Related papers: Interplanetary Medium as Fuel for Plasma Thrusters
The intensity and energy spectrum of energetic charged radiation in the heliosphere are significantly influenced by solar activity. This phenomenon is known as solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays. As interplanetary travel becomes a…
The transport of energetic particles is intimately related to the properties of plasma turbulence, a ubiquitous dynamic process that transfers energy across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. However, the mechanisms governing the…
Free-Free Gaunt factors for X-ray absorption by hot plasma in the presence of a strong magnetic field are reported. Modified formulae are used for application to the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions found in accreting pulsar…
The trajectory of an interplanetary spacecraft can be used to test gravitation in the Solar System. Its determination relies on radio tracking and is limited by the uncertainty on the spacecraft non-gravitational acceleration. The addition…
Many high-energy astrophysical systems contain magnetized collisionless plasmas with relativistic particles, in which turbulence can be driven by an arbitrary mixture of solenoidal and compressive motions. For example, turbulence in hot…
Pickup ions are created when interstellar neutral atoms resonantly exchange charge with the solar wind (SW) ions, especially in the supersonic part of the wind, where they carry most of the plasma pressure. Here we present numerical…
The atmospheres of planets (including Earth) and the outer layers of stars have often been treated in radiative transfer as plane-parallel media, instead of spherical shells, which can lead to inaccuracy, e.g. limb darkening. We give an…
Interstellar turbulence is expected to dissipate quickly in the absence of continuous energy input. I examine the energy available for driving the turbulence from six likely mechanisms: magnetorotational instability, gravitational…
This experimental study investigates a new technique to keep a satellite in orbit utilizing electrodynamics. The technique consists of establishing a charge on a satellite such that the body's motion through a planetary magnetic field…
The theory of transport of charged particles in cosmic magnetic fields is at the very center of the investigation of non-thermal phenomena in the universe, ranging from our local neighborhood to supernovae, clusters of galaxies or distant…
Future generations of photoelectrodes for solar fuel generation must employ inexpensive, earth-abundant absorber materials in order to provide a large-scale source of clean energy. These materials tend to have poor electrical transport…
We use three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical simulations to study phase transformations occurring in a clumpy interstellar gas exposed to time-dependent volumetric heating. To mimic conditions in the Galactic interstellar medium, we take…
The Sun is an active star that can have a direct impact on the Earth, its magnetosphere, and the technological infrastructure on which modern society depends. Among the phenomena that drive "space weather" are fast solar wind streams and…
Astrophysical sources are extremely efficient accelerators. Some sources emit photons up to multi-TeV energies, a signature of the presence, within them, of particles with energies much higher than those achievable with the largest…
Astrophysical sources of energetic gamma rays provide the right conditions for maximal mixing between (pseudo)scalar (axion-like) particles and photons if their coupling is as strong as suggested by the PVLAS claim. This is independent of…
Radiation Pressure Acceleration relies on high intensity laser pulse interacting with solid target to obtain high maximum energy, quasimonoenergetic ion beams. Either extremely high power laser pulses or tight focusing of laser radiation is…
We review the current knowledge and understanding of the interstellar medium of our galaxy. We first present each of the three basic constituents - ordinary matter, cosmic rays, and magnetic fields - of the interstellar medium, laying…
The enrichment of the intergalactic medium with heavy elements is a process that lies at the nexus of poorly-understood aspects of physical cosmology. We review current understanding of the processes that may remove metals from galaxies,…
We provide a brief overview of recent advances and outstanding issues in simulations of interstellar turbulence, including isothermal models for interior structure of molecular clouds and larger-scale multiphase models designed to simulate…
An investigation of the kinematics of a plasma stream rotating in the pulsar magnetosphere is presented. On the basis of an exact set of equations describing the behavior of the plasma stream, the increment of the instability is obtained,…