Motion of the termination shock in response to an 11 Year variation in the solar wind

Abstract

A two‐dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model has been used to study the motion of the termination shock in response to an 11 year variation in the solar wind ram pressure. We find that for a total variation in the ram pressure by a factor of 2, a termination shock at 89 AU moves inward and outward about ±8% of its distance with a typical velocity of 12 km/sec. This movement may be understood in terms of the various time scales associated with the response of the termination shock and heliopause to variations in the solar wind ram pressure.