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The IBEX-Lo instrument on the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission observes primary and secondary interstellar helium in its 4 lowest energy steps. Observations of these helium populations have been systematically analyzed and compared to simulations using the analytic full integration of neutrals model (aFINM). A systematic difference is observed between the simulations and observations of secondary helium during solar cycle (SC) 24. We show that elastic scattering of primary helium by solar wind protons, which redistributes atoms from the core of the flux distribution, provides an explanation of the observed divergence from simulations. We verify that elastic scattering forms a halo in the wings of the primary He distribution in the spin-angle direction. Correcting the simulation for the effects of elastic scattering requires an increase of the estimated density of primary helium compared to previous estimates by Ulysses/GAS. Thus, based on our analysis of IBEX observations and $\chi ^2$ minimization of simulation data that include the effects of elastic scattering, any estimation of neutral interstellar helium density at 1 AU by direct detection of the peak flux of neutral helium needs to be adjusted by $~\sim$ 10%

Direct-sampling observations of interstellar neutral (ISN) species and their secondary populations give information about the physical state of the local interstellar medium and processes occuring in the outer heliosheath. Such observations are performed from Earth's orbit by the IBEX-Lo experiment on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission. IBEX ISN viewing is restricted to directions close to perpendicular to the Earth-Sun line, which limits the observations of interstellar species to several months during the year. A greatly improved data set will be possible for the upcoming Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission due to a novel concept of putting the IMAP ISN detector, IMAP-Lo, on a pivot platform that varies the angle of observation relative to the Sun-Earth line and the detector boresight. Here we suggest a 2 yr scenario for varying the viewing angle in such a way that all the necessary atom components can be observed sufficiently well to achieve the science goals of the nominal IMAP mission. This scenario facilitates, among others, removal of the correlation of the inflow parameters of interstellar gas, unambiguous analysis of the primary and secondary populations of interstellar helium (He), neon (Ne) and oxygen (O), and determination of the ionization rates of He and Ne free of possible calibration bias. The scheme is operationally simple, provides a good counting statistics, and synergizes observations of interstellar species and heliospheric energetic neutral atoms., Comment: Approved for ApjS

In situ observations of interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms by the IBEX-Lo instrument onboard the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission are used to determine the velocity and temperature of the pristine very local interstellar medium (VLISM). Most ISN helium atoms penetrating the heliosphere, known as the primary population, originate in the pristine VLISM. As the primary atoms travel through the outer heliosheath, they charge exchange with He$^+$ ions in slowed and compressed plasma creating the secondary population. With more than 2.4 million ISN helium atoms sampled by IBEX during ISN seasons 2009-2020, we compare the observations with predictions of a parametrized model of ISN helium transport in the heliosphere. We account for the filtration of ISN helium atoms at the heliospheric boundaries by charge exchange and elastic collisions. We examine the sensitivity of the ISN helium fluxes to the interstellar conditions described by the pristine VLISM velocity, temperature, magnetic field, and composition. We show that comprehensive modeling of the filtration processes is critical for interpreting ISN helium observations, as the change in the derived VLISM conditions exceeds the statistical uncertainties when accounting for these effects. The pristine VLISM parameters found by this analysis are the flow speed (26.6 km s$^{-1}$), inflow direction in ecliptic coordinates (255.7$^\circ$, 5.04$^\circ$), temperature (7350 K), and B-V plane inclination to the ecliptic plane (53.7$^\circ$). The derived pristine VLISM He$^+$ density is $9.7\times10^3$ cm$^{-3}$. Additionally, we show a strong correlation between the interstellar plasma density and magnetic field strength deduced from these observations., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ

Angular scattering in charge exchange and elastic collisions between interstellar ions and neutral (ISN) atoms has been assumed to be negligible in previous studies. Here, we investigated the momentum transfer associated with the angular scattering of H atoms using Monte Carlo calculations to simulate their transport through the outer heliosheath. We considered two cases where charge exchange and elastic collisions between ISN H atoms and protons occur with and without momentum transfer in the outer heliosheath. We then simulated the transport of ISN H atoms inside the heliosphere to simulate count rates observed in the lowest energy bin of IBEX-Lo. We studied the effect of radiation pressure on the ISN H measurements for the cases with and without momentum transfer and compared them with our previous findings. We found an effective radiation parameter ($\mu_{\scriptsize\textrm{eff}}$, which represents for force associated with radiation pressure relative to gravity) for the years 2009-2018 based on the longitudinal shift of the ISN H signal. The two cases with and without momentum transfer reproduce the longitudinal shift in accordance with variations in solar activity, in agreement with our previous results, and they result in similar values for the $\mu_{\scriptsize\textrm{eff}}$, which is $\sim21-22 \%$ larger than the value found based on Ly$\alpha$ observations.

