J. Heerikhuisen

The Heliosphere’s Interstellar Interaction: No Bow Shock

No Shock Ahead of the Sun The boundary of the heliosphere is the region where the solar wind interacts with interstellar space, and it marks the edge of our solar system. Based on observations from NASAs Interstellar Boundary Explorer, McComas et al. (p. 1291, published online 10 May; see the Perspective by Redfield) determined values for local interstellar parameters—such as speed, direction, and temperature—and show that these and other recent constraints are not consistent with a bow shock ahead of the heliosphere, as previously believed. Observations from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer are not consistent with a bow shock ahead of the heliosphere. As the Sun moves through the local interstellar medium, its supersonic, ionized solar wind carves out a cavity called the heliosphere. Recent observations from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft show that the relative motion of the Sun with respect to the interstellar medium is slower and in a somewhat different direction than previously thought. Here, we provide combined consensus values for this velocity vector and show that they have important implications for the global interstellar interaction. In particular, the velocity is almost certainly slower than the fast magnetosonic speed, with no bow shock forming ahead of the heliosphere, as was widely expected in the past.

Pick-Up Ions in the Outer Heliosheath: A Possible Mechanism for the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer Ribbon

First data from NASAs Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) mission show a striking ribbon feature of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) emission. The enhancement in flux is between 2 and 3 times greater than adjacent regions of the sky. Yet the spectral index of ENAs appears to be the same both inside and outside the ribbon. While the ribbon itself was not predicted by any models of the heliospheric interface, its geometry appears to be related to the predicted interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) outside the heliopause (HP). In this Letter, we examine a process of ENA emission from the outer heliosheath, based on a source population of non-isotropic pick-up ions that themselves originate as ENAs from inside the HP. We find that our simplistic approach yields a ribbon of enhanced ENA fluxes as viewed from the inner heliosphere with a spatial location and ENA flux similar to the IBEX measurements, with the provision that the ions retain a partial shell distribution long enough for the ions to be neutralized. As a corollary, our idealized simulation of this mechanism suggests that ISMF is likely oriented close to the center of the observed ribbon.

Microstructure of the Heliospheric Termination Shock: Implications for Energetic Neutral Atom Observations

The Voyager 2 plasma observations of the proton distribution function downstream of the quasi-perpendicular heliospheric termination shock (TS) showed that upstream thermal solar wind ions played little role in the shock dissipation mechanism, being essentially transmitted directly through the shock. Instead, the hot supra-thermal pickup ion (PUI) component is most likely responsible for the dissipation at the TS. Consequently, the downstream proton distribution function will be a complicated superposition of relatively cool thermal solar wind protons and hot PUIs that have experienced either direct transmission or reflection at the TS cross-shock potential. We develop a simple model for the TS microstructure that allows us to construct approximate proton distribution functions for the inner heliosheath. The distribution function models are compared to ?-distributions, showing the correspondence between the two. Since the interpretation of energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes measured at 1 AU by IBEX will depend sensitively on the form of the underlying proton distribution function, we use a three-dimensional MHD-kinetic global model to model ENA spectra at 1 AU and ENA skymaps across the IBEX energy range. We consider both solar minimum and solar maximum-like global models, showing how ENA skymap structure can be related to global heliospheric structure. We suggest that the ENA spectra may allow us to probe the directly the microphysics of the TS, while the ENA skymaps reveal heliospheric structure and, at certain energies, are distinctly different during solar minimum and maximum.

