Paweł Swaczyna, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Education

Ph.D., Physical Sciences, Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland (2018)

M.S., Physics, University of Warsaw, Poland (2013)

B.S., Physics, University of Warsaw, Poland (2011)

Biography

Paweł Swaczyna is a space physicist studying the interaction of the heliosphere with the local interstellar medium. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics at the University of Warsaw, specializing in the theory of fundamental particles and interactions. His Ph.D. in Physical Sciences was granted by the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. For his Ph.D. thesis, he developed a model of the energetic neutral atom (ENA) emission of heavy chemical elements (helium, oxygen, nitrogen, and neon) from the inner heliosheath and the IBEX ribbon under the secondary ENA mechanism. He uses observations of interstellar neutral atoms, ENAs, and pickup ions from IBEX and SWAP/New Horizons to describe the structure of the outer heliosphere and the very local interstellar medium.

Pawel worked at Princeton from May 2018 to May 2023.

Research Interests

Interstellar neutral atoms penetrating the heliosphere
Energetic neutral atoms of elements heavier than hydrogen
Evolution of the energetic neutral atom flux during the solar cycle
Interstellar pickup ions in the solar wind

Selected Publications

- 2022 -

Swaczyna, P., Schwadron, N. A., Möbius, E., Bzowski, M., Frisch, P. C., Linsky, J. L., McComas, D. J., Rahmanifard, F., Redfield, S., Winslow, R. M., Wood, B. E., & Zank, G. P., (2022), Mixing Interstellar Clouds Surrounding the Sun, The Astrophysical Journal, 937, L32, [ADS].
Galli, A., Wurz, P., Schwadron, N. A., Fairchild, K., Heirtzler, D., Möbius, E., Kucharek, H., Winslow, R., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Kowalska-Leszczyńska, I., Fuselier, S. A., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., & McComas, D. J., (2022), One Solar Cycle of Heliosphere Observations with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer: Energetic Neutral Hydrogen Atoms Observed with IBEX-Lo from 10 eV to 2 keV, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 261, 18, [ADS].
McComas, D. J., Shrestha, B. L., Swaczyna, P., Rankin, J. S., Weidner, S. E., Zirnstein, E. J., Elliott, H. A., Singer, K. N., Spencer, J., Stern, S. A., & Weaver, H. A., (2022), First High-resolution Observations of Interstellar Pickup Ion Mediated Shocks in the Outer Heliosphere, The Astrophysical Journal, 934, 147, [ADS].
Galli, A., Baliukin, I. I., Bzowski, M., Izmodenov, V. V., Kornbleuth, M., Kucharek, H., Möbius, E., Opher, M., Reisenfeld, D., Schwadron, N. A., & Swaczyna, P., (2022), The Heliosphere and Local Interstellar Medium from Neutral Atom Observations at Energies Below 10 keV, Space Science Reviews, 218, 31, [ADS].
Zirnstein, E. J., Möbius, E., Zhang, M., Bower, J., Elliott, H. A., McComas, D. J., Pogorelov, N. V., & Swaczyna, P., (2022), In Situ Observations of Interstellar Pickup Ions from 1 au to the Outer Heliosphere, Space Science Reviews, 218, 28, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Kubiak, M. A., Bzowski, M., Bower, J., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Heirtzler, D., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., Rahmanifard, F., & Schwadron, N. A., (2022), Very Local Interstellar Medium Revealed by a Complete Solar Cycle of Interstellar Neutral Helium Observations with IBEX, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 259, 42, [ADS].
Schwadron, N. A., Möbius, E., McComas, D. J., Bower, J., Bower, E., Bzowski, M., Fuselier, S. A., Heirtzler, D., Kubiak, M. A., Lee, M. A., Rahmanifard, F., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., & Winslow, R., (2022), Interstellar Neutral He Parameters from Crossing Parameter Tubes with the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe Informed by 10 yr of Interstellar Boundary Explorer Observations, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 258, 7, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Eddy, T. J., Zirnstein, E. J., Dayeh, M. A., McComas, D. J., Funsten, H. O., & Schwadron, N. A., (2022), IBEX Ribbon Separation Using Spherical Harmonic Decomposition of the Globally Distributed Flux, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 258, 6, [ADS].

