Voyager 2 observations of plasmas and flows out to 104 AU
- Kavli Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
Voyager 2 has crossed through 20 AU of the heliosheath; assuming the same heliosheath thickness as at Voyager 1, it is now two-thirds of the way to the heliopause. The plasma data are generally of good quality, although the increasing flow angle of the plasma makes analysis more difficult. The average plasma speed has remained constant but the flow angles have increased to almost 60° in the RT plane and to almost 30° in the RN plane. The average density and thermal speed have been constant since a density increase observed in 2011. Comparison of V2 plasma flows derived from plasma science experiment (PLS) data and Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) proton anisotropies give good agreement except when heavy ion contributions or non-convective proton anisotropies are observed in the LECP data.
- OSTI ID:
- 22365087
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 792, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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