The IBEX-Lo instrument on the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission measures interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms. The detection of helium atoms is made through negative hydrogen (H$^-$) ions sputtered by the helium atoms from the IBEX-Lo conversion surface. The energy spectrum of ions sputtered by ISN helium atoms is broad and overlaps the four lowest IBEX-Lo electrostatic analyzer (ESA) steps. Consequently, the energy response function for helium atoms does not correspond to the nominal energy step transmission. Moreover, laboratory calibration is incomplete because it is difficult to produce narrow-energy neutral atom beams that are expected for ISN helium atoms. Here, we analyze the ISN helium observations in ESA steps 1-4 to derive the relative in-flight response of IBEX-Lo to helium atoms. We compare the ratios of the observed count rates as a function of the mean ISN helium atom energy estimated using the Warsaw Test Particle Model (WTPM). The WTPM uses a global heliosphere model to calculate charge exchange gains and losses to estimate the secondary ISN helium population. We find that the modeled mean energies of ISN helium atoms, unlike their modeled fluxes, are not very sensitive to the very local interstellar medium parameters. The obtained relative responses supplement the laboratory calibration and enable more detailed quantitative studies of the ISN helium signal. A similar procedure that we applied to the IBEX-Lo observations may be used to complement laboratory calibration of the next-generation IMAP-Lo instrument on the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission., Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJS

A good understanding of the ionization rates of neutral species in the heliosphere is important for studies of the heliosphere and planetary atmospheres. So far, the intensities of the ionization reactions have been studied based on observations of the contributing phenomena, such as the solar spectral flux in the EUV band and the flux of the solar wind protons, alpha particles, and electrons. The results strongly depend on absolute calibration of these measurements, which, especially for the EUV measurements, is challenging. Here, we propose a novel method of determining the ionization rate of neutral species based on direct sampling of interstellar neutral gas from two locations in space distant to each other. In particular, we suggest performing observations from the vicinity of Earth's orbit and using ratios of fluxes of ISN He for the direct and indirect orbits of interstellar atoms. We identify the most favorable conditions and observations geometries, suitable for implementation on the forthcoming NASA mission Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe., Comment: Accepted for ApJS

We analyze the reasons for the correlation between the temperature, direction, and speed of the interstellar neutral gas inflow into the heliosphere, obtained in analyzes of observations performed by the IBEX-Lo instrument onboard Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). We point out that this correlation is the combined result of the inability to measure the speed of the atoms that enter the instrument and the restriction of the observations to a short orbital arc around the Sun performed by the instrument during observation. We demonstrate that without the capability to measure the speed, but with the ability to perform observations along longer orbital arcs, or from at least two distant locations on the orbit around the Sun, it is possible to break the parameter correlation. This, however, requires a capability to adjust the boresight of the instrument relative to the spacecraft rotation axis, such as that of the planned IMAP-Lo camera onboard the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)., Comment: Accepted for ApJ

The IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission samples interstellar neutral (ISN) helium atoms penetrating the heliosphere from the very local interstellar medium (VLISM). In this study, we analyze the IBEX-Lo ISN helium observations covering a complete solar cycle, from 2009 through 2020 using a comprehensive uncertainty analysis including statistical and systematic sources.W e employ the Warsaw Test Particle Model to simulate ISN helium fluxes at IBEX, which are subsequently compared with the observed count rate in the three lowest energy steps of IBEX-Lo. The $\chi^2$ analysis shows that the ISN helium flows from ecliptic $(\lambda,\beta)=(255.59^{\circ}\pm0.23^{\circ}, 5.14^{\circ}\pm0.08^{\circ})$, with speed $v_\text{HP}=25.86\pm0.21$ km s$^{-1}$ and temperature $T_\text{HP}=7450\pm140$ K at the heliopause. Accounting for gravitational attraction and elastic collisions, the ISN helium speed and temperature in the pristine VLISM far from the heliopause are $v_\text{VLISM}=25.9$ km s$^{-1}$ and $T_\text{VLISM}=6150$ K, respectively. The time evolution of the ISN helium fluxes at 1 au over 12 years suggests significant changes in the IBEX-Lo detection efficiency, higher ionization rates of ISN helium atoms in the heliosphere than assumed in the model, or an additional unaccounted signal source in the analyzed observations. Nevertheless, we do not find any indication of the evolution of the derived parameters of ISN helium over the period analyzed. Finally, we argue that the continued operation of IBEX-Lo to overlap with the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) will be pivotal in tracking possible physical changes in the VLISM., Comment: 31 pages, 6 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in ApJS

Interstellar neutral gas atoms penetrate the heliopause and reach 1~au, where they are detected by IBEX. The flow of neutral interstellar helium through the perturbed interstellar plasma in the outer heliosheath (OHS) results in creation of the secondary population of interstellar He atoms, the so-called Warm Breeze, due to charge exchange with perturbed ions. The secondary population brings the imprint of the OHS conditions to the IBEX-Lo instrument. Based on a global simulation of the heliosphere with measurement-based parameters and detailed kinetic simulation of the filtration of He in the OHS, we find the number density of interstellar He$^+$ population at $(8.98\pm 0.12)\times 10^{-3}$~cm$^{-3}$. With this, we obtain the absolute density of interstellar H$^+$ $5.4\times 10^{-2}$~cm$^{-3}$ and electrons $6.3\times 10^{-2}$~cm$^{-3}$, and ionization degrees of H 0.26 and He 0.37. The results agree with estimates of the Very Local Interstellar Matter parameters obtained from fitting the observed spectra of diffuse interstellar EUV and soft X-Ray background., Comment: Accepted for ApJ

We present a comprehensive study of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) of 10 eV to 2.5 keV from the downwind hemisphere of the heliosphere. These ENAs are believed to originate mostly from pickup protons and solar wind protons in the inner heliosheath. This study includes all low-energy observations made with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer over the first 8 years. Since the protons around 0.1 keV dominate the plasma pressure in the inner heliosheath in downwind direction, these ENA observations offer the unique opportunity to constrain the plasma properties and dimensions of the heliosheath where no in-situ observations are available. We first derive energy spectra of ENA intensities averaged over time for 49 macropixels covering the entire downwind hemisphere. The results confirm previous studies regarding integral intensities and the roll-over around 0.1 keV energy. With the expanded dataset we now find that ENA intensities at 0.2 and 0.1 keV seem to anti-correlate with solar activity. We then derive the product of total plasma pressure and emission thickness of protons in the heliosheath to estimate lower limits on the thickness of the inner heliosheath. The temporally averaged ENA intensities support a rather spherical shape of the termination shock and a heliosheath thickness between 150 and 210 au for most regions of the downwind hemisphere. Around the nominal downwind direction of 76{\deg} ecliptic longitude, the heliosheath is at least 280 au thick. There, the neutral hydrogen density seems to be depleted compared to upwind directions by roughly a factor of 2., Comment: Preprint of article in The Astrophysical Journal

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has now operated in space for 7 years and returned nearly continuous observations that have led to scientific discoveries and reshaped our entire understanding of the outer heliosphere and its interaction with the local interstellar medium. Here we extend prior work, adding the 2014-2015 data for the first time, and examine, validate, initially analyze, and provide a complete 7-year set of Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) observations from ~0.1 to 6 keV. The data, maps, and documentation provided here represent the 10th major release of IBEX data and include improvements to various prior corrections to provide the citable reference for the current version of IBEX data. We are now able to study time variations in the outer heliosphere and interstellar interaction over more than half a solar cycle. We find that the Ribbon has evolved differently than the globally distributed flux (GDF), with a leveling off and partial recovery of ENAs from the GDF, owing to solar wind output flattening and recovery. The Ribbon has now also lost its latitudinal ordering, which reflects the breakdown of solar minimum solar wind conditions and exhibits a greater time delay than for the surrounding GDF. Together, the IBEX observations strongly support a secondary ENA source for the Ribbon, and we suggest that this be adopted as the nominal explanation of the Ribbon going forward., Comment: Pre-print, 59 pages, 33 figures, published in ApJS

