A model of the heliosphere with jets

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytic model of the heliosphere that explains the formation of jets driven by solar magnetic tension, aligning well with MHD simulations and Voyager 1 observations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analytic model showing how solar magnetic tension creates jets and pressure drops in the heliosphere, improving understanding of its structure.

Findings

Jets are formed by magnetic tension and pressure drops.

Stronger solar magnetic fields increase jet velocity and decrease jet and heliopause radii.

Model aligns with MHD simulations and Voyager 1 data.

Abstract

An analytic model of the heliosheath (HS) between the termination shock (TS) and the heliopause (HP) is developed in the limit in which the interstellar flow and magnetic field are neglected. The heliosphere in this limit is axisymmetric and the overall structure of the HS and HP are controlled by the solar magnetic field even in the limit in which the ratio of the plasma to magnetic field pressure, $\beta=8\pi P/B^2$, in the HS is large. The tension of the solar magnetic field produces a drop in the total pressure between the TS and the HP. This same pressure drop accelerates the plasma flow downstream of the TS into the North and South directions to form two collimated jets. The radii of these jets are controlled by the flow through the TS and the acceleration of this flow by the magnetic field -- a stronger solar magnetic field boosts the velocity of the jets and reduces the radii of the jets and the HP. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the global helioshere embedded in a stationary interstellar medium match well with the analytic model. The results suggest that mechanisms that reduce the HS plasma pressure downstream of the TS can enhance the jet outflow velocity and reduce the HP radius to values more consistent with the Voyager 1 observations than in current global models.