In-situ Heliospheric Science Symposium |
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September 18 - 20, 2012
11101 Johns Hopkins Road Building 200 Conference Room 200-E100 JHU/APL, Laurel MD |
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Session D: Suprathermal Ions in the Heliosphere (Seed particles and PUI)
Chairs: Harald Kucharek, Glenn Mason
The population of energetic particles in the heliosphere is highly variable in space and time, intensity, energy, and composition, most likely because their energization involves multiple physical processes at different locations. Details of these processes, however, are poorly understood.
In the last few years, it has become more apparent that interplanetary suprathermal ions provide a significant “seed” particle population that is energized in gradual SEP events and by interplanetary traveling shocks.
Pick-Up Ions (PUIs), of non-solar origin, also appear to contribute to the seed population and are often associated with interplanetary disturbances. In order to understand the varying properties of energetic particles within the heliosphere (and even beyond), it is important to investigate the seed populations associated with energetic particle events. Interplanetary shocks, stream interfaces, and CMEs are prime locations to study the relationship between seed particle population, acceleration processes, and the observed spectra of the energetic particles in order to determine under which circumstances these ions are accelerated.
Pickup ion measurements are also used to study the properties of the Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), in particular, to determine accurately the abundance of atomic H, He, N, O and Ne, the isotopes of He and Ne, as well as the ionization fractions of H and He in the LIC. These observations allow us not only to determine the location of the termination shock but also, in combination with measurements of anomalous cosmic rays, to investigate termination shock acceleration mechanisms.
In this session we solicit contributions outlining recent developments in our current understanding of suprathermal ions in the heliosphere and beyond. Contributions showing observations from SOHO, Wind, ACE, STEREO, Voyager, Messenger, New Horizons, Cassini, and IBEX, simulation results, and theoretical considerations are very welcome. We specifically encourage discussion and therefore we ask for short presentations (3-5 ppt slides). Those of you who are interested in presenting in this session please do not hesitate to contact the session organizers: Harald Kucharek (Harald.Kucharek@unh.edu) and Glenn Mason (Glenn.Mason@jhuapl.edu)
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Last Updated: 27 July 2012