We study a sample of sector boundaries observed by Ulysses near its early 1
998 aphelion at 5.4 AU. We relate these sector boundaries to solar wind str
ucture seen by Wind at 1 AU, guided by a hydrodynamic simulation. For each
Ulysses sector boundary we are able to identify a corresponding 1 AU sector
boundary, except when strong transients are present. Sector boundaries app
ear embedded in complex plasma structures that generally are in a state of
pressure balance. Minimum variance analysis confirms the tangential discont
inuity nature of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) and indicates that th
e current sheet tends to be inclined more steeply than at 1 AU (HCS normal
closer to the equatorial plane and nearly radially outward). We discuss evi
dence for the nonplanarity of the current sheet. Magnetic field depressions
are characteristic features of the sector boundaries. We attribute them to
particles that are magnetically confined inside the current sheet and that
carry the diamagnetic current responsible far the large magnetic field rot
ation.