Are the sungrazing comets the inner source of pickup ions and energetic neutral atoms?

We show arguments that at least part of the inner source of pickup ions and energetic neutral atoms (∼ 1 keV) might be the material released by sungrazing comets. Based on the monthly apparition statistics we postulate that the actual number of sungrazing comets may be even higher than observed. We point out that an overwhelming majority of the observed sungrazers belong to the Kreutz group of comets which follow tightly clumped orbits and break up at ∼ 40 − 4 solar radii in a well defined region. The material released from these comets should be (after ionization) at least an important portion of the inner source of pickup ions. We suggest that PUI from the cometary source should be accompanied by an increased level of ENA of similar energy. We indicate time intervals during the year when the cometary PUI should be observed from a spacecraft at Earth’s orbit (basically, from the end of July till the end of the year) and show three time intervals, when they should be observable by Ulysses (since launch till the end of 1990, form the end of November 1994 till mid-May 1995 and from February 2001 till end of July, 2001. We offer arguments that the PUI from the inner source should involve molecules and both singly and doubly ionized ions and that the cometary hypothesis helps alleviate some difficulties in the interpretation of the inner source the solar wind neutralized on dust grains close to the Sun.