Termination Shock Asymmetries as Seen by the Voyager Spacecraft: The Role of the Interstellar Magnetic Field and Neutral Hydrogen

Abstract

We show that asymmetries of the termination shock due to the influence of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) are considerably smaller in the presence of neutral hydrogen atoms, which tend to symmetrize the heliopause, the termination shock, and the bow shock due to charge exchange with charged particles. This leads to a much stronger restriction on the ISMF direction and its strength. We demonstrate that in the presence of the interplanetary magnetic field the plane defined by the local interstellar medium (LISM) velocity and magnetic field vectors does not exactly coincide with the plane defined by the interstellar neutral helium and hydrogen velocity vectors in the supersonic solar wind region, which limits the accuracy of the inferred direction of the ISMF. We take into account the tilt of the LISM velocity vector with respect to the ecliptic plane and show that magnetic fields as strong as 3 μG or greater may be necessary to account for the observed asymmetry. Estimates are made of the longitudinal streaming anisotropy of energetic charged particles at the termination shock caused by the nonalignment of the interplanetary magnetic field with its surface. By investigating the behavior of interplanetary magnetic field lines that cross the Voyager 1 trajectory in the inner heliosheath, we estimate the length of the trajectory segment that is directly connected by these lines to the termination shock. A possible effect of the ISMF draping over the heliopause is discussed in connection with radio emission generated in the outer heliosheath.

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