The heliospheric hydrogen wall and astrospheres

Abstract

Charge exchange processes in the outer heliosphere produce a population of hot hydrogen gas within the heliosphere, creating a “hydrogen wall” between the heliopause and bow shock. The heliospheric hydrogen wall scatters Lyα photons passing through it, producing a detectable absorption signature in observations of H I Lyα emission from nearby stars. This heliospheric absorption has been observed using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and these observations have also yielded detections of analogous “astrospheric” absorption from material surrounding the observed stars. The astrospheric detections dramatize the importance of understanding the heliospheric interaction, since similar interactions exist around other stars and can now be studied with HST. We review comparisons that have been made between the observed heliospheric absorption and the predictions of various models. The astrospheric absorption provides a way to empirically estimate the mass loss rates of solar-like stars, leading to the first empirical estimates of how solar-like winds vary with stellar age and activity. Thus, we also review these astrospheric results and discuss their ramifications for solar, stellar, and planetary science.