- 2021 -

McComas, D. J., Swaczyna, P., Szalay, J. R., Zirnstein, E. J., Rankin, J. S., Elliott, H. A., Singer, K., Spencer, J., Stern, S. A., & Weaver, H., (2021), Interstellar Pickup Ion Observations Halfway to the Termination Shock, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 254, 19, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Rahmanifard, F., Zirnstein, E. J., McComas, D. J., & Heerikhuisen, J., (2021), Slowdown and Heating of Interstellar Neutral Helium by Elastic Collisions beyond the Heliopause, The Astrophysical Journal, 911, L36, [ADS].
Zirnstein, E. J., Dayeh, M. A., Heerikhuisen, J., McComas, D. J., & Swaczyna, P., (2021), Heliosheath Proton Distribution in the Plasma Reference Frame, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 252, 26, [ADS].

- 2020 -

Swaczyna, P., McComas, D. J., Zirnstein, E. J., Sokół, J. M., Elliott, H. A., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Richardson, J. D., Kowalska-Leszczynska, I., Stern, S. A., Weaver, H. A., Olkin, C. B., Singer, K. N., & Spencer, J. R., (2020), Density of Neutral Hydrogen in the Sun's Interstellar Neighborhood, The Astrophysical Journal, 903, 48, [ADS].

- 2019 -

Swaczyna, P., McComas, D. J., Zirnstein, E. J., & Heerikhuisen, J., (2019), Angular Scattering in Charge Exchange: Issues and Implications for Secondary Interstellar Hydrogen, The Astrophysical Journal, 887, 223, [ADS].
McComas, D. J., Rankin, J. S., Schwadron, N. A., & Swaczyna, P., (2019), Termination Shock Measured by Voyagers and IBEX, The Astrophysical Journal, 884, 145, [ADS].
Bzowski, M., Czechowski, A., Frisch, P. C., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Grygorczuk, J., Heerikhuisen, J., Kubiak, M. A., Kucharek, H., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., Slavin, J., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., Wurz, P., & Zirnstein, E. J., (2019), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. VI. The He⁺ Density and the Ionization State in the Very Local Interstellar Matter, The Astrophysical Journal, 882, 60, [ADS].
Zirnstein, E. J., Swaczyna, P., McComas, D. J., & Heerikhuisen, J., (2019), Parallax of the IBEX Ribbon Indicates a Spatially Retained Source, The Astrophysical Journal, 879, 106, [ADS].
Zirnstein, E. J., McComas, D. J., Schwadron, N. A., Dayeh, M. A., Heerikhuisen, J., & Swaczyna, P., (2019), Strong Scattering of ∼keV Pickup Ions in the Local Interstellar Magnetic Field Draped around Our Heliosphere: Implications for the IBEX Ribbon's Source and IMAP, The Astrophysical Journal, 876, 92, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., McComas, D. J., & Zirnstein, E. J., (2019), He⁺ Ions Comoving with the Solar Wind in the Outer Heliosphere, The Astrophysical Journal, 875, 36, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., McComas, D. J., & Schwadron, N. A., (2019), Non-equilibrium Distributions of Interstellar Neutrals and the Temperature of the Local Interstellar Medium, The Astrophysical Journal, 871, 254, [ADS].
Galli, A., Wurz, P., Rahmanifard, F., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., Kucharek, H., Heirtzler, D., Fairchild, K., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Kowalska-Leszczynska, I., Sokół, J. M., Fuselier, S. A., Swaczyna, P., & McComas, D. J., (2019), Model-free Maps of Interstellar Neutral Hydrogen Measured with IBEX between 2009 and 2018, The Astrophysical Journal, 871, 52, [ADS].

