On 25 August 2012, Voyager 1 was at 122 astronomical units when the steady intensity of low-energy ions it had observed for the previous 6 years suddenly dropped for a third time and soon completely disappeared as the ions streamed away into interstellar space. Although the magnetic field observations indicate that Voyager 1 remained inside the heliosphere, the intensity of cosmic ray nuclei from outside the heliosphere abruptly increased. We report the spectra of galactic cosmic rays down to ~3 × 10(6) electron volts per nucleon, revealing H and He energy spectra with broad peaks from 10 × 10(6) to 40 × 10(6) electron volts per nucleon and an increasing galactic cosmic-ray electron intensity down to ~10 × 10(6) electron volts.

We report the abundances of neon isotopes in the galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) using data from the Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer (CRIS) aboard the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). These abundances have been measured for seven energy intervals over the energy range of 84≤E/M≤273 MeV/nucleon. We have derived the 22 Ne/ 20 Ne ratio at the cosmic-ray source using the measured 21 Ne, 19 F, and 17 O abundances as "tracers" of secondary production of the neon isotopes. Using this approach, the 22 Ne/ 20 Ne abundance ratio that we obtain for the cosmic-ray source is 0.387 ± 0.007 (stat.) ± 0.022 (syst.). This corresponds to an enhancement by a factor of 5.3±0.3 over the 22 Ne/ 20 Ne ratio in the solar wind. This cosmic-raysource 22 Ne/ 20 Ne ratio is also significantly larger than that found in anomalous cosmic rays, solar energetic particles, most meteoritic samples of matter, and interplanetary dust particles. We compare our ACE-CRIS data for neon and refractory isotope ratios, and data from other experiments, with recent results from two-component Wolf-Rayet (WR) models. The three largest deviations of GCR isotope ratios from solar-system ratios predicted by these models, 12 C/ 16 O, 22 Ne/ 20 Ne, and 58 Fe/ 56 Fe, are indeed present in the GCRs. In fact, all of the isotope ratios that we have measured are consistent with a GCR source consisting of about 80% material with solar-system composition and about 20% of WR material. Since WR stars are evolutionary products of OB stars, and most OB stars exist in OB associations that form superbubbles, the good agreement of these data with WR models suggests that superbubbles are the likely source of at least a substantial fraction of GCRs.

On or about 2012 August 25, the Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the heliopause into the nearby interstellar plasma. In the nearly three years that the spacecraft has been in interstellar space, three notable particle and field disturbances have been observed, each apparently associated with a shock wave propagating outward from the Sun. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the third and most impressive of these disturbances, with brief comparisons to the two previous events, both of which have been previously reported. The shock responsible for the third event was first detected on 2014 February 17 by the onset of narrowband radio emissions from the approaching shock, followed on 2014 May 13 by the abrupt appearance of intense electron plasma oscillations generated by electrons streaming outward ahead of the shock. Finally, the shock arrived on 2014 August 25, as indicated by a jump in the magnetic field strength and the plasma density. Various disturbances in the intensity and anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays were also observed ahead of the shock, some of which are believed to be caused by the reflection and acceleration of cosmic rays by the magnetic field jump at the shock, and/or by interactions with upstream plasma waves. Comparisons to the two previous weaker events show somewhat similar precursor effects, although differing in certain details. Many of these effects are very similar to those observed in the region called the "foreshock" that occurs upstream of planetary bow shocks, only on a vastly larger spatial scale.

Abstract-The Proton/Electron Telescope (PET) on SAMPEX is designed to provide measurements of energetic electrons and light nuclei from solar, galactic, and magnetospheric sources. PET is an all solid-state system that will measure the differential energy spectra of electrons from -1 to -30 MeV and H and He nuclei from -20 to -300 MeV/nuc, with isotope resolution of H and He extending from -20 to -80 MeVlnuc. As SAMPEX scans all local times and geomagnetic cutoffs over the course of its near-polar orbit, PET will characterize precipitating relativistic electron events during periods of declining solar activity, and it will examine whether the production rate of odd nitrogen and hydrogen molecules in the middle atmosphere by precipitating electrons is sufficient to affect 0 3 depletion. In addition, PET will complement studies of the elemental and isotopic composition of energetic heavy ( Z > 2) nuclei on SAMPEX by providing measurements of H, He, and electrons. Finally, PET has limited capability to identify energetic positrons from potential natural and man-made sources.

Using data from the Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft, we examine the energy spectra of anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs) during 1992–1994, a period of rapidly increasing intensities of these particles in the outer heliosphere. The 1992 period appears to be in nonequilibrium, marked by a rapid decrease in the tilt of the current sheet from ∼63° to ∼35° and a complex, evolving magnetic topology that affects interplanetary drifts and drift acceleration along the solar wind termination shock. In addition, large propagating interplanetary disturbances in 1991 may have weakened the shock temporarily, reducing the intensity of accelerated ions. The 1993–1994 period appears to be in quasi‐equilibrium, marked by a stable tilt of the current sheet and a steady, large‐scale magnetic topology that provides stable conditions for propagation and acceleration. The ACR intensities of higher‐rigidity particles rise slowly during this period, suggesting that the shock intensity has stabilized. At lower rigidities the ACR intensities are increasing rapidly, which we attribute to decreasing modulation. During 1994 days 157–209, we estimate that the shock was at 85 ± 5 AU. The shock strength s is estimated to be 2.63 ± 0.14, significantly weaker than a strong shock (s = 4) and consistent with a termination shock modified by the pressure of galactic cosmic rays. By comparing these 1994 observations with those made in 1987, we estimate that the latitudinal gradient of ACR He with energies 31–57 MeV nucleon−1 is ∼1.9%/deg along the shock from the equator to the pole. We estimate that the ratio of the efficiency of injection of He+ to H+ pickup ions into the acceleration process is 7.0 ± 1.6.