Pluto's interaction with its space environment: Solar wind,
energetic particles, and dust
F. Bagenal, M. Horányi, D. J. McComas, R. L. McNutt, H. A. Elliott,
M. E. Hill, L. E. Brown, P. A. Delamere, P. Kollmann, S. M. Krimigis,
M. Kusterer, C. M. Lisse, D. G. Mitchell, M. Piquette, A. R. Poppe,
D. F. Strobel, J. R. Szalay, P. Valek, J. Vandegriff, S. Weidner,
E. J. Zirnstein, S. A. Stern, K. Ennico, C. B. Olkin, H. A. Weaver,
L. A. Young, G. R. Gladstone, W. M. Grundy, W. B. McKinnon, J. M. Moore,
J. R. Spencer, T. Andert, J. Andrews, M. Banks, B. Bauer, J. Bauman,
O. S. Barnouin, P. Bedini, K. Beisser, R. A. Beyer, S. Bhaskaran,
R. P. Binzel, E. Birath, M. Bird, D. J. Bogan, A. Bowman, V. J. Bray,
M. Brozovic, C. Bryan, M. R. Buckley, M. W. Buie, B. J. Buratti,
S. S. Bushman, A. Calloway, B. Carcich, A. F. Cheng, S. Conard, C. A. Conrad,
J. C. Cook, D. P. Cruikshank, O. S. Custodio, C. M. Dalle Ore, C. Deboy,
Z. J. B. Dischner, P. Dumont, A. M. Earle, J. Ercol, C. M. Ernst, T. Finley,
S. H. Flanigan, G. Fountain, M. J. Freeze, T. Greathouse, J. L. Green, Y. Guo,
M. Hahn, D. P. Hamilton, S. A. Hamilton, J. Hanley, A. Harch, H. M. Hart,
C. B. Hersman, A. Hill, D. P. Hinson, M. E. Holdridge, A. D. Howard,
C. J. A. Howett, C. Jackman, R. A. Jacobson, D. E. Jennings, J. A. Kammer,
H. K. Kang, D. E. Kaufmann, D. Kusnierkiewicz, T. R. Lauer, J. E. Lee,
K. L. Lindstrom, I. R. Linscott, A. W. Lunsford, V. A. Mallder, N. Martin,
D. Mehoke, T. Mehoke, E. D. Melin, M. Mutchler, D. Nelson, F. Nimmo,
J. I. Nunez, A. Ocampo, W. M. Owen, M. Paetzold, B. Page, A. H. Parker,
J. W. Parker, F. Pelletier, J. Peterson, N. Pinkine, S. B. Porter,
S. Protopapa, J. Redfern, H. J. Reitsema, D. C. Reuter, J. H. Roberts,
S. J. Robbins, G. Rogers, D. Rose, K. Runyon, K. D. Retherford,
M. G. Ryschkewitsch, P. Schenk, E. Schindhelm, B. Sepan, M. R. Showalter,
K. N. Singer, M. Soluri, D. Stanbridge, A. J. Steffl, T. Stryk,
M. E. Summers, M. Tapley, A. Taylor, H. Taylor, H. B. Throop, C. C. C. Tsang,
G. L. Tyler, O. M. Umurhan, A. J. Verbiscer, M. H. Versteeg, M. Vincent,
R. Webbert, G. E. Weigle, O. L. White, K. Whittenburg, B. G. Williams,
K. Williams, S. Williams, W. W. Woods, A. M. Zangari.
Science 351, aad9045 (2016).
ABSTRACT
The New Horizons spacecraft carried three instruments that measured
the space environment near Pluto as it flew by on 14 July 2015. The
Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument revealed an interaction region
confined sunward of Pluto to within about 6 Pluto radii. The region's
surprisingly small size is consistent with a reduced atmospheric escape
rate, as well as a particularly high solar wind flux. Observations
from the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation
(PEPSSI) instrument suggest that ions are accelerated and/or deflected
around Pluto. In the wake of the interaction region, PEPSSI observed
suprathermal particle fluxes equal to about 1/10 of the flux in the
interplanetary medium and increasing with distance downstream. The
Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter, which measures grains with radii
larger than 1.4 micrometers, detected one candidate impact in ±5 days
around New Horizons' closest approach, indicating an upper limit of <4.6
kilometers-3 for the dust density in the Pluto system.
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