Recent Voyager 1 data indicate that on 25 August 2012 at a distance of 121.7 AU from the Sun, sudden and unprecedented intensity changes were observed in anomalous and galactic cosmic rays
Abstract
At the Voyager 1 (V1) spacecraft in the outer heliosphere, the intensities of both anomalous cosmic rays and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) changed suddenly and decisively on 25 August (121.7 AU from the Sun). Within a matter of a few days, the intensity of 1.9-2.7 MeV protons and helium nuclei had decreased to less than 0.1 of their previous value, and eventually the intensities decreased by factors of at least 300-500. Also, on 25 August, the GCR protons, helium, and electrons increased suddenly in just 2 or 3 days by a factor of up to 2. The intensities of the GCR nuclei of all energies from 2 to 400 MeV then remained essentially constant with intensity levels and spectra that may represent the local GCR. The suddenness of these intensity changes indicates that V1 has crossed a well-defined boundary for energetic particles at this time possibly related to the heliopause.
- Publication:
-
Geophysical Research Letters
- Pub Date:
- May 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1002/grl.50383
- Bibcode:
- 2013GeoRL..40.1665W
- Keywords:
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- cosmic rays;
- heliosphere;
- Earth Science