Far Out, going for hundreds of AU Options

[ljk4-1]

Paper: astro-ph/0601117

Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 00:20:29 GMT (57kb)

Title: The Local Interstellar Medium

Authors: Seth Redfield (University of Texas at Austin)

Comments: 15 pages, 2 figures; to appear in ASP conference proceedings of
"Frank N. Bash Symposium 2005: New Horizons in Astronomy"
\\
The Local Interstellar Medium (LISM) is a unique environment that presents
an opportunity to study general interstellar phenomena in great detail and in
three dimensions. In particular, high resolution optical and ultraviolet
spectroscopy have proven to be powerful tools for addressing fundamental
questions concerning the physical conditions and three-dimensional (3D)
morphology of this local material. After reviewing our current understanding
of the structure of gas in the solar neighborhood, I will discuss the influence
that the LISM can have on stellar and planetary systems, including LISM dust
deposition onto planetary atmospheres and the modulation of galactic cosmic
rays through the astrosphere - the balancing interface between the outward
pressure of the magnetized stellar wind and the inward pressure of the
surrounding interstellar medium. On Earth, galactic cosmic rays may play a
role as contributors to ozone layer chemistry, planetary electrical discharge
frequency, biological mutation rates, and climate. Since the LISM shares the
same volume as practically all known extrasolar planets, the prototypical
debris disks systems, and nearby low-mass star-formation sites, it will be
important to understand the structures of the LISM and how they may
influence planetary atmospheres.

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601117 , 57kb)