Interstellar Mapping Probe: Scientific Challenges of the Mission

Abstract:

The Interstellar MApping Probe (IMAP) is a mission which is planned as a high-resolution follow-up to the Voyager and IBEX missions. Its concept carries on from the highly successful first heliospheric mapping to enable the investigation of physical processes accompanying the solar wind (SW) interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM). In addition to providing broad-energy-range, high resolution maps of energetic neutral atom fluxes, IMAP will perform observations of nearly all other forms of the interstellar medium that can be sampled directly in the inner heliosphere. Besides, it will perform in situ measurement of the interplanetary magnetic field, SW ions and electrons, and solar energetic particles. We discuss the scientific challenges pertained to the mission concept and analyze the problems that can be addressed with the help of IMAP measurements.