This paper is one of three companion papers presenting the results of our in-depth analysis of the interstellar neutral helium (ISN He) observations carried out using the IBEX-Lo during the first six Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observation seasons. We derive corrections for losses due to the limited throughput of the interface buffer and determine the IBEX spin-axis pointing. We develop an uncertainty system for the data, taking into account the resulting correlations between the data points. This system includes uncertainties due to Poisson statistics, background, spin-axis determination, systematic deviation of the boresight from the prescribed position, correction for the interface buffer losses, and the expected Warm Breeze (WB) signal. Subsequently, we analyze the data from 2009 to examine the role of various components of the uncertainty system. We show that the ISN He flow parameters are in good agreement with the values obtained by the original analysis. We identify the WB as the principal contributor to the global $\chi^2$ values in previous analyses. Other uncertainties have a much milder role and their contributions are comparable to each other. The application of this uncertainty system reduced the minimum $\chi^2$ value 4-fold. The obtained $\chi^2$ value, still exceeding the expected value, suggests that either the uncertainty system may still be incomplete or the adopted physical model lacks a potentially important element, which is likely an imperfect determination of the WB parameters. The derived corrections and uncertainty system are used in the accompanying paper by Bzowski et al. in an analysis of the data from six seasons., Comment: 43 pages, 9 figures

We analyzed observations of interstellar neutral helium (ISN~He) obtained from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite during its first six years of operation. We used a refined version of the ISN~He simulation model, presented in the companion paper by Sokol_et al. 2015, and a sophisticated data correlation and uncertainty system and parameter fitting method, described in the companion paper by Swaczyna et al 2015. We analyzed the entire data set together and the yearly subsets, and found the temperature and velocity vector of ISN~He in front of the heliosphere. As seen in the previous studies, the allowable parameters are highly correlated and form a four-dimensional tube in the parameter space. The inflow longitudes obtained from the yearly data subsets show a spread of ~6 degree, with the other parameters varying accordingly along the parameter tube, and the minimum chi-square value is larger than expected. We found, however, that the Mach number of the ISN~He flow shows very little scatter and is thus very tightly constrained. It is in excellent agreement with the original analysis of ISN~He observations from IBEX and recent reanalyses of observations from Ulysses. We identify a possible inaccuracy in the Warm Breeze parameters as the likely cause of the scatter in the ISN~He parameters obtained from the yearly subsets, and we suppose that another component may exist in the signal, or a process that is not accounted for in the current physical model of ISN~He in front of the heliosphere. From our analysis, the inflow velocity vector, temperature, and Mach number of the flow are equal to lambda_ISNHe = 255.8 +/- 0.5 degree, beta_ISNHe = 5.16 +/- 0.10 degree, T_ISNHe = 7440 +/- 260 K, v_ISNHe = 25.8 +/- 0.4$ km/s, and M_ISNHe = 5.079 +/- 0.028, with uncertainties strongly correlated along the parameter tube., Comment: Updated references

Neutral interstellar helium has been observed by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) since 2009 with a signal-to-noise ratio well above 1000. Because of the geometry of the observations, the signal observed from January to March each year is the easiest to identify. However, as we show via simulations, the portion of the signal in the range of intensities from 10^{-3} to 10^{-2} of the peak value, previously mostly left out from the analysis, may bring important information about the details of the distribution function of interstellar He gas in front of the heliosphere. In particular, these observations may inform us about possible departures of the parent interstellar He population from equilibrium. We compare the expected distribution of the signal for the canonical assumption of a single Maxwell-Boltzmann population with the distributions for a superposition of the Maxwell-Boltzmann primary population and the recently discovered Warm Breeze, and for a single primary population given by a kappa function. We identify the regions on the sky where the differences between those cases are expected to be the most visible against the background. We discuss the diagnostic potential of the fall peak of the interstellar signal, reduced by a factor of 50 due to the Compton-Getting effect but still above the detection limit of IBEX. We point out the strong energy dependence of the fall signal and suggest that searching for this signal in the data could bring an independent assessment of the low-energy measurement threshold of the IBEX-Lo sensor., Comment: This paper is a part of the special issue of Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on interstellar neutrals measured by IBEX

