ionopausen.
/ʌɪˈɒnəpɔːz/, U.S. /aɪˈɑnəˌpɔz/, /aɪˈɑnəˌpɑz/ Astronomy.
A region in the atmosphere of Venus within which there is an abrupt decrease in ionization, separating an ionosphere below from a region above where the solar wind is dominant; an analogous region on other planets that like Venus have no magnetic field.The ionopause on Venus was reported in Science (1967) 29 Dec. 1678, but is there termed a plasmapause.
ΚΠ
1968 R. Jastrow in Science 28 June 1404/1 The solar wind is deflected and flows over and around the boundary of the ionosphere, just as the magnetosphere of Earth is encapsulated. The bounding surface of the ionosphere may be called the Venus ionopause.
1979 New Scientist 8 Feb. 391/2 The spacecraft confirmed that the height of the ionopause varies with changes in the solar wind.
2005 M. Blanc et al. in T. Encrenaz et al. Outer Planets & their Moons 286 An ionopause, separating a region free of Saturn's magnetic field and a magnetized region, has been observed by Voyager 1.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1968