DISCONNECTION FROM THE TERMINATION SHOCK: THE END OF THE VOYAGER PARADOX

Journal Article · Wed Oct 10 00:00:00 EDT 2012 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/758/1/19· OSTI ID:22092121

McComas, D. J.

The most recent Voyager 1 observations show rapidly increasing galactic cosmic ray fluxes with simultaneously decreasing anomalous cosmic ray fluxes. While this has been suggested to somehow herald the imminent crossing of the heliopause, which bounds the heliosphere, we show that such observations should naturally arise from the heliosphere's global magnetic topology. For a blunt termination shock, there must be a region of magnetic flux, still inside the heliopause, but beyond the last magnetic connection point to the termination shock, with poorer access for the shock-accelerated anomalous cosmic rays and better access for the galactic cosmic rays entering the heliosphere.

• OSTI ID: 22092121
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 758, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
ASTRONOMY
ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY FLUX
HELIOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
SUN
TOPOLOGY
VOYAGER SPACE PROBES