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We highlight the importance of magnetic reconnection at the heliopause, both as one of the key processes driving the interaction between solar and interstellar media, but also as an element of the definition of the heliopause itself. We highlight the main observations that have fed the current debates on the definition, location and shape of the heliopause. We explain that discriminating between the current interpretations of plasma and magnetic field structures near the heliopause necessitates appropriate measurements which are lacking on Voyager 1 and 2, and describe some of the ensuing requirements for thermal plasma measurements on a future Interstellar Probe. The content of this article was submitted as a white paper contribution to the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics 2024–2033 of the National Academy of Sciences.

STEREO/PLASTIC determines three-dimensional distributions of solar wind iron ions with unprecedented time resolution. Typically 300 to 1000 counts are registered within each 5 min time interval. For the present study we use the information contained in these distributions to characterize CIRs (Corotating Interaction Regions) in two test cases. We perform a consistency test for both the derived physical parameters and for the analytical model of CIRs of Lee (2000). At 1 AU we find that apart from compositional changes the most indicative parameter for marking the time when a CIR passes a spacecraft is the angular deflection of the flow vector of particles. Changes in particle densities and the changes in magnitudes of speeds are apparently less reliable indicators of stream interfaces.

Two distinct populations of reflected and accelerated ions are known to originate from quasi-perpendicular shocks, gyrating ions and reflected ion beams. Recent observations under such bow shock conditions with Cluster have shown strong evidence that both particle distributions appear to emerge from the same reflection process. In this paper the basic production mechanism of field-aligned beams has been investigated by using CLUSTER multi-spacecraft measurements. We have analyzed several quasi-perpendicular shocks with the Cluster Ion Spectrometry experiment (CIS) and followed the spatial and temporal evolution of the reflected and transmitted ion populations across the shock. These observations show that the field-aligned beams most likely result from effective scattering in pitch angle during reflection in the shock ramp. Investigating a low Mach number shock, leakage of a fraction of the thermalized ion distribution in the downstream region does not appear to be the source as the volume in phase space occupied by beam ions is empty downstream of the shock ramp.

Recent simultaneous observations of cusp structures with Polar, FAST and Interball revealed remarkably similar features at spacecraft crossing the cusp. Such stable cusp structures could be observed up to several hours only during stable solar wind conditions. Their similarities led to the conclusion that for such conditions large-scale cusp structures are spatial structures related to a global ionospheric convection pattern and not the result of temporal variations in reconnection parameters. With the launch of the Cluster fleet we are now able to observe precipitating ion structures in the cusp with three spacecraft and identical instrumentation. The orbit configuration of the Cluster spacecraft allows for delay times between spacecraft of about 45 min in crossing the cusp. The compact configuration of three spacecraft at about the same altitude allows for the analysis of cusp structures in great de-tail and during changing solar wind conditions. Cluster observations on 25 July 2001 are combined with SuperDARN radar observations that are used to derive a convection pattern in the ionosphere. We found that large-scale cusp structures for this Cluster cusp crossing are in agreement with structures in the convection pattern and conclude that major cusp structures can be consistent with a spatial phenomenon.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (energetic particles, precipitating, magnetopause, cusp arid and boundary layers; solar wind-magnetosphere interactions)

Launched on an elliptical high inclination orbit (apogee: 19.6 RE) since January 2001 the Cluster satellites have been conducting the first detailed three-dimensional studies of the high-latitude dayside magnetosphere, including the exterior cusp, neighbouring boundary layers and magnetopause regions. Cluster satellites carry the CIS ion spectrometers that provide high-precision, 3D distributions of low-energy (RE from the reconnection site.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers; magnetosheath) Space plasma physics (magnetic reconnection)

