PICKUP ION DYNAMICS AT THE HELIOSPHERIC TERMINATION SHOCK OBSERVED BY VOYAGER 2

Journal Article · Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/715/2/1109· OSTI ID:21450919

Burrows, R H; Zank, G P; Webb, G M ^[1]; Burlaga, L F ^[2]; Ness, N F ^[3]

---

1. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)
2. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)
3. The Catholic University of America, Washington DC 20064 (United States)

The recent Voyager 2 (V2) observations of the termination shock (TS) indicate that it is a plasma shock unlike any other in the heliosphere with the dynamics and structure heavily influenced by the presence of an energized population of pickup ions (PUIs). The 'unexpected' finding of cold plasma downstream of the TS in the heliosheath, corresponding to very little heating of the thermal solar wind (SW), suggests that the energy dissipated by the shock is dominated by the energization of PUIs at the TS. We examine the 'shock surfing' mechanism at the test particle level, where multiply reflected ions (MRIs) gain energy from the motional electric field as a consequence of reflection from the cross-shock potential (CSP), for a model of the TS3 (the third TS crossing measured by V2). The energization of PUI filled-shell distributions at a stationary, perpendicular model of the TS3 indicates that shock surfing can provide both substantial PUI acceleration and a dissipation mechanism at the TS. For a sufficiently strong CSP and sufficiently narrow shock ramp MRI acceleration can account for the 'missing' energy of the downstream SW plasma.

• OSTI ID: 21450919
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 715, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/715/2/1109; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
COLD PLASMA
ELECTRIC FIELDS
HELIOSPHERE
IONS
PLASMA ACCELERATION
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR WIND
SUN
TEST PARTICLES
VOYAGER SPACE PROBES
ACCELERATION
ATMOSPHERES
CHARGED PARTICLES
MAIN SEQUENCE STARS
PLASMA
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
SPACE VEHICLES
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
STELLAR WINDS
VEHICLES