the patterns of the flow. The modeling can also be used for predicting dust fluxes for different space missions or planets, and for understanding spacecraft measurements, such as those from Ulysses, Cassini, and Stardust.

show abstract

Penetration of interstellar dust into the Solar System

Cited by 52 publications

References 6 publications

Dust in the planetary system: Dust interactions in space plasmas of the solar system

Dust in the planetary system: Dust interactions in space plasmas of the solar system

The filtering of interstellar dust in the solar system

The flow of interstellar dust into the solar system

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About