On board the four Cluster spacecraft, the Cluster Ion Spectrometry (CIS) experiment measures the full, three-dimensional ion distribution of the major magnetospheric ions (H+, He+, He++, and O+) from the thermal energies to about 40 keV/e. The experiment consists of two different instruments: a COmposition and DIstribution Function analyser (CIS1/CODIF), giving the mass per charge composition with medium (22.5°) angular resolution, and a Hot Ion Analyser (CIS2/HIA), which does not offer mass resolution but has a better angular resolution (5.6°) that is adequate for ion beam and solar wind measurements. Each analyser has two different sensitivities in order to increase the dynamic range. First tests of the instruments (commissioning activities) were achieved from early September 2000 to mid January 2001, and the operation phase began on 1 February 2001. In this paper, first results of the CIS instruments are presented showing the high level performances and capabilities of the instruments. Good examples of data were obtained in the central plasma sheet, magnetopause crossings, magnetosheath, solar wind and cusp measurements. Observations in the auroral regions could also be obtained with the Cluster spacecraft at radial distances of 4–6 Earth radii. These results show the tremendous interest of multispacecraft measurements with identical instruments and open a new area in magnetospheric and solar wind-magnetosphere interaction physics.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; magnetopheric configuration and dynamics; solar wind - magnetosphere interactions)

During the early orbit phase, the Cluster spacecraft have repeatedly crossed the perpendicular Earth’s bow shock and provided the first multi-spacecraft measurements. We have analyzed data from the Cluster Ion Spectrometry experiment (CIS), which observes the 3D-ion distribution function of the major species in the energy range of 5 eV to 40 keV with a 4 s resolution. Beams of reflected ions were observed simultaneously at all spacecraft locations and could be tracked from upstream to the shock itself. They were found to originate from the same distribution of ions that constitutes the reflected gyrating ions, which form a ring distribution in the velocity space immediately upstream and downstream of the shock. This observation suggests a common origin of ring and beam populations at quasi-perpendicular shocks in the form of specular reflection and immediate pitch angle scattering. Generally, the spatial evolution across the shock is very similar on all spacecraft, but phased in time according to their relative location. However, a distinct temporal structure of the ion fluxes in the field-aligned beam is observed that varies simultaneously on all spacecraft. This is likely to reflect the variations in the reflection and scattering efficiencies.Key words. Interplanetary physics (planetary bow shocks; energetic particles; instruments and techniques)

We study compressional pulsations in Pc5 frequency range observed in the dawn-side at distances of about 10 RE , close to the magnetic equator. We use data obtained during two events of conjunctions between Equator-S and Geotail: 1000–1700 UT on 9 March 1998, and 0200–0600 UT on 25 April 1998. In both events, pulsations are observed after substorm activity. The pulsations are antisymmetric with respect to the equatorial plane (even mode), and move eastward with phase velocity close to plasma velocity. The pulsations tend to be pressure balanced. We also discuss possible generation mechanisms of the pulsations.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetospheric configuration and dynamics; MHD waves and instabilities; plasma sheet)

In a system with at least one ignorable spatial dimension charged particles moving in fluctuating fields are tied to the magnetic field lines. Thus, in one-and two-dimensional simulations cross-field diffusion is inhibited and important physics may be lost. We have investigated cross-field diffusion in self-consistent 3-D magnetic turbulence by fully 3-dimensional hybrid simulation (macro-particle ions, massless electron fluid). The turbulence is generated by the electromagnetic ion/ion beam instability. A cold, low density, ion beam with a high velocity stream relative to the background plasma excites the right-hand resonant instability. Such ion beams may be important in the region of the Earth's foreshock. The field turbulence scatters the beam ions parallel as well as perpendicular to the magnetic field. We have determined the parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficient for the beam ions in the turbulent wave field. The result compares favourably well (within a factor 2) with hard-sphere scattering theory for the cross-field diffusion coefficient. The cross-field diffusion coefficient is larger than that obtained in a static field with a Kolmogorov type spectrum and similar total fluctuation power. This is attributed to the resonant behaviour of the particles in the fluctuating field.

