DISTANCE TO THE SOLAR-WIND TERMINATION SHOCK AND THE SOURCE FLUX OF ANOMALOUS COSMIC-RAYS DURING 1986-1988

Citation
Ac. Cummings et al., DISTANCE TO THE SOLAR-WIND TERMINATION SHOCK AND THE SOURCE FLUX OF ANOMALOUS COSMIC-RAYS DURING 1986-1988, J GEO R-S P, 99(A6), 1994, pp. 11547-11552
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Geosciences, Interdisciplinary","Astronomy & Astrophysics","Metereology & Atmospheric Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS
ISSN journal
21699380 → ACNP
Volume
99
Issue
A6
Year of publication
1994
Pages
11547 - 11552
Database
ISI
SICI code
2169-9380(1994)99:A6<11547:DTTSTS>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
We use observations of the intensity of anomalous cosmic ray helium an d oxygen in the outer heliosphere near the last solar minimum period, in conjunction with solar observations of the tilt of the neutral curr ent sheet, to estimate that the solar wind termination shock was at 67 +/- 5 AU during the time period 1986.7-1988.5. We find the source flu x of anomalous cosmic rays at the shock to be 1.7 +/- 0.3 (M2 s sr MeV /nucleon)-1 for 7.1-17.1 MeV/nucleon anomalous cosmic ray oxygen and 4 .3 +/-0.8 (M2 s sr MeV/nucleon)-1 for 31-57 MeV/nucleon anomalous cosm ic ray helium. We also estimate a source flux of anomalous cosmic ray hydrogen of 2.3 +/-0.6 (m2 s sr MeV)-1 at 134 MeV. The resulting energ y density of anomalous cosmic rays at the solar wind termination shock is approximately 0.03 eV/cm3, approximately 2% of the energy density of the solar wind at 67 AU.