Abstract

We calculate the electric charges on interstellar dust grains immersed in plasma and electromagnetic radiation to study the conditions under which grains can penetrate the heliospheric boundaries. We show that an increase in the electric charges on the grains between the heliopause and the termination shock may prevent interstellar dust grains of mass less than 10−18 kg from entering the solar system. Further studies require to calculate the charging history of the grains along their trajectories. The importance of secondary electron emission on electric charging of interstellar dust grains is discussed for understanding of the depletion mechanism of small dust grains near the heliospheric boundaries.

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