Data from Equator-S and Geotail are used to study the dynamics of the plasma sheet observed during a substorm with multiple intensifications on 25 April 1998, when both spacecraft were located in the early morning sector (03–04 MLT) at a radial distance of 10–11 RE. In association with the onset of a poleward expansion of the aurora and the westward electrojet in the premidnight and midnight sector, both satellites in the morning sector observed plasma sheet thinning and changes toward a more tail-like field configuration. During the subsequent poleward expansion in a wider local time sector (20–04 MLT), on the other hand, the magnetic field configuration at both satellites changed into a more dipolar configuration and both satellites encountered again the hot plasma sheet. High-speed plasma flows with velocities of up to 600 km/s and lasting 2–5 min were observed in the plasma sheet and near its boundary during this plasma sheet expansion. These high-speed flows included significant dawn-dusk flows and had a shear structure. They may have been produced by an induced electric field at the local dipolarization region and/or by an enhanced pressure gradient associated with the injection in the midnight plasma sheet.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetospheric configuration and dynamics; plasma sheet; storms and substorms)

Equator-S frequently encountered, i.e. on 30% of the orbits between 1 March and 17 April 1998, strong variations of the magnetic field strength of typically 5–15-min duration outside about 9RE during the late-night/early-morning hours. Very high-plasma beta values were found, varying between 1 and 10 or more. Close conjunctions between Equator-S and Geotail revealed the spatial structure of these "plasma blobs" and their lifetime. They are typically 5–10° wide in longitude and have an antisymmetric plasma or magnetic pressure distribution with respect to the equator, while being altogether low-latitude phenomena (≤ 15°). They drift slowly sunward, exchange plasma across the equator and have a lifetime of at least 15–30 min. While their spatial structure may be due to some sort of mirror instability, little is known about the origin of the high-beta plasma. It is speculated that the morningside boundary layer somewhat further tailward may be the source of this plasma. This would be consistent with the preference of the plasma blobs to occur during quiet conditions, although they are also found during substorm periods. The relation to auroral phenomena in the morningside oval is uncertain. The energy deposition may be mostly too weak to generate a visible signature. However, patchy aurora remains a candidate for more disturbed periods.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (plasma convection; plasma sheet; plasma waves and instabilities)

We have performed a number of one-dimensional hybrid simulations (particle ions, massless electron fluid) of quasi-parallel collisionless shocks in order to investigate the injection and subsequent acceleration of part of the solar wind ions at the Earth's bow shock. The shocks propagate into a medium containing magnetic fluctuations, which are initially superimposed on the background field, as well as generated or enhanced by the electromagnetic ion/ion beam instability between the solar wind and backstreaming ions. In order to study the mass (M) and charge (Q) dependence of the acceleration process He2+ is included self-consistently. The upstream differential intensity spectra of H+ and He2+ can be well represented by exponentials in energy. The e-folding energy Ec is a function of time: Ec increases with time. Furthermore the e-folding energy (normalized to the shock ramming energy Ep) increases with increasing Alfvén Mach number of the shock and with increasing fluctuation level of the initially superimposed turbulence. When backstreaming ions leave the shock after their first encounter they exhibit already a spectrum which extends to more than ten times the shock ramming energy and which is ordered in energy per charge. From the injection spectrum it is concluded that leakage of heated downstream particles does not contribute to ion injection. Acceleration models that permit thermal particles to scatter like the non-thermal population do not describe the correct physics.Key words. Interplanetary physics (planetary bow shocks) · Space plasma physics (charged particle motion and acceleration; numerical simulation studies)