The journey of the Sun through space carries the solar system through a dynamic interstellar environment that is presently characterized by Mach 1 motion between the heliosphere and the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). The interaction between the heliosphere and ISM is an evolving process due to the variable solar wind and to interstellar turbulence. Frisch et al. presented a meta-analysis of the historical data on the interstellar wind flowing through the heliosphere and concluded that temporal changes in the ecliptic longitude of the wind were statistically indicated by the data available in the refereed literature at the time of that writing. Lallement and Bertaux disagree with this result, and suggested, for instance, that a key instrumental response function of IBEX-Lo was incorrect and that the STEREO pickup ion data are unsuitable for diagnosing the flow of interstellar neutrals through the heliosphere. Here we show that temporal variations in the interstellar wind through the heliosphere are consistent with our knowledge of local ISM. The statistical analysis of the historical helium wind data is revisited, and a recent correction of a typographical error in the literature is incorporated into the new fits. With this correction, and including no newer IBEX results, these combined data still indicate that a change in the longitude of the interstellar neutral wind over the past forty years is statistically likely, but that a constant flow longitude is now also statistically possible. It is shown that the IBEX instrumental response function is known, and that the STEREO pickup ion data have been correctly utilized in this analysis., Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in press

We investigate the signals from neutral He atoms observed from Earth orbit in 2010 by IBEX. The full He signal observed during the 2010 observation season can be explained as a superposition of pristine neutral interstellar He gas and an additional population of neutral He that we call the Warm Breeze. The Warm Breeze is approximately two-fold slower and 2.5 times warmer than the primary interstellar He population, and its density in front of the heliosphere is ~7% that of the neutral interstellar helium. The inflow direction of the Warm Breeze differs by ~19deg from the inflow direction of interstellar gas. The Warm Breeze seems a long-term feature of the heliospheric environment. It has not been detected earlier because it is strongly ionized inside the heliosphere, which brings it below the threshold of detection via pickup ion and heliospheric backscatter glow observations, as well as by the direct sampling of GAS/Ulysses. Possible sources for the Warm Breeze include (1) the secondary population of interstellar helium, created via charge exchange and perhaps elastic scattering of neutral interstellar He atoms on interstellar He+ ions in the outer heliosheath, or (2) a gust of interstellar He originating from a hypothetic wave train in the Local Interstellar Cloud. A secondary population is expected from models, but the characteristics of the Warm Breeze do not fully conform to modeling results. If, nevertheless, this is the explanation, IBEX-Lo observations of the Warm Breeze provide key insights into the physical state of plasma in the outer heliosheath. If the second hypothesis is true, the source is likely to be located within a few thousand of AU from the Sun, which is the propagation range of possible gusts of interstellar neutral helium with the Warm Breeze characteristics against dissipation via elastic scattering in the Local Cloud., Comment: submitted to ApJS

The abundance of deuterium in the interstellar gas in front of the Sun gives insight into the processes of filtration of neutral interstellar species through the heliospheric interface and potentially into the chemical evolution of the Galactic gas. We investigate the possibility of detection of neutral interstellar deuterium at 1 AU from the Sun by direct sampling by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). We simulate the flux of neutral interstellar D at IBEX for the actual measurement conditions. We assess the number of interstellar D atom counts expected during the first three years of IBEX operation. We also simulate observations expected during an epoch of high solar activity. In addition, we calculate the expected counts of D atoms from the thin terrestrial water layer, sputtered from the IBEX-Lo conversion surface by neutral interstellar He atoms. Most D counts registered by IBEX-Lo are expected to originate from the water layer, exceeding the interstellar signal by 2 orders of magnitude. However, the sputtering should stop once the Earth leaves the portion of orbit traversed by interstellar He atoms. We identify seasons during the year when mostly the genuine interstellar D atoms are expected in the signal. During the first 3 years of IBEX operations about 2 detectable interstellar D atoms are expected. This number is comparable with the expected number of sputtered D atoms registered during the same time intervals. The most favorable conditions for the detection occur during low solar activity, in an interval including March and April each year. The detection chances could be improved by extending the instrument duty cycle, e.g., by making observations in the special deuterium mode of IBEX-Lo., Comment: Accepted for Astronomy & Astrophysics

