The inner heliospheric source for keV-energetic IBEX ENAs

Abstract

Context. Up to now, three succesive full-sky maps of heliospheric fluxes of KeV-energetic neutral H-atoms have been registered with the satellite IBEX. The most outstanding feature persisting in these maps is the so-called ribbon which appears as an arc around the upwind direction with unexpectedly high fluxes. This radiation feature was not predicted by models, but at present is tentatively explained as due to energetic plasma sites outside the heliosphere in regions beyond the heliopause. Aims. Since all these proposed explanations, however, need to rely on unproven energizing ion processes, we shall investigate in this article alternative ion sources of keV-ENAs that in contrast appear much closer to the sun, but are based on a clear concept of ion energization to KeV energies, namely suprathermal pick-up ions at a few AU inside and outside of the solar wind termination shock. Methods. Using well-established models for the solar wind magnetic field and the heliospheric TS surface, we derive skymaps of the magnetic field tilt angle, the resulting injection efficiency and the resulting ENA flows. The results are normalised to the ion flux observations made by Voyager-1. We also discuss basic modifications of the TS geometry within the framework of the model. Results. We calculate ENA fluxes of these pick-up ions and show that they, due to their sensitivities to magnetic tilt angles at the termination shock surface, reveal a radiative sickle feature around the upwind direction which in many of its properties resembles the ENA ribbon feature seen by IBEX, although the highest IBEX intensities do not seem to be quantitatively representable by our calculations.