Selected Scientific Papers of P. C. Frisch

[This page needs updating. Many of these papers are available from the ADS abstract server]

Journey of the Sun, American Scientist (Jan-Feb. 2000)
Popular article describing the galactic environment of the Sun. This article appeared in the January-February 2000 issue of the American Scientist.

Dust in the Local Interstellar Wind
(Ap.J., published , 1999) by Frisch et al.
In situ observations of interstellar dust in the heliosphere by the Ulysses and Galileo satellites yield a different (by a factor of 4- 5) determination of the gas-to-dust mass ratio in the interstellar cloud surrounding the solar system than do remote astronomical observations by the Hubble Space Telescope. This paper grew out of discussions held at a series of workshops at the International Space Sciences Institute in 1997 and 1998. astro-ph paper number 9905108.

Consequences of a Change in the Galactic Environment of the Sun
(Ap.J., published, 1999) by Zank and Frisch
The interplanetary environment is a sensitive indicator of the galactic environment of the Sun. The outer planets are more frequently immersed in unperturbed interstellar material than are the inner planets. The interaction of the heliosphere with a somewhat denser cloud than the one we are presently immersed in is modeled. If the density of the cloud surrounding the solar system is increased to 10 cm^-3, then the dimensions of the heliosphere shrink by an order of magnitude, and the heliopause and heliosheath regions become unstable. In addition, the flux of neutral hydrogen at the position of the Earth increases to about 2 cm^-3. Presently, all hydrogen is ionized outside of the position of the Earth. astro-ph paper number 9901279.

Interstellar Matter and the Boundary Conditions of the Heliosphere
(published in Space Sciences Reviews)
This talk was presented at the ACE science meeting (ACE=Advanced composition Explorer) held January, 1997, at Caltech in Pasadena, California.

Galactic Environments of the Sun and Cool Stars
This talk was the opening scientific talk at the conference on Planetary Systems -- The Long View, held in Blois, France, June 23-28 1997. It will be published in 1998 in a book of the same title, with editors L. M. Celnikier and J. Tran Than Van, by Editions Frontieres. Here is the abstract of the paper:
Abstract: The importance of understanding the current and historical galactic environments of cool stars is discussed. The penetration of interstellar gas into a stellar astrosphere is a function of the interaction of the star with the interstellar cloud surrounding the star, and this factor needs to be understood if an efficient search for life-bearing planets is to be made. For the Sun, both current and historical galactic conditions are such that if a solar wind were present, it would have excluded most inflowing interstellar matter from the inner regions of the heliosphere for the past few million years. Variations in heliosphere size over the recent historical path of the Sun are estimated, along with estimates of astrosphere sizes for selected nearby stars. Considering only possible effects due to encounters with interstellar clouds, stable planetary climates are more likely for inner than outer planets.

Workshop for Continued Discussion of the Local Bubble
W. T. Sanders and P. C. Frisch, 1998, pages 583-586, in Proceedings of the IAU Colloquium No. 166 "The Local Bubble and Beyond", eds. D. Breitschwerdt, M. J. Freyberg, J. Trumper, Lecture Notes in Physics 506 (Springer-Verlag)

The Influence of the Local Bubble on the Ionization of the Local Interstellar Cloud
J. D. Slavin and P. C. Frisch, 1998, pages 305-308, in Proceedings of the IAU Colloquium No. 166 "The Local Bubble and Beyond", eds. D. Breitschwerdt, M. J. Freyberg, J. Trumper, Lecture Notes in Physics 506 (Springer-Verlag)

The Local Bubble, Local Fluff, and Heliosphere
P. C. Frisch, 1998, pages 269-278 in Proceedings of the IAU Colloquium No. 166 "The Local Bubble and Beyond", eds. D. Breitschwerdt, M. J. Freyberg, J. Trumper, Lecture Notes in Physics 506) (Springer-Verlag) Paper Ref. No.: astro-ph/9710141

alpha Cen
One-- vs. Two--Shock Heliosphere: Constraining Models with GHRS Lyman-alpha Spectra toward alpha Cen (Ap J, 487, 259, 1997)
Paper Ref. No.: astro-ph/9706043

Journey of the Sun
Learn how the galactic environment of the Sun has changed over the past few million years. Is it a coincidence that technical civilizations on Earth evolved during an epoch when the Sun was located in a region of the galaxy between spiral arms? How long before the Sun leaves this inter-arm environment? Does interstellar matter affect the Sun-Earth coupling mechanisms, and therefore the terrestrial climate? What kind of variations in the types of interstellar gas surrounding solar ststem can be expected over the past or future 5 Myrs? Is there a new explanation for the 10Be3 spikes seen in Antarctic ice cores? Can interstellar matter (ISM) have an effect on the 1 astronomical unit interplanetary environment of Earth? Do you know what the heliosphere is?
Paper Ref. No.: astro-ph/9705231

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Last Updated -- April 7, 1998