2017/06/21 by Tae Kim, Tae K. Kim, N. V. Pogorelov +3 · 3 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Galaxy #Heliosphere #Interstellar medium #Nuclear physics #Physics #Plasma #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solar wind #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.SR #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa7b2b
Accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters on 06/21/2017
arxiv created 2017/06/21 · openalex publication_date 2017/07/10 · arxiv updated 2017/07/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Abstract The magnetometer (MAG) on Voyager 1 ( V1 ) has been sampling the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) since 2012 August. The V1 MAG observations have shown draped ISMF in the very local interstellar medium disturbed occasionally by significant enhancements in magnetic field strength. Using a three-dimensional, data-driven, multi-fluid model, we investigated these magnetic field enhancements beyond the heliopause that are supposedly associated with solar transients. To introduce time-dependent effects at the inner boundary at 1 au, we used daily averages of the solar wind parameters from the OMNI data set. The model ISMF strength, direction, and proton number density are compared with V1 data beyond the heliopause. The model reproduced the large-scale fluctuations between 2012.652 and 2016.652, including major events around 2012.9 and 2014.6. The model also predicts shocks arriving at V1 around 2017.395 and 2019.502. Another model driven by OMNI data with interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) removed at the inner boundary suggests that ICMEs may play a significant role in the propagation of shocks into the interstellar medium.