Secondary neutral helium from the outer heliosphere, and its flux at IBEX

Abstract:

With the help of an accurate, analytic heliospheric neutral test-particle code coupled to a global heliospheric model dominated by hydrogen and protons, the fluxes of secondary helium neutrals are calculated ab-initio. The fluxes are evaluated at the site of the IBEX spacecraft, and compared to the neutral fluxes from primary helium neutrals from the interstellar medium. Secondary neutrals are created through charge exchange from interstellar or solar wind helium ions. A general assessment of the characteristics and main sources of secondaries is given, as well as their relative influence on determinations of the characteristics of the local interstellar medium flow.