Pickupionen in der Heliosphäre

• Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Astrophysik und Astronomie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2012 bis 2016
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 219284391

Pickup ions in the heliosphere have two diverse origins. Interstellar neutral atoms can penetrate deep into the solar system where they are ionized and can be observed as pickup ions. In contrast, innersource pickup ions are probably the result of some interaction of the solar wind with dust grains close to the Sun. We propose to study the properties of the newly found interstellar Ne focusing cone and to determine properties of Ne in the Very Local Interstellar Medium (VLISM). We will characterize the inner source of pickup ions and derive constraints on the relative importance of the underlying ionization rates by studying short-term flux variations.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen