Related papers: Interplanetary Medium as Fuel for Plasma Thrusters
The last 60 years of space exploration have shown that the interplanetary medium is continually perturbed by a myriad of different solar winds and storms that transport solar material across the whole heliosphere. If there is a consensus on…
I present a review of nonthermal processes in the large scale structure of the universe. After examining the properties of cosmological shock waves and their role as particle accelerators, I discuss the main observational facts, from radio…
Interstellar dust appears in a number of roles in the interstellar medium. Historically, the most familiar one is as a source of extinction in the optical. Absorbed optical and ultraviolet light heats the dust, whence infrared (including…
We introduce a plasma wakefield acceleration scheme capable of boosting initially subrelativistic particles to relativistic velocities within millimeter-scale distances. A subluminal light pulse drives a wake whose velocity is continuously…
`Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1) is the first object of interstellar origin observed in the Solar System. Recently, \citet{Micheli2018} reported that `Oumuamua showed deviations from a Keplerian orbit at a high statistical significance. The observed…
Interstellar space is filled with a dilute mixture of charged particles, atoms, molecules and dust grains, called the interstellar medium (ISM). Understanding its physical properties and dynamical behavior is of pivotal importance to many…
In the interstellar medium, the cosmic elemental carbon abundance includes the total carbon in both gas and solid phases. The aim of the study was to trial a new method for measuring the amount and distribution of aliphatic carbon within…
The role of momentum transfer (``radiation pressure'') due to an internal source of ionizing radiation for the formation of baryonic structures is investigated. Fully-ionized self-gravitating gaseous objects can be radiation-pressure…
We use the recent detection of He II absorption at $z=2.2-2.6$ in the line of sight of the quasar HS1700+64 to put bounds on the sources of ionization. We find that given the uncertainty in $\tauhgp$ and the model of absorption in the…
The power of blazar jets rivals the power that gravity can extract from accreting matter. The mechanism launching and accelerating jets can be considered as the most efficient engine operating in radio--loud sources. It is still a matter of…
Bodies that lack a significant atmosphere and internal magnetic fields, such as the Moon and asteroids, can to a first approximation be considered passive absorbers of the solar wind. The solar wind ions and electrons directly impact the…
The interstellar medium (ISM) is the material that fills the space between the stars in all galaxies; it is a multi-phase medium in pressure equilibrium, with densities and temperatures covering over 6 orders of magnitude. Although…
Particles are accelerated to very high, non-thermal energies during explosive energy-release phenomena in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma environments. While it has been established that magnetic reconnection plays an important role…
The stellarator is a type of fusion energy device that - if properly designed - could provide clean, safe, and abundant energy to the grid. To generate this energy, a stellarator must keep a hot mixture of charged particles (known as a…
We elaborate on the dynamics of ionized interstellar medium in the presence of hidden photon dark matter. Our main focus is the ultra-light regime, where the hidden photon mass is smaller than the plasma frequency in the Milky Way. We point…
This white paper submitted for 2020 Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science concerns the importance of multi-spacecraft missions to address fundamental questions concerning plasma turbulence. Plasma turbulence is ubiquitous in the universe,…
Radiation pressure can be dynamically important in star-forming environments such as ultra-luminous infrared and submillimeter galaxies. Whether and how radiation drives turbulence and bulk outflows in star formation sites is still unclear.…
Supernovae are the dominant energy source for driving turbulence within the interstellar plasma. Until recently, their effects on magnetic field amplification in disk galaxies remained a matter of speculation. By means of self-consistent…
The author applies, develops and researches mini-sized Micro- AB Thermonuclear Reactors for space propulsion and space power systems. These small engines directly convert the high speed charged particles produced in the thermonuclear…
Astrophysical fluids, including interstellar and interplanetary medium, are magnetized and turbulent. Their appearance, evolution, and overall properties are determined by the magnetic turbulence that stirs it. We argue that examining…