Three‐dimensional simulation of the dynamical heliosphere

The structure of the global heliosphere is driven not only by the properties of the respective interstellar plasma and neutral populations but also by the temporal and spatial variation of the solar wind plasma itself. Often assumptions of symmetry or stationarity are made for modeling the global heliosphere that greatly reduce the problem space. Here, an adaptation of a two‐fluid code to a fully realized three‐dimensional model of the heliosphere is presented. The boundary functions for the solar wind are derived from recently presented detailed observations and models of solar output by Whang et al. (2005). Neutrals are included as a single separate fluid interacting with the plasma through charge exchange. We first examine temporal and spatial variation of the solar wind separately and finally study a model containing both together. The asymmetric solar wind creates a heliosphere that is slightly elongated over the solar polar directions. Solar maximum conditions act as a pulse of dense material in the outer heliosphere, with fast responses of termination shock and heliopause locations. The pulse propagation in the heliosheath creates a dynamic environment, additionally triggering heliopause instabilities.