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is a NASA satellite in Earth orbit, dedicated to observing interstellar neutral (ISN) atoms entering the heliosphere and energetic neutral atoms from the heliosheath from 11 eV to 6 keV. This work presents comprehensive maps of ISN hydrogen observed with IBEX at energies between 11 and 41 eV, covering almost an entire solar cycle from 2009 to 2018. ISN hydrogen measurements can provide information on the interstellar medium and on the heliosphere that modifies the incoming ISN flow. Whereas hydrogen is the dominant species in the unperturbed interstellar medium, most ISN hydrogen atoms crossing into the heliosphere do not reach the inner solar system: some are filtered out around the heliopause, while others are held off by solar radiation pressure or may be ionized as they approach the Sun. This paper presents and evaluates several approaches for generating model-free maps of ISN hydrogen from IBEX measurements. We discuss the basic implications of our results for ISN hydrogen inflow and outline the remaining discrepancies between observations and model predictions. Our maps show, during weak solar activity from 2009 to 2011, a clear signal of ISN hydrogen for ecliptic longitudes between 240° and 310°, roughly one month after the signal of ISN helium has peaked. When the solar activity approached its maximum around 2014, the ISN hydrogen signal weakened and dropped below the detection threshold because of increasing solar radiation pressure and ionization. The ISN hydrogen signal then reappeared in 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive study of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) of 10 eV to 2.5 keV from the downwind hemisphere of the heliosphere. These ENAs are believed to originate mostly from pickup protons and solar-wind protons in the inner heliosheath. This study includes all low-energy observations made with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer over the first eight years. Because the protons around 0.1 keV dominate the plasma pressure within the inner heliosheath in downwind direction, these ENA observations offer the unique opportunity to constrain the plasma properties and dimensions of the heliosheath where no in situ observations are available. We first derive energy spectra of ENA intensities averaged over time for 49 macropixels covering the entire downwind hemisphere. The results confirm previous studies regarding integral intensities and the roll-over around 0.1 keV energy. With the expanded data set, we now find that ENA intensities at 0.2 and 0.1 keV seem to anti-correlate with solar activity. We then derive the product of total plasma pressure and emission thickness of protons in the heliosheath to estimate lower limits on the thickness of the inner heliosheath. The temporally averaged ENA intensities support a rather spherical shape of the termination shock and a heliosheath thickness between 150 and 210 au for most regions of the downwind hemisphere. Around the nominal downwind direction of 76° ecliptic longitude, the heliosheath is at least 280 au thick. There, the neutral hydrogen density seems to be depleted compared to upwind directions by roughly a factor of 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative analysis of the interstellar heavy (oxygen and neon) atom fluxes obtained by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) suggests the existence of the secondary interstellar oxygen component. This component is formed near the heliopause due to charge exchange of interstellar oxygen ions with hydrogen atoms, as was predicted theoretically. A detailed quantitative analysis of the fluxes of interstellar heavy atoms is only possible with a model that takes into account both the filtration of primary and the production of secondary interstellar oxygen in the boundary region of the heliosphere as well as a detailed simulation of the motion of interstellar atoms inside the heliosphere. This simulation must take into account photoionization, charge exchange with the protons of the solar wind and solar gravitational attraction. This paper presents the results of modeling interstellar oxygen and neon atoms through the heliospheric interface and inside the heliosphere based on a three-dimensional kinetic-MHD model of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium and a comparison of these results with the data obtained on the IBEX spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The direct measurements of interstellar matter by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission have opened a new and important chapter in our study of the interactions that control the boundaries of our heliosphere. Here we derive for the quantitative information about interstellar O flow parameters from IBEX low-energy neutral atom data for the first time. Specifically, we derive a relatively narrow four-dimensional parameter tube along which interstellar O flow parameters must lie. Along the parameter tube, we find a large uncertainty in interstellar O flow longitude, 76.°0 ± 3.°4 from χ2 analysis and 76.°5 ± 6.°2 from a maximum likelihood fit, which is statistically consistent with the flow longitude derived for interstellar He, 75.°6 ± 1.°4. The best-fit O and He temperatures are almost identical at a reference flow longitude of 76°, which provides a strong indication that the local interstellar plasma near the Sun is relatively unaffected by turbulent heating. However, key differences include an oxygen parameter tube for the interstellar speed (relation between speed and longitude) that has higher speeds than those in the corresponding parameter tube for He, and an upstream flow latitude for oxygen that is southward of the upstream flow latitude for helium. Both of these differences are likely the result of enhanced filtration of interstellar oxygen due to its charge-exchange ionization rate, which is higher than that for helium. Furthermore, we derive an interstellar O density near the termination shock of cm−3 that, within uncertainties, is consistent with previous estimates. Thus, we use IBEX data to probe the interstellar properties of oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an improved analysis of the energy spectrum of energetic neutral hydrogen from the heliosheath observed with the IBEX-Lo sensor on the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer from the years 2009 to 2012. This analysis allows us to study the lowest energies between 10 and 100 eV although various background sources are more intense than the targeted signal over broad areas of the sky. The results improve our knowledge of the interaction region between our heliosphere and the interstellar plasma because these neutral atoms are direct messengers from the low-energy plasma in the heliosheath. We find a roll-over of the energy spectrum below 100 eV, which has major implications for the pressure balance of the plasma in the inner heliosheath. The results can also be compared directly with in situ observations of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]