The Moon appears bright in the sky as a source of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs). These ENAs have recently been imaged over a broad energy range both from near the lunar surface, by India's Chandrayaan-1 mission (CH-1), and from a much more distant Earth orbit by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) satellite. Both sets of observations have indicated that a relatively large fraction of the solar wind is reflected from the Moon as energetic neutral hydrogen. CH-1's angular resolution over different viewing angles of the lunar surface has enabled measurement of the emission as a function of angle. IBEX in contrast views not just a swath but a whole quadrant of the Moon as effectively a single pixel, as it subtends even at the closest approach no more than a few degrees on the sky. Here we use the scattering function measured by CH-1 to model global lunar ENA emission and combine these with IBEX observations. The deduced global reflection is modestly larger (by a factor of 1.25) when the angular scattering function is included. This provides a slightly updated IBEX estimate of AH = 0.11 +/- 0.06 for the global neutralized albedo, which is 25 % larger than the previous values of 0.09 +/- 0.05, based on an assumed uniform scattering distribution., Comment: This is a preprint. Please see Planetary and Space Sciences for published version, Available online 27 February 2013

Post-launch boresight of the IBEX-Lo instrument onboard the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is determined based on IBEX-Lo Star Sensor observations. Accurate information on the boresight of the neutral gas camera is essential for precise determination of interstellar gas flow parameters. Utilizing spin-phase information from the spacecraft attitude control system (ACS), positions of stars observed by the Star Sensor during two years of IBEX measurements were analyzed and compared with positions obtained from a star catalog. No statistically significant differences were observed beyond those expected from the pre-launch uncertainty in the Star Sensor mounting. Based on the star observations and their positions in the spacecraft reference system, pointing of the IBEX satellite spin axis was determined and compared with the pointing obtained from the ACS. Again, no statistically significant deviations were observed. We conclude that no systematic correction for boresight geometry is needed in the analysis of IBEX-Lo observations to determine neutral interstellar gas flow properties. A stack-up of uncertainties in attitude knowledge shows that the instantaneous IBEX-Lo pointing is determined to within $\sim 0.1\degr$ in both spin angle and elevation using either the Star Sensor or the ACS. Further, the Star Sensor can be used to independently determine the spacecraft spin axis. Thus, Star Sensor data can be used reliably to correct the spin phase when the Star Tracker (used by the ACS) is disabled by bright objects in its field-of-view. The Star Sensor can also determine the spin axis during most orbits and thus provides redundancy for the Star Tracker., Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures

Neutral Interstellar Helium (NISHe) is almost unaffected at the heliospheric interface with the interstellar medium and freely enters the solar system. It provides some of the best information on the characteristics of the interstellar gas in the Local Interstellar Cloud. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is the second mission to directly detect NISHe. We present a comparison between recent IBEX NISHe observations and simulations carried out using a well-tested quantitative simulation code. Simulation and observation results compare well for times when measured fluxes are dominated by NISHe (and contributions from other species are small). Differences between simulations and observations indicate a previously undetected secondary population of neutral helium, likely produced by interaction of interstellar helium with plasma in the outer heliosheath. Interstellar neutral parameters are statistically different from previous in situ results obtained mostly from the GAS/Ulysses experiment, but they do agree with the local interstellar flow vector obtained from studies of interstellar absorption: the newly-established flow direction is ecliptic longitude 79.2 deg, latitude -5.1 deg, the velocity is \sim 22.8 km/s, and the temperature is 6200 K. These new results imply a markedly lower absolute velocity of the gas and thus significantly lower dynamic pressure on the boundaries of the heliosphere and different orientation of the Hydrogen Deflection Plane compared to prior results from Ulysses. A different orientation of this plane also suggests a new geometry of the interstellar magnetic field and the lower dynamic pressure calls for a compensation by other components of the pressure balance, most likely a higher density of interstellar plasma and strength of interstellar magnetic field., Comment: Data from IBEX-Lo on Interstellar Boundary Explorer analyzed; 40 pages, 24 figures, 2 tables

