Data from the plasma and magnetic field instruments on Voyager 2 indicate that non-thermal ion distributions probably play key roles in mediating dynamical processes at the termination shock and in the heliosheath. Intensities of low-energy ions measured at Voyager 2 produce non-thermal partial ion pressures in the heliosheath that are comparable to (or exceed) both the thermal plasma pressures and the scalar magnetic field pressures. The acceleration of ions extracts a large fraction of bulk flow kinetic energy from the incident solar wind.
- R. B. Decker
- S. M. Krimigis
- L. J. Lanzerotti
