Aspects of the mass distribution of interstellar dust grains in the solar system from in situ measurements

Landgraf, M.; Baggaley, W. J.; Grün, E.; Krüger, Harald; Linkert, G.

doi:10.1029/1999ja900359

Cited by 178 publications

(212 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…However, the abundance of even larger grains is not well determined. Studies of impacts of interstellar dust grains in the solar system (Landgraf et al 2000), of primitive, chondritic meteorites (Scott & Krot 2005) and the samples returned from comet 81P/Wild 2 by the Stardust mission (Brownlee et al 2006) showed larger dust grains, up to a size of ∼ 10µm. Assuming that these particles are the remains of the initial protoplanetary dust population, we can assume grain sizes not entirely different from the ones used in our experiment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free collisions in a microgravity many-particle experiment. III. The collision behavior of sub-millimeter-sized dust aggregates

Kothe

Blum

Weidling

et al. 2013

Icarus

113

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We conducted micro-gravity experiments to study the outcome of collisions between sub-mm-sized dust agglomerates consisting of µm-sized SiO 2 monomer grains at velocities of several cm s −1 . Prior to the experiments, we used X-ray computer tomography (nano-CT) imaging to study the internal structure of these dust agglomerates and found no rim compaction so that their collision behavior is not governed by preparation-caused artefacts. We found that collisions between these dust aggregates can lead either to sticking or to bouncing, depending mostly on the impact velocity. While previous collision models derived the transition between both regimes from contact physics, we used the available empirical data from these and earlier experiments to derive a power law relation between dust-aggregate mass and impact velocity for the threshold between the two collision outcomes. In agreement with earlier experiments, we show that the transition between both regimes is not sharp, but follows a shallower power law than predicted by previous models . Furthermore, we find that sticking between dust aggregates can lead to the formation of larger structures. Collisions between aggregates-of-aggregates can lead to growth at higher velocities than homogeneous dust agglomerates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free collisions in a microgravity many-particle experiment. III. The collision behavior of sub-millimeter-sized dust aggregates

Kothe

Blum

Weidling

et al. 2013

Icarus

113

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“…(1) Altobelli et al (2006); (2) Grün et al (1994); (3) Baguhl et al (1996); (4) Landgraf et al (2000); (5) Krüger et al (2007); (6) Baguhl et al (1996), (7) Altobelli et al (2005); (8) Altobelli et al (2003); (9) Krüger et al (2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The flow of interstellar dust into the solar system

Sterken

Altobelli

Kempf

et al. 2012

A&A

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Context. Interstellar dust (ISD) is a major component in the formation and evolution of stars, stellar systems, and planets. Astronomical observations of interstellar extinction and polarization, and of the infrared emission of the dust, are the most commonly used technique for characterizing interstellar dust. Besides this, the interstellar dust from the local interstellar cloud enters the solar system owing to the relative motion of the Sun with respect to this cloud. Once in the solar system, in-situ observations can be made by spacecraft using impact ionization detectors and time-of-flight spectrometers like the ones flown on the Cassini, Ulysses, and Galileo, spacecrafts. Also a sample return can be done, as in the Stardust mission. Once in the solar system, the trajectories of these dust grains are shaped by gravitational, solar radiation pressure, and Lorentz forces. The Lorentz forces result from the interaction of the charged dust particles with the interplanetary magnetic field. The ISD densities in the solar system thus depend both on the location in the solar system and on time, correlated to the solar cycle. Aims. This paper aims at giving the reader insight into the flow patterns of ISD when it moves through the solar system. This is useful for designing future in-situ or sample return missions or for knowing whether for specific missions, simplified assumptions can be used for the dust flux and direction, or whether full simulations are needed. Methods. We characterize the flow of ISD through the solar system using simulations of the dust trajectories. We start from the simple case without Lorentz forces and expand to the full simulation. We pay attention to the different ways of modeling the interplanetary magnetic field and discuss the influence of the dust parameters on the resulting flow patterns. Dust densities, fluxes, and directionalities are derived from the trajectory simulations. Different graphics representations are used to gain insight into the flow patterns. As an illustration of how the model can be used, we predict the fluxes and directionalities of the ISD for the Cassini mission. Results. The characteristics of the flow of ISD through the solar system have been investigated to gain insight in the patterns of the flow. The modeling can also be used for predicting dust fluxes for different space missions or planets, and for understanding spacecraft measurements, such as those from Ulysses, Cassini, and Stardust.

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“…These facts suggest that the detected grains are part of the interstellar dust population of the local interstellar cloud. An unexpected characteristic of the in situ-detected interstellar grains is that their inferred size distribution extends well beyond the maximum sizes usually adopted for interstellar grains (Landgraf et al 2000). It must be noted that the dust detectors are able to record the mass, speed, and direction of incoming grains with radii above 0.05 mm, where the grain radii are inferred by assuming spherical shapes and a bulk density of 2.5 g cm Ϫ3 for the particles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

X-Ray Halos and Large Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium

Witt

Smith

Dwek

2001

The Astrophysical Journal

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Recent observations with dust detectors on board the interplanetary spacecrafts Ulysses and Galileo have recorded a substantial flux of large interstellar grains with radii between 0.25 and 2.0 mm entering the solar system from the local interstellar cloud. The most commonly used interstellar grain size distribution is characterized by an Ϫ3.5 a power law in grain radii a and extends to a maximum grain radius of 0.25 mm. The extension of the interstellar grain size distribution to such large radii will have a major effect on the median grain size and on the amount of mass needed to be tied up in dust for a given visual optical depth. It is therefore important to investigate whether this population of larger dust particles prevails in the general interstellar medium or whether it is merely a local phenomenon. The presence of large interstellar grains can be inferred mainly from their effect on the intensity and radial profile of scattering halos around X-ray sources. In this Letter, we examine the grain size distribution that gives rise to the X-ray halo around Nova Cygni 1992. The results of our study confirm the need to extend the interstellar grain size distribution in the direction of this source to and possibly beyond 2 mm. The model that gives the best fit to the halo data is characterized by (1) a grain size distribution that follows an power law up to Ϫ3.5 a 0.50 mm, followed by an extension from 0.50 to 2.0 mm, and (2) silicate and graphite (carbon) dust-to-gas Ϫ4.0 a mass ratios of 0.0044 and 0.0022, respectively, consistent with solar abundance constraints. Additional observations of X-ray halos probing other spatial directions are badly needed to test the general validity of this result.

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Aspects of the mass distribution of interstellar dust grains in the solar system from in situ measurements

Cited by 178 publications

References 23 publications

Free collisions in a microgravity many-particle experiment. III. The collision behavior of sub-millimeter-sized dust aggregates

Free collisions in a microgravity many-particle experiment. III. The collision behavior of sub-millimeter-sized dust aggregates

The flow of interstellar dust into the solar system

X-Ray Halos and Large Grains in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium

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