Nathan Schwadron, University of New Hampshire

Topic: "Has Voyager 1 Really Crossed the Heliopause?"  (Video)

ABSTRACT: On Dec 3, 2013, a remarkable thing happened, marking a significant step forward for heliophysics: Ed Stone appeared on the Colbert Report announcing that Voyager 1 has crossed into interstellar space. The show was fantastic with both Ed Stone and Colbert delivering their respective A-games! But there is a potential problem with the interpretation. The puzzle is why Voyager 1 is continuing to measure a magnetic field remarkably similar to the direction inside the heliopause and inside the heliosphere. The observations by Voyager 1 of the direction of the “interstellar magnetic field” directly contradict the interstellar magnetic field direction inferred by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) based on the IBEX ribbon that is believed to line up perpendicular to the interstellar magnetic field. We will show that the interpretation of Voyager 1 also contradicts observations by ground-based observatories that measure very high energy TeV cosmic ray anisotropies. We will discuss the new Voyager 1 controversy, several ideas for potential resolution, and ultimately attempt to answer the question of whether Colbert got it wrong.