Recovery of 150-250 MeV Cosmic Ray Proton Intensities Between 2004-2010 as Measured Near the Earth, at Voyager 2 and also in the Heliosheath at Voyager 1 - A Two Zone Heliosphere

TL;DR

This study models cosmic ray proton intensities between 2004-2010 across the heliosphere, revealing how diffusion coefficients vary with location and time, and explaining observed intensity changes at Earth, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2.

Contribution

It introduces a simple two-zone heliospheric transport model with specific diffusion coefficients that accurately describes cosmic ray intensity variations at multiple locations.

Findings

Outer heliosphere acts as a diffusing barrier.

Diffusion coefficients vary with time and location.

Model explains intensity differences at Voyager 1 and 2.

Abstract

The recovery of cosmic ray protons of energy ~150-250 MeV/nuc in solar cycle #23 from 2004 to 2010 has been followed at the Earth using IMP, ACE and balloon data and also at V2 between 74-92 AU and at V1 beyond the heliospheric termination shock (91-113 AU). The correlation coefficient between the intensities the Earth and V1 during this time period, is 0.936, allowing for a ~0.9 year delay due to the solar wind propagation time from the Earth to the outer heliosphere. To describe these intensity changes and to predict the absolute intensities measured at all three locations we have used a simple spherically symmetric (no drift) two-zone heliospheric transport model with specific values for the diffusion coefficient in both the inner and outer zones. The diffusion coefficient in the outer zone, from about 90 to 120 (130) AU, is determined to be ~5-10 times smaller than that in the inner zone out to 90 AU. This means that the outer zone acts much like a diffusing barrier in this model. The absolute magnitude of the intensities and the intensity changes at V1 and the Earth are described to within a few percent by a diffusion coefficient that varies with time by a factor ~4 in the inner zone and only ~1.8 (1.25) in the outer zone over the time period from 2004-2010. These diffusion coefficients and their variations are essentially the same as those derived earlier from a similar study using He nuclei of the same energy. This model and the diffusion coefficients used provide a total modulation potential at the Earth ~250 MV in 2009. The difference ~10-20% between calculated and observed intensities at V2 can be explained if the heliosphere is squashed by ~10% in distance (non-spherical) so that the HTS is closer to the Sun in the direction of V2 compared to V1.