A Consistent Scenario for the IBEX Ribbon, Anisotropies in TeV Cosmic Rays, and the Local Interstellar Medium

Abstract

Abstract. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) observes enhanced ~ keV energy Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENAs) from a narrow "ribbon" that stretches across the sky and appears to be centered on the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field. The Milagro collaboration, the Asγ collaboration and the IceCube observatory have made global maps of TeV cosmic rays. This paper provides links between these disparate observations. We develop a simple diffusive model of the propagation of cosmic rays and the associated cosmic ray anisotropy due to cosmic ray streaming against the local interstellar flow. We show that the local plasma and field conditions sampled by IBEX provide characteristics that consistently explain TeV cosmic ray anisotropies. These results support models that place the interstellar magnetic field direction near the center of the IBEX ribbon.