HELIOSPHERIC STRUCTURE: THE BOW WAVE AND THE HYDROGEN WALL

Recent IBEX observations indicate that the local interstellar medium (LISM) flow speed is less than previously thought (23.2xa0kmxa0s–1 rather than 26xa0kmxa0s–1). Reasonable LISM plasma parameters indicate that the LISM flow may be either marginally super-fast magnetosonic or sub-fast magnetosonic. This raises two challenging questions: (1) Can a LISM model that is barely super-fast or sub-fast magnetosonic account for Lyα observations that rely critically on the additional absorption provided by the hydrogen wall (H-wall)? and (2) If the LISM flow is weakly super-fast magnetosonic, does the transition assume the form of a traditional shock or does neutral hydrogen (H) mediate shock dissipation and hence structure through charge exchange? Both questions are addressed using three three-dimensional self-consistently coupled magnetohydrodynamic plasma—kinetic H models with different LISM magnetic field strengths (2, 3, and 4 μG) as well as plasma and neutral H number densities. The 2 and 3 μG models are fast magnetosonic far upwind of the heliopause whereas the 4 μG model is fully subsonic. The 2 μG model admits a broad (~50-75xa0AU) bow-shock-like structure. The 3 μG model has a smooth super-fast-sub-fast magnetosonic transition that resembles a very broad, ~200xa0AU thick, bow wave. A theoretical analysis shows that the transition from a super-fast to a sub-fast magnetosonic downstream state is due to the charge exchange of fast neutral H and hot neutral H created in the supersonic solar wind and hot inner heliosheath, respectively. For both the 2 μG and the 3 μG models, the super-fast magnetosonic LISM flow passes through a critical point located where the fast magnetosonic Mach number M = 1 and Qe = γ/(γ – 1)UQm , where Qe and Qm are the plasma energy and momentum source terms due to charge exchange, U is the LISM flow speed, and γ is the plasma adiabatic index. Because the Mach number is only barely super-fast magnetosonic in the 3 μG case, the hot and fast neutral H can completely mediate the transition and impose a charge exchange length scale on the structure, making the solar-wind-LISM interaction effectively bow-shock-free. The charge exchange of fast and hot heliospheric neutral H therefore provides a primary dissipation mechanism at the weak heliospheric bow shock, in some cases effectively creating a one-shock heliosphere (i.e., a heliospheric termination shock only). Both super-fast magnetosonic models produce a sizeable H-wall. We find that (1) a sub-fast magnetosonic LISM flow cannot model the observed Lyα absorption profiles along the four sightlines considered (α Cen, 36 Oph, DK UMa, and χ1 Ori—upwind, sidewind, and downwind respectively); (2) both the super-fast magnetosonic models can account for the Lyα observations, with possibly the bow-shock-free 3 μG model being slightly favored. Subject to further modeling and comparison against further lines of sight, we conclude with the tantalizing possibility that IBEX may have discovered a class of interstellar shocks mediated by neutral H.

Circularity of the interstellar boundary explorer ribbon of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux

As a sharp feature in the sky, the ribbon of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission is a key signature for understanding the interaction of the heliosphere and the interstellar medium through which we are moving. Over five nominal IBEX energy passbands (0.7, 1.1, 1.7, 2.7, and 4.3xa0keV), the ribbon is extraordinarily circular, with a peak location centered at ecliptic (λRC, βRC) = (219.°2 ± 1.°3, 39.°9 ± 2.°3) and a half cone angle of C = 74.°5 ± 2.°0. A slight elongation of the ribbon, generally perpendicular to the ribbon center-heliospheric nose vector and with eccentricity ~0.3, is observed over all energies. At 4.3xa0keV, the ribbon is slightly larger and displaced relative to lower energies. For all ENA energies, a slice of the ribbon flux peak perpendicular to the circular arc is asymmetric and systematically skewed toward the ribbon center. We derive a spatial coherence parameter δC ≤ 0.014 that characterizes the spatial uniformity of the ribbon over its extent in the sky and is a key constraint for understanding the underlying processes and structure governing the ribbon ENA emission.

AN ESTIMATE OF THE NEARBY INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELD USING NEUTRAL ATOMS

The strength and orientation of the magnetic field in the nearby interstellar medium have remained elusive, despite continual improvements in observations and models. Data from NASA’s Voyager mission and the Solar Wind ANisotropies(SWAN)experimentonboardSolarandHeliosphericObservatory(SOHO)haveplacedobservational constraints on the magnetic field, and the more recent Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) data appear to also bear an imprint of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF). In this paper, we combine computational models of the heliosphere with data from Voyager, SOHO/SWAN, and IBEX to estimate both the strength and direction of the nearby ISMF. On the basis of our simulations, we find that a field strength of 2‐3 μG pointing from ecliptic coordinates (220‐224, 39‐44), combined with an interstellar hydrogen density of ∼0.15 cm −3 , produces results most consistent with observations.

