Suprathermal H+ Pickup Ion Tails in the Outer Heliosphere

Abstract

This study provides a detailed analysis of five distant interplanetary shocks observed by the Solar Wind Around Pluto instrument on board New Horizons, which exhibit the signature of a suprathermal H+ pickup ion (PUI) tail in the downstream distribution. These shocks were observed with a PUI data cadence of approximately 24 hr, covering a heliocentric distance range of 23.71–36.75 au. The shock compression ratio varies between approximately 1.4 and 3.2. The H+ PUI density and temperature show a gradual increase across the shock, while the H+ solar wind density shows erratic behavior without a distinct downstream compression. The H+ PUI cooling index variation across the shock displays different characteristics in each shock. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the variation of the number density of downstream H+ PUI tails with the shock compression ratio, revealing an increase in tail density with stronger shocks. Additionally, theoretical estimates of reflected PUI number densities derived from the electrostatic cross-shock potential agree very well with the observed H+ PUI tail densities for stronger shocks.