The Confinement of the Heliosheath Plasma by the Solar Magnetic Field as Revealed by Energetic Neutral Atom Simulations

Abstract

Abstract Traditionally, the solar magnetic field has been considered to have a negligible effect in the outer regions of the heliosphere. Recent works have shown that the solar magnetic field may play a crucial role in collimating the plasma in the heliosheath. Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observations of the heliotail indicated a latitudinal structure varying with energy in the energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes. At energies ∼1 keV, the ENA fluxes show an enhancement at low latitudes and a deficit of ENAs near the poles. At energies >2.7 keV, ENA fluxes had a deficit within low latitudes, and lobes of higher ENA flux near the poles. This ENA structure was initially interpreted to be a result of the latitudinal profile of the solar wind during solar minimum. We extend the work of Kornbleuth et al. by using solar minimum–like conditions and the recently developed Solar-wind with Hydrogen Ion Exchange and Large-scale Dynamics (SHIELD) model. The SHIELD model couples the magnetohydrodynamic plasma solution with a kinetic description of neutral hydrogen. We show that while the latitudinal profile of the solar wind during solar minimum contributes to the lobes in ENA maps, the collimation by the solar magnetic field is important in creating and shaping the two high-latitude lobes of enhanced ENA flux observed by IBEX. This is the first work to explore the effect of the changing solar magnetic field strength on ENA maps. Our findings suggest that IBEX is providing the first observational evidence of the collimation of the heliosheath plasma by the solar magnetic field.