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Fourteen Years of Energetic Neutral Atom Observations from IBEX

Journal Article · · The Astrophysical Journal. Supplement Series
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [3];  [1];  [2];  [5];  [1]
  1. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  3. Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Warsaw (Poland). Space Research Centre (SRC)
  4. Univ. of Montana, Missoula, MT (United States)
  5. Princeton Univ., NJ (United States); Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Space Science Center
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has been observing the outer heliosphere and its interactions with the very local interstellar medium (VLISM) via measurements of energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) for over 14 yr. We discovered the IBEX Ribbon—a structure completely unanticipated by any prior theory or model—that almost certainly resides beyond the heliopause in the VLISM. We also characterized the other major source of heliospheric ENAs, the globally distributed flux (GDF), produced largely in the heliosheath between the termination shock and heliopause. In this study, we make three major new contributions. First, we validate, provide, and analyze the most recent 3 yr of IBEX-Hi (0.5–6 keV FWHM) data (2020–2022) for the first time. Second, we link these observations to the prior 11 yr of observations, exploring long-term variations. Finally, we provide the first IBEX team-validated Ribbon/GDF separation scheme and separated maps. Because of the uncertainty in separating different line-of-sight integrated sources, we provide not just best guess (median) maps, but also maps with upper and lower reasonable values of Ribbon and GDF fluxes, along with bounding fluxes that add the uncertainties to the upper and lower values. This allows theories and models to be compared with a range of possible values that the IBEX team believes are consistent with data. These observations, along with the reanalysis of the prior 11 yr of IBEX-Hi data, provide new insights and even further develop our detailed understanding of the heliosphere’s interaction with the local interstellar medium unlocked by IBEX.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Centre (NCN); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
2478628
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--23-33180
Journal Information:
The Astrophysical Journal. Supplement Series, Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal. Supplement Series Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 270; ISSN 0067-0049
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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