The effect of new interstellar medium parameters on the heliosphere and energetic neutral atoms from the interstellar boundary

We present new results from three-dimensional simulations of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM) using recent observations by NASAs Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX) mission estimates of the velocity and temperature of the LISM. We investigate four strengths of the LISM magnetic field, from 1 to 4 μG, and adjust the LISM proton and hydrogen densities so that the distance to the termination shock (TS) in the directions of the Voyager spacecraft is just below 90 AU, and the density of hydrogen at the TS is close to 0.09 cm–3 in the nose direction. The orientation of the magnetic field is chosen to point toward the center of the ribbon of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux seen in the IBEX data. Our simulations show that the plasma and neutral properties in the outer heliosheath vary considerably as a function of the LISM magnetic field strength. We also show that the heliotail points downwind in all cases, though its structure is strongly affected by the external magnetic field. Comparison and consistency between the simulated ENA flux and the circularity of the ribbon as measured by IBEX are most consistent with a LISM magnetic field strength aligned with the center of the ribbon and a magnitude in the range 2.5-3 μG.

STABILITY OF A PICKUP ION RING-BEAM POPULATION IN THE OUTER HELIOSHEATH: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE IBEX RIBBON

First results from NASAs Interplanetary Boundary Explorer mission showed an unexpected ribbon of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux spanning most of the sky. One explanation put forward suggests that the ribbon may be produced by secondary ENAs originating from pickup ions (PUIs) in the outer heliosheath (OHS). These PUIs are generated when primary ENAs born in the solar wind and inner heliosheath cross the heliopause and charge exchange in the nearby interstellar medium. One of the core assumptions underpinning this theory is that the newly born PUI ring is relatively stable with respect to wave generation, so that it can undergo charge exchange before becoming isotropized. We test this assumption using a linear kinetic theory and hybrid simulations of a low-density PUI ring interacting with instability-generated waves in a warm plasma of the OHS. It is shown that a broadband spectrum of waves is excited as a result of the cyclotron instability that efficiently scatters the ring ions. We also show that the ambient fluctuations in the OHS are unlikely to produce a measurable degree of resonant scattering of PUIs because their intensity is too low compared with the waves excited by the instability.

HELIOSPHERIC ASYMMETRIES AND 2-3 kHz RADIO EMISSION UNDER STRONG INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELD CONDITIONS

We discuss the asymmetry of the major heliospheric discontinuities obtained from the analysis of three-dimensional modeling of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM). The flow of charged particles is governed by the ideal MHD equations and the transport of neutral particles is described by the Boltzmann equation. The emphasis is on the asymmetries of the termination shock (TS) and the heliopause under the combined action of the interstellar and interplanetary magnetic fields (ISMF and IMF) in the presence of neutral hydrogen atoms. It is shown that an ISMF of a strength greater than 4 μG can account for the 10 AU difference in the TS heliocentric distances observed by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft. We analyze the deflection of neutral hydrogen flow from its original direction in the unperturbed LISM and conclude that it remains within the range measured in the SOHO SWAN experiment. The impact is analyzed of a strong ISMF on the 2-3 kHz radio emission observed by the Voyager spacecraft, using new estimates of the radio emission conditions.

INTERSTELLAR BOUNDARY EXPLORER MEASUREMENTS AND MAGNETIC FIELD IN THE VICINITY OF THE HELIOPAUSE

The combination of the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) all-sky maps of the energetic neutral atom (ENA) fluxes with the Voyager in situ measurements provides a unique opportunity to learn about the physics governing the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium. The first IBEX results revealed a sky-spanning ribbon of unexpectedly intense emissions of ENAs that had not been predicted previously by any physical model. A number of explanations were proposed to explain the IBEX ribbon, some of them associated with the distribution of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) coupled with the interplanetary magnetic field at the heliopause. The position of the ribbon in the sky correlates with the line-of-sight directions perpendicular to the modeled ISMF. In this paper, we analyze such distributions for a variety of ISMF strengths and directions in order to reveal the topology of the surface that may potentially contain the ENA sources creating the ribbon. We also analyze the distributions of total pressure exerted on the heliopause as a result of its draping by the ISMF. The effects of solar cycle variations on the ribbon topology are discussed.