Reconnection at the Heliopause: Comparing the Voyager 1 and 2 Heliopause Crossings

Voyager 1 and 2 observed very different boundary layers adjacent to their respective heliopause crossings. Voyager 1 observed a very thick boundary layer in the inner heliosheath while Voyager 2 observed a very thin boundary layer. Voyager 2 observed a thick magnetic barrier with enhanced total magnetic field in the inner heliosheath while Voyager 1 did not observe a similar barrier. Predicted and observed plasma properties in the inner and outer heliosheath and the magnetic shear at the heliopause crossings are used to investigate the possibility of local reconnection at the heliopause crossings. For the Voyager 1 crossing, local reconnection is suppressed. However, for the Voyager 2 crossing, the magnetic barrier reduced plasma beta in the inner heliosheath and may have facilitated local magnetic reconnection at the heliopause.