Wall of Fire

[Anchovyforestbane]

You may or may not have heard about the "Wall of Fire" discovered by V2. The basics are, interstellar winds disrupted by the heliosphere form a thick blanket of plasma between us and the Oort cloud. 
Here's a short summary, with some additional sources listed therein: https://futurism.com/the-byte/solar-system-blanketed-giant-wall-fire/

Here's something to ponder regarding this subject. How is it that comets from the Oort cloud remain frozen after having passed through this barrier and into the heliosphere?

[Janus]

While this "Wall of Fire: has a high temp, you have to understand the difference between temperature and heat content.

Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles.  Heat content is the total of the KE of the particles in a given volume.

Thus a volume that contains a lot of low temp particles can have a larger heat content than an equal volume with higher temp, but fewer particles.

Now while articles have described this wall as being of a "high density", this is meant relative to the normal solar wind density of a few particles per cubic centimeter.  This a much better vacuum that can be achieved by man on Earth by several magnitudes.   This "thick wall" off plasma is a not that much less of a vacuum.

To melt a comet you need to add a fair amount of heat energy to it, and even at such a high temperature, this plasma has nowhere near the total heat content per cubic meter to do this.

[Anchovyforestbane]

3 minutes ago, Janus said:

While this "Wall of Fire: has a high temp, you have to understand the difference between temperature and heat content.

Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles.  Heat content is the total of the KE of the particles in a given volume.

Thus a volume that contains a lot of low temp particles can have a larger heat content than an equal volume with higher temp, but fewer particles.

Now while articles have described this wall as being of a "high density", this is meant relative to the normal solar wind density of a few particles per cubic centimeter.  This a much better vacuum that can be achieved by man on Earth by several magnitudes.   This "thick wall" off plasma is a not that much less of a vacuum.

To melt a comet you need to add a fair amount of heat energy to it, and even at such a high temperature, this plasma has nowhere near the total heat content per cubic meter to do this.

Very good, very good; as you seem to be classified as an expert, I have a question (an actual question this time, rather than a quiz). What is known of the composition of the interstellar winds generating the Wall, and does it experience any magnetochemistry or photochemistry within its interaction with the heliosphere?

[MigL]

Not an 'expert' but I'll give it a shot.

Any kind f Chemistry ( other than mis-named Nuclear Chemistry ) involves atomic captive electrons.
Plasma is, by definition, ionized, or stripped ( of its ) electrons.

[swansont]

The plasma is likely protons and electrons (i.e. recombination would give you hydrogen). There's no chemistry going on, per se, in that situation. 

 

 

[Anchovyforestbane]

10 hours ago, MigL said:

Not an 'expert' but I'll give it a shot.

Any kind f Chemistry ( other than mis-named Nuclear Chemistry ) involves atomic captive electrons.
Plasma is, by definition, ionized, or stripped ( of its ) electrons.

 

1 hour ago, swansont said:

The plasma is likely protons and electrons (i.e. recombination would give you hydrogen). There's no chemistry going on, per se, in that situation. 

 

 

My bad, I concede that I use the term "chemistry" a bit too broadly. 
I'll rephrase: What is known of the composition of the interstellar winds generating the Wall, and how might it be interacting on a subatomic level with the heliosphere and/or the forces therein?