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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 4: Poster Session

EP 4.34: Poster

Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 11:15–12:45, Poster OG

Ionization rates in the heliosheath and in astrosheaths — •Klaus Scherer¹, Horst Fichtner¹, Hans-Joerg Fahr², Maciej Bzowski³, and Stefan Ferreira⁴ — ¹Institut für Theoretische Physik IV, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum — ²Argelander Institut, Universität Bonn, 53121 Bonn — ³Polish Space Science Center, Warsaw — ⁴Centre for Space Research, North-West University, 2520 Potchefstroom, South Africa

In the heliosphere, especially in the inner heliosheath, mass-, momentum-, and energy loading induced by the ionization of neutral interstellar species plays an important and underestimated role. We discuss the importance of the charge exchange and electron impact processes for interstellar neutral hydrogen and helium and its implications for further modeling. We will show, that electron impact can in some regions of the heliosphere, particularly in the heliotail, more effective than charge exchange, and the ionization of neutral interstellar helium contributes about 20% to the mass- and momentum loading in the inner heliosheath.