Anisotropies of 40–139 keV Ions Measured beyond the Termination Shock and in the Very Local Interstellar Medium

Abstract We analyze the count rates of 40–139 keV ions that were measured in situ by the Low Energy Charged Particle instrument on Voyager 1 in order to identify the suprathermal ion anisotropies beyond the termination shock and in the very local interstellar (IS) medium (VLISM). The analysis results in a region of ∼9–10 au before the heliopause (HP) where the radial anisotropy of ions is negative, while the azimuthal ion anisotropy inside the heliosheath lies in the − T direction. In agreement to our previous analyses, we identify a positive radial anisotropy of ions up to at least ∼30 au beyond the HP, which becomes nearly zero from 2021 up to 2023 November (for ∼10 au). Notably, the anisotropy in the azimuthal direction is statistically zero throughout the upstream region, i.e., for ∼40 au past the HP, showing that the 40–139 keV ion anisotropy in the VLISM is only in the radial direction and has no azimuthal component. The presence of suprathermal ions of solar origin over such long spatial scales in the VLISM, along with the inflow of ions from IS space into the heliosheath, are important constraints for characterizing the interaction of the heliosheath with the VLISM. Our observations provide indications that V1 has entered a new regime in the VLISM since (at least) the year 2021, progressively developing characteristics akin to the pristine IS medium. Alternatively, this drop to nearly zero radial anisotropies beyond 2021 could be a manifestation of a prolonged compression/shock of solar origin.