Interstellar Dust in the Solar System: Model Versus in Situ Spacecraft Data Harald Krüger1, Peter Strub1,2, Nicolas Altobelli3, Veerle J
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A&A 626, A37 (2019) Astronomy https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201834316 & © H. Krüger et al. 2019 Astrophysics Interstellar dust in the solar system: model versus in situ spacecraft data Harald Krüger1, Peter Strub1,2, Nicolas Altobelli3, Veerle J. Sterken4, Ralf Srama2, and Eberhard Grün5 1 Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Göttingen, Germany e-mail: [email protected] 2 Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme, Universität Stuttgart, Germany 3 European Space Agency, ESAC, Madrid, Spain 4 Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Switzerland 5 Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg, Germany Received 25 September 2018 / Accepted 1 March 2019 ABSTRACT Context. In the early 1990s, contemporary interstellar dust penetrating deep into the heliosphere was identified with the in situ dust detector on board the Ulysses spacecraft. Later on, interstellar dust was also identified in the data sets measured with dust instruments on board Galileo, Cassini, and Helios. Ulysses monitored the interstellar dust stream at high ecliptic latitudes for about 16 yr. The three other spacecraft data sets were obtained in the ecliptic plane and cover much shorter time intervals. Aims. To test the reliability of the model predictions, we compare previously published in situ interstellar dust measurements, obtained with these four spacecraft, with predictions of an advanced model for the dynamics of interstellar dust in the inner solar system (Interplanetary Meteoroid environment for EXploration; IMEX). Methods. Micrometer and sub-micrometer-sized dust particles are subject to solar gravity, radiation pressure and the Lorentz force on a charged dust particle moving through the interplanetary magnetic field. These forces lead to a complex size-dependent flow pattern of interstellar dust in the planetary system. The IMEX model was calibrated with the Ulysses interstellar dust measurements and includes these relevant forces. We study the time-resolved flux and mass distribution of interstellar dust in the solar system. Results. The IMEX model agrees with the spacecraft measurements within a factor of 2–3, including time intervals and spatial regions not covered by the original model calibration with the Ulysses data set. The model usually underestimates the dust fluxes measured by the space missions which were not used for the model calibration, i.e. Galileo, Cassini, and Helios. Conclusions. A unique time-dependent model, IMEX is designed to predict the interstellar dust fluxes and mass distributions for the inner and outer solar system. The model is suited to study dust detection conditions for past and future space missions. Key words. zodiacal dust – dust, extinction – interplanetary medium – meteorites, meteors, meteoroids – ISM: abundances 1. Introduction a direction of 259◦ ecliptic longitude and 8◦ latitude (Landgraf 1998; Frisch et al. 1999; Strub et al. 2015) with an inflow speed Interstellar dust became a topic of astrophysical research in the of 26 km s−1 (Grün et al. 1994; Krüger et al. 2015). Within the early 1930s when astronomers realized the extinction of starlight measurement accuracy, the average dust inflow direction is co- in the interstellar medium (ISM). At that time, information about aligned with the interstellar neutral helium flow (Witte et al. dust in the ISM could only be obtained by astronomical observa- 1996, 2004; Wood et al. 2015)1. The interstellar dust flow per- tions. With the advent of dust detectors on board spacecraft in the sists at high ecliptic latitudes above and below the ecliptic plane 1970s, it became possible to investigate dust particles in situ, and and even over the poles of the Sun, whereas interplanetary dust the analysis of data obtained with the dust instruments flown on a is strongly depleted at high latitudes (Grün et al. 1997). couple of spacecraft suggested that interstellar dust can cross the The Ulysses interstellar dust measurements were confirmed heliospheric boundary and penetrate deep into the heliosphere by the Galileo (Baguhl et al. 1996; Altobelli et al. 2005a) and (Bertaux & Blamont 1976; Wolf et al. 1976, see Krüger & Grün Cassini spacecraft (Altobelli et al. 2003, 2007, 2016), and inter- 2009 for a review). Later on, in the 1990s, this was undoubt- stellar impactors were also identified in the Helios dust data edly demonstrated by the Ulysses spacecraft: the Ulysses dust (Altobelli et al. 2006). In 2006, the Stardust mission success- detector, which measured mass, speed, and approach direction fully brought a sample of collected interstellar particles to Earth of the impacting particles, identified interstellar particles that (Westphal et al. 2014). Finally, measurements by the radio and have radii above 0:1 µm sweeping through the heliosphere (Grün plasma wave instruments on board the STEREO and WIND et al. 1993, 1994, 1995). These particles originated from the local interstellar cloud (LIC) surrounding our solar system (Frisch 1 Working values of a speed of 25.4 km s−1 with directions from et al. 1999), thus providing an opportunity to probe dust from 255.7◦ ecliptic longitude and +5.1◦ ecliptic latitude were suggested the LIC. from Energetic Neutral Atom measurements by the Interstellar Bound- The motion of the heliosphere with respect to this cloud ary EXplorer mission (IBEX) by McComas et al.