The Solar Wind.pdf

•The solar wind forms abubble, called the heliosphere,in the partially ionized localinterstellar medium (LISM).•We do not know if the LISM issubsonic – the LISM flow willbe diverted around theheliospheric obstacle eitheradiabatically or by forming abow shock.•The boundary separating theheliosphere from the LISM isthe heliopause (HP).•The solar wind is supersonicand a shock (the terminationshock-TS) forms within theheliosphere as it approachesthe heliopause.•The region of shockedplasma between the TS andthe heliopause is called theinner heliosheath.•In the simulation below theLISM flow was assumed tobe supersonic and nointerstellar neutral hydrogenwas assumed.Contours of temperature andflow streamlines- from Zank etal., 2001