From the Outer Heliosphere to the Local Bubble: Comparisons of New Observations with Theory (Space Sciences Series of ISSI Book 31)

The present volume provides a state-of-the-art synopsis of our current understanding of the dynamic heliosphere, the interstellar clouds surrounding it, the wider neighborhood of the local bubble, and their complex interactions. It is written by many of the researchers who have made key discoveries, observations, and modeling efforts that have led to dramatic progress in the field over the past 25 years. Thus the book is an essential research tool for space scientists and astronomers alike, including graduate students for whom it presents a single-point entrance into this complex yet fascinating field. Front Matter....Pages i-vi Foreword....Pages 1-3 Dedication to Dr. George Gloeckler....Pages 5-6 The Solar Wind in the Outer Heliosphere....Pages 7-20 Constraints on the Structure of the Heliospheric Interface Based on Ly α Absorption Spectra....Pages 21-30 Influence of the Interstellar Magnetic Field and Neutrals on the Shape of the Outer Heliosphere....Pages 31-42 Confronting Observations and Modeling: The Role of the Interstellar Magnetic Field in Voyager 1 and 2 Asymmetries....Pages 43-55 The Dynamic Heliosphere: Outstanding Issues....Pages 57-83 The Heliospheric Magnetic Field and Its Extension to the Inner Heliosheath....Pages 85-110 Pickup Ion Acceleration at the Termination Shock and in the Heliosheath....Pages 111-124 ENA Imaging of the Inner Heliosheath—Preparing for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)....Pages 125-138 Local Interstellar Parameters as They Are Inferred from Analysis of Observations Inside the Heliosphere....Pages 139-150 Interplanetary Lyman α Observations: Intensities from Voyagers and Line Profiles from HST/STIS....Pages 151-162 Composition of Interstellar Neutrals and the Origin of Anomalous Cosmic Rays....Pages 163-175 Neutral H Density at the Termination Shock: A Consolidation of Recent Results....Pages 177-190 Is the Sun Embedded in a Typical Interstellar Cloud?....Pages 191-204 Pressure and Ionization Balances in the Circum-Heliospheric Interstellar Medium and the Local Bubble....Pages 205-216 The Solar Wind Charge-eXchange Contribution to the Local Soft X-ray Background....Pages 217-230 Revising the Local Bubble Model due to Solar Wind Charge Exchange X-ray Emission....Pages 231-239 Warm and Hot Gas in the Local ISM....Pages 241-252 What Can Be Learned from X-ray Spectroscopy Concerning Hot Gas in the Local Bubble and Charge Exchange Processes?....Pages 253-262 What Physical Processes Drive the Interstellar Medium in the Local Bubble?....Pages 263-276 Plasma Turbulence in the Local Bubble....Pages 277-290 Exotic Clouds in the Local Interstellar Medium....Pages 291-301 The Local Bubble Debate....Pages 303-309 The Origins and Physical Properties of the Complex of Local Interstellar Clouds....Pages 311-322 Physical Properties of the Local Interstellar Medium....Pages 323-331 Perspectives on Interstellar Dust Inside and Outside of the Heliosphere....Pages 333-345 Interstellar Dust Inside and Outside the Heliosphere....Pages 347-356 Obtaining Spectra of Turbulent Velocity from Observations....Pages 357-385 Properties and Selected Implications of Magnetic Turbulence for Interstellar Medium, Local Bubble and Solar Wind....Pages 387-413 The Heliosphere in Time....Pages 415-425 Some Observations Related to the Origin and Evolution of the Local Bubble/Local ISM....Pages 427-436 Origin of the Local Bubble....Pages 437-448 Kinetic-Fluid Perspective on Modeling the Heliospheric/Interstellar Medium Interface....Pages 449-464 From the Heliosphere to the Local Bubble—What Have We Learned?....Pages 465-473 Back Matter....Pages 477-478 Knowledge about the outer heliosphere and the interstellar medium, which were long treated as two separate fields, has improved dramatically over the past 25 years as a consequence of recent developments: The discovery of interstellar pickup ions and neutral helium inside the heliosphere, the determination of the interstellar hydrogen distribution in the heliosphere obtained using backscattered solar Lyman-alpha radiation, the prediction and subsequent detection of the hydrogen wall just outside of the heliopause, the development of detailed global models for the interaction of solar wind plasma with the interstellar medium, and most recently, direct in-situ plasma and field measurements inside of the heliosheath. At the same time, our understanding of the nearby galactic environment, including the composition and dynamics of the warm gas clouds and hot gas in the local bubble, has benefited greatly from absorption-line spectroscopy using nearby stars as background sources and dynamic modeling. The present volume provides a synopsis of these developments organised into seven sections: Dominant physical processes in the termination shock and heliosheath, three-dimensional shape and structure of the dynamic heliosphere, relation of the plasmas and dust inside and outside of the heliosphere, origin and properties of the very local interstellar medium, energy and pressure equilibria in the local bubble, physical processes in the multiphase interstellar medium inside of the local bubble, and the roles that magnetic fields play in the outer heliosphere and the local bubble. The last theme is probably the most basic of all as magnetic fields play important roles in most of the phenomena discussed here. The volume concludes with four papers providing the "big picture" by looking at the time evolution of both the heliosphere and the local bubble, looking beyond the local bubble, and finally addressing the challenges in modeling the interface between the two media.