- 2018 -

McComas, D. J., Christian, E. R., Schwadron, N. A., Fox, N., Westlake, J., Allegrini, F., Baker, D. N., Biesecker, D., Bzowski, M., Clark, G., Cohen, C. M. S., Cohen, I., Dayeh, M. A., Decker, R., de Nolfo, G. A., Desai, M. I., Ebert, R. W., Elliott, H. A., Fahr, H., Frisch, P. C., Funsten, H. O., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Galvin, A. B., Giacalone, J., Gkioulidou, M., Guo, F., Horanyi, M., Isenberg, P., Janzen, P., Kistler, L. M., Korreck, K., Kubiak, M. A., Kucharek, H., Larsen, B. A., Leske, R. A., Lugaz, N., Luhmann, J., Matthaeus, W., Mitchell, D., Moebius, E., Ogasawara, K., Reisenfeld, D. B., Richardson, J. D., Russell, C. T., Sokół, J. M., Spence, H. E., Skoug, R., Sternovsky, Z., Swaczyna, P., Szalay, J. R., Tokumaru, M., Wiedenbeck, M. E., Wurz, P., Zank, G. P., & Zirnstein, E. J., (2018), Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP): A New NASA Mission, Space Science Reviews, 214, 116, [ADS].
Schwadron, N. A., Allegrini, F., Bzowski, M., Christian, E. R., Dayeh, M. A., Desai, M. I., Fairchild, K., Frisch, P. C., Funsten, H. O., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Janzen, P., Kubiak, M. A., McComas, D. J., Moebius, E., Reisenfeld, D. B., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., Szalay, J. R., Wurz, P., & Zirnstein, E. J., (2018), Time Dependence of the IBEX Ribbon and the Globally Distributed Energetic Neutral Atom Flux Using the First 9 Years of Observations, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 239, 1, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Sokół, J. M., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Heirtzler, D., Kucharek, H., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., & Wurz, P., (2018), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. V. Observations in IBEX-Lo ESA Steps 1, 2, and 3, The Astrophysical Journal, 854, 119, [ADS].

- 2017 -

Swaczyna, P., & Bzowski, M., (2017), Modeling Emission of Heavy Energetic Neutral Atoms from the Heliosphere, The Astrophysical Journal, 846, 128, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Grzedzielski, S., & Bzowski, M., (2017), Helium Energetic Neutral Atoms from the Heliosphere: Perspectives for Future Observations, The Astrophysical Journal, 840, 75, [ADS].

- 2016 -

Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., & Sokół, J. M., (2016), The Energy-Dependent Position of the IBEX Ribbon Due to the Solar Wind Structure, The Astrophysical Journal, 827, 71, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., Christian, E. R., Funsten, H. O., McComas, D. J., & Schwadron, N. A., (2016), Distance to the IBEX Ribbon Source Inferred from Parallax, The Astrophysical Journal, 823, 119, [ADS].
Kubiak, M. A., Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., Sokół, J. M., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Heirtzler, D., Kucharek, H., Leonard, T. W., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., Park, J., Schwadron, N. A., & Wurz, P., (2016), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. IV. Flow Vector, Mach Number, and Abundance of the Warm Breeze, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 223, 25, [ADS].

