Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration (IMAP) mission probes the interaction between our heliosphere and the interstellar medium (ISM) in unprecedented detail. The broad science that IMAP addresses has been organized into three distinct science themes: A) Acceleration and the broader context of the solar wind and space weather; B) Exploring the outer heliosphere through energetic neutral atoms, and C) Sampling of the interstellar and interplanetary material. This paper summarizes the scientific goals of the latter theme and identifies the key scientific opportunities for IMAP available due to its unique ability to directly sample the interstellar and interplanetary material from 1 au. It is organized into three broad scientific questions that directly relate to IMAP's science objectives: 1) What is the state of the pristine upstream LISM and how does it relate to its origins and evolution? 2) How does the VLISM interact with the heliosphere? 3) How does interstellar material, as well as interplanetary dust, affect the near-Sun environment?
Source: Space Science Reviews
Authors: J. R. Szalay, E. Provornikova, E. Ayari, M. Bzowski, E. R. Christian, H. O. Funsten, A. Galli, M. Gkioulidou, M. Horányi, S. Livi, D. J. McComas, E. Möbius, K. Ogasawara, F. Rahmanifard, J. S. Rankin, D. B. Reisenfeld, N. A. Schwadron, Z. Sternovsky, P. Swaczyna, D. Turner, G. P. Zank, E. J. Zirnstein
Institutions: Princeton University, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Centrum Badań Kosmicznych, Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Science Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, University of Bern, Southwest Research Institute, University of New Hampshire, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,290
Awards: G6539802142, G753524653
OpenAlex ID: W7148609681