(2015) and recently causes an inflow of interstellar dust into the heliosphere from confirmed by Swaczyna et al.(2018). A37, page 1 of 10 Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Open Access funding provided by Max Planck Society. A&A 626, A37 (2019) spacecraft were explained by interstellar dust (Belheouane et al. In Sect.2 we briefly present the interstellar dust measure- 2012; Malaspina & Wilson 2016), although this interpretation ments obtained by the Helios, Cassini, Galileo, and Ulysses was recently called into question (Kellogg et al. 2018). missions. A comprehensive description of the data analysis, in Measurements of interstellar dust inside the planetary sys- particular the identification scheme for the interstellar impactors, tem now provide a window for the study of solid interstellar are provided in the publications by Altobelli et al.(2003, 2005a, matter at our doorstep (Frisch et al. 1999). However, the flow 2006, 2016) for Helios, Galileo, and Cassini, and Strub et al. of the interstellar particles in the heliosphere is governed by two (2015) for the Ulysses data. In Sect.3, we present our modelling fundamental effects: the combined gravitational force and radi- results and compare these findings with the in situ measure- ation pressure force of the Sun, and the Lorentz force acting ments. Section4 is a discussion and in Sect.5 we summarize on a charged particle moving through the solar magnetic field our conclusions. “frozen” into the solar wind. The former effect can be described as a multiplication of the gravitational force by a constant fac- 2. In situ spacecraft dust data tor (1 − β), where the radiation pressure factor β = jFradj=jFgravj is a function of particle composition, size, and morphology. The physical mechanism most generally utilized in modern Interstellar particles approach the Sun on hyperbolic trajecto- space-borne in situ dust detectors is based on the measurement ries, leading to either a radially symmetric focussing (β < 1) or of the electric charge generated upon impact of a fast projec- defocussing (β > 1) downstream of the Sun which is constant in tile on to a solid target (impact ionization). This yields the time (Bertaux & Blamont 1976; Landgraf 2000; Sterken et al. highest sensitivity for the detection of dust particles in space 2012). Particle sizes observed by the Ulysses dust detector typ- (Fechtig et al. 1978; Auer 2001). The impact can be detected by ically range from approximately 0:1 µm to several micrometers, several independent measurements on various instrument chan- corresponding to 0 . β . 1:9 (Kimura et al. 2003; Landgraf et al. nels (multi-coincidence detection) which allows for a reliable 2 1999) . A detailed description of the forces acting on the parti- dust impact detection and identification of noise events (Grün cles and the resulting general interstellar dust flow characteristics et al. 1992a). The electrical charge generated upon impact can was given by Sterken et al.(2012). Reviews about interstellar dust be empirically calibrated to provide the impact speed and mass measurements in the solar system were recently given by Mann of the particle (Göller & Grün 1985). In combination with a (2010) and Sterken et al.(2019). time-of-flight mass spectrometer, an impact ionization detector The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) shows systematic can measure the chemical composition of the impacting particle variations with time, including the 25-day solar rotation and the (Srama et al. 2004). 22-yr solar magnetic cycle, as well as local deviations caused In this work we use dust data obtained by impact ionization by disturbances in the IMF, due to for example coronal mass dust detectors on board the spacecraft Helios, Galileo, Cassini, ejections (CMEs). The dust particles in interplanetary space are and Ulysses (Dietzel et al. 1973; Grün 1981; Grün et al. 1992a,b; typically charged to an equilibrium potential of +5 V (Kempf Srama et al. 2004). Impacts of interstellar dust particles in these et al. 2004). Small particles have a higher charge-to-mass ratio, data sets were identified by Altobelli et al.(2006, 2005a, 2003, hence their dynamics is more sensitive to the IMF. The major 2016) and Strub et al.(2015). We do not consider dust mea- effect of the magnetic field on the charged interstellar dust surements with other detection techniques because we want to is a focussing and defocussing relative to the solar equatorial keep the data set as consistent as possible. Different detec- plane with the 22-yr magnetic cycle of the Sun (Landgraf 2000; tion techniques are usually connected with individual systematic Landgraf et al.