Triangle for the entropic index q of non-extensive statistical mechanics observed by Voyager 1 in the distant heliosphere

Tsallis [Physica A 340 (2004) 1] identified a set of numbers, the "q-triplet" = {q(stat),q(sen),q(rel)} system described by nonextensive statistical mechanics. The deviation of the q's from unity is a measure of the departure from thermodynamic equilibrium. We present observations of the q-triplets derived from two sets of daily averages of the magnetic field strength B observed by Voyager 1 in the solar wind near 40 AU during 1989 and near 85 AU during 2002, respectively. The results for 1989 do not differ significantly from those for 2002. We find q(stat) = 1.75 +/- 0.06, q(sen), = -0.6 +/- 0.2, and q(rel) = 3.8 +/- 0.3.