The heliospheric current sheet and cosmic-ray transport in the heliosheath

Journal Article · Mon May 21 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4723599· OSTI ID:22004032

Florinski, V ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville (United States)

I propose a new mechanism of energetic particle transport in a heliosheath plasma that involves a tightly folded heliospheric current sheet. The distance between magnetic sectors of opposite polarity decreases with increasing heliocentric distance from the termination shock toward the heliopause, due to a slowdown of the flow of heliosheath plasma. If the sector width is comparable or smaller than the cyclotron radius of a galactic cosmic ray ion, the latter can efficiently traverse a stack of sectors via a drift-like or a diffusive mechanism. This mechanism could be responsible for record high intensities of galactic cosmic rays measured by Voyager 1 during 2010-2011. I also discuss the effects of the solar-cycle variations of the current sheet tilt for magnetic field topology in the vicinity of the heliopause and its implications for particle transport in that region.

• OSTI ID: 22004032
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1436; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPCS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ASTROPHYSICS
COSMIC NUCLEI
COSMIC RAY PROPAGATION
HELIOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETISM
PLASMA
PLASMA SHEATH
RADIATION TRANSPORT
SHOCK WAVES
SLOWING-DOWN
SOLAR CYCLE
SOLAR WIND
VARIATIONS
VOYAGER SPACE PROBES