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is providing the first all-sky maps of the energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) produced by charge-exchange between interstellar neutral \HI\ atoms and heliospheric solar wind and pickup ions in the heliosphere boundary regions. The 'edge' of the interstellar cloud presently surrounding the heliosphere extends less than 0.1 pc in the upwind direction, terminating at an unknown distance, indicating that the outer boundary conditions of the heliosphere could change during the lifetime of the IBEX satellite. Using reasonable values for future outer heliosphere boundary conditions, ENA fluxes are predicted for one possible source of ENAs coming from outside of the heliopause. The ENA production simulations use three-dimensional MHD plasma models of the heliosphere that include a kinetic description of neutrals and a Lorentzian distribution for ions. Based on this ENA production model, it is then shown that the sensitivities of the IBEX 1.1 keV skymaps are sufficient to detect the variations in ENA fluxes that are expected to accompany the solar transition into the next upwind cloud. Approximately 20% of the IBEX 1.1 keV pixels appear capable of detecting the predicted model differences at the $ 3 \sigma$ level, with these pixels concentrated in the Ribbon region. Regardless of the detailed ENA production model, the success of the modeled \BdotR\ directions in reproducing the Ribbon locus, together with our results, indicate that the Ribbon phenomenon traces the variations in the heliosphere distortion caused by the relative pressures of the interstellar magnetic and gaseous components.

We discuss a consolidation of determinations of the density of neutral interstellar H at the nose of the termination shock carried out with the use of various data sets, techniques, and modeling approaches. In particular, we focus on the determination of this density based on observations of H pickup ions on Ulysses during its aphelion passage through the ecliptic plane. We discuss in greater detail a novel method of determination of the density from these measurements and review the results from its application to actual data. The H density at TS derived from this analysis is equal to 0.087 \pm 0.022 cm-3, and when all relevant determinations are taken into account, the consolidated density is obtained at 0.09 \pm 0.022 cm-3. The density of H in CHISM based on literature values of filtration factor is then calculated at 0.16 \pm 0.04 cm-3., Comment: Submitted to Space Science Reviews

By reevaluating a 13-month stretch of Ulysses SWICS H pickup ion measurements near 5 AU close to the ecliptic right after the previous solar minimum, this paper presents a determination of the neutral interstellar H density at the solar wind termination shock and implications for the density and ionization degree of hydrogen in the LIC. The density of neutral interstellar hydrogen at the termination shock was determined from the local pickup ion production rate as obtained close to the cut-off in the distribution function at aphelion of Ulysses. As shown in an analytical treatment for the upwind axis and through kinetic modeling of the pickup ion production rate at the observer location, with variations in the ionization rate, radiation pressure, and the modeling of the particle behavior, this analysis turns out to be very robust against uncertainties in these parameters and the modeling. Analysis using current heliospheric parameters yields the H density at the termination shock equal to $0.087\pm0.022$ cm$^{-3}$, including observational and modeling uncertainties., Comment: Re-edited version, density revised downward due to data re-processing, accepted by A&A

A statistical analysis of interstellar He+ pickup ion measurements from SOHO/CTOF combined with magnetic field data from WIND/MFI enable quantitative study of wave-particle interactions in the inner heliosphere for the first time. Magnetic field vector measurements with a time resolu-tion of 3 seconds are used to determine power spectrum char-acteristics of interplanetary magnetic turbulence. These spec-tral characteristics are then compared in superposed epoch and correlation analyses with He+ fluxes and spectra. The observed pickup ion velocity distributions can be explained consistently as a consequence of pitch angle scattering of the interstellar pickup ions by Alfvenic fluctuations., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures

We present a recent analysis with 1996 SOHO CELIAS CTOF data, which reveals correlations of He+ pickup ion fluxes and spectra with the magnetic field strength and solar wind density. The motivation is to better understand the ubiquitous large variations in both pickup ion fluxes and their velocity distributions found in interstellar pickup ion datasets. We concentrate on time periods of that can be associated with compression regions in the solar wind. Along with enhancements of the overall pickup ion fluxes, adiabatic heating and acceleration of the pickup ions are also observed in these regions. Transport processes that lead to the observed compressions and related heating or acceleration are discussed. A shift in velocity space associated with traveling interplanetary compression regions is observed, and a simple model presented to explain this phenomenon based on the conserved magnetic adiabatic moment., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, Solar Wind 10 Conference Proceedings Paper