- 2015 -

Galli, A., Wurz, P., Park, J., Kucharek, H., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., Sokół, J. M., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Swaczyna, P., Fuselier, S. A., & McComas, D. J., (2015), Can IBEX Detect Interstellar Neutral Helium or Oxygen from Anti-ram Directions?, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 30, [ADS].
Sokół, J. M., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Swaczyna, P., Galli, A., Wurz, P., Möbius, E., Kucharek, H., Fuselier, S. A., & McComas, D. J., (2015), The Interstellar Neutral He Haze in the Heliosphere: What Can We Learn?, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 29, [ADS].
Bzowski, M., Swaczyna, P., Kubiak, M. A., Sokół, J. M., Fuselier, S. A., Galli, A., Heirtzler, D., Kucharek, H., Leonard, T. W., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., & Wurz, P., (2015), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. III. Mach Number of the Flow, Velocity Vector, and Temperature from the First Six Years of Measurements, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 28, [ADS].
Sokół, J. M., Kubiak, M. A., Bzowski, M., & Swaczyna, P., (2015), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. II. The Warsaw Test Particle Model (WTPM), The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 27, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Sokół, J. M., Fuselier, S. A., Heirtzler, D., Kucharek, H., Leonard, T. W., McComas, D. J., Möbius, E., & Schwadron, N. A., (2015), Interstellar Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere from IBEX Observations. I. Uncertainties and Backgrounds in the Data and Parameter Determination Method, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 26, [ADS].
Schwadron, N. A., Möbius, E., Leonard, T., Fuselier, S. A., McComas, D. J., Heirtzler, D., Kucharek, H., Rahmanifard, F., Bzowski, M., Kubiak, M. A., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., & Frisch, P., (2015), Determination of Interstellar He Parameters Using Five Years of Data from the IBEX: Beyond Closed Form Approximations, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 25, [ADS].
Möbius, E., Bzowski, M., Frisch, P. C., Fuselier, S. A., Heirtzler, D., Kubiak, M. A., Kucharek, H., Lee, M. A., Leonard, T., McComas, D. J., Schwadron, N. A., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., & Wurz, P., (2015), Interstellar Flow and Temperature Determination with IBEX: Robustness and Sensitivity to Systematic Effects, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 24, [ADS].
McComas, D. J., Bzowski, M., Fuselier, S. A., Frisch, P. C., Galli, A., Izmodenov, V. V., Katushkina, O. A., Kubiak, M. A., Lee, M. A., Leonard, T. W., Möbius, E., Park, J., Schwadron, N. A., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., Wood, B. E., & Wurz, P., (2015), Local Interstellar Medium: Six Years of Direct Sampling by IBEX, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 220, 22, [ADS].
Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., Bzowski, M., & Tokumaru, M., (2015), Reconstruction of Helio-Latitudinal Structure of the Solar Wind Proton Speed and Density, Solar Physics, 290, 2589, [ADS].
McComas, D. J., Bzowski, M., Frisch, P., Fuselier, S. A., Kubiak, M. A., Kucharek, H., Leonard, T., Möbius, E., Schwadron, N. A., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., & Witte, M., (2015), Warmer Local Interstellar Medium: A Possible Resolution of the Ulysses-IBEX Enigma, The Astrophysical Journal, 801, 28, [ADS].

- 2014 -

Kubiak, M. A., Bzowski, M., Sokół, J. M., Swaczyna, P., Grzedzielski, S., Alexashov, D. B., Izmodenov, V. V., Möbius, E., Leonard, T., Fuselier, S. A., Wurz, P., & McComas, D. J., (2014), Warm Breeze from the Starboard Bow: a New Population of Neutral Helium in the Heliosphere, The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 213, 29, [ADS].
Grzedzielski, S., Swaczyna, P., Czechowski, A., & Hilchenbach, M., (2014), Solar wind He pickup ions as source of tens-of-keV/n neutral He atoms observed by the HSTOF/SOHO detector, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 563, A134, [ADS].
Swaczyna, P., Grzedzielski, S., & Bzowski, M., (2014), Assessment of Energetic Neutral He Atom Intensities Expected from the IBEX Ribbon, The Astrophysical Journal, 782, 106, [ADS].

- 2013 -

Krawczyk, M., Sokołowska, D., Swaczyna, P., & Świeżewska, B., (2013), Constraining Inert Dark Matter by R_γγand WMAP data, Journal of High Energy Physics, 2013, 55, [ADS].
Krawczyk, M., Sokołowska, D., Swaczyna, P., & Świeżewska, B., (2013), Higgs → γγ, Zγ in the Inert Doublet Model, Acta Physica Polonica B, 44, 2163, [ADS].
Grzedzielski, S., Swaczyna, P., & Bzowski, M., (2013), Heavy coronal ions in the heliosphere. II. Expected fluxes of energetic neutral He atoms from the heliosheath, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 549, A76, [ADS].

- 2012 -

Stachlewska, I., Piądłowski, M., Migacz, S., Szkop, A., Zielińska, A., & Swaczyna, P., (2012), Ceilometer observations of the boundary layer over Warsaw, Poland, Acta Geophysica, 60, 1386, [ADS].