43. On the variations of the primary cosmic ray intensity

To construct a model for producing the observed variation in the cosmic ray intensity we consider primarily the Forbush decrease and the general decrease of the cosmic ray intensity during years of solar activity. These are larger variations than the diurnal and 27-day variations and require more drastic assumptions; thus they will better serve to establish a unique model.It is assumed that the sun does not emit cosmic ray particles except during the time of a solar flare. Thus, decreases in the cosmic ray intensity are to be interpreted as a solar effect which inhibits the arrival of galactic cosmic ray particles at earth. Since the intensity of low rigidity primary cosmic ray particles is observed to vary more than the intensity at higher rigidities, the inhibition has generally been assumed to be caused by magnetic fields.The necessary depression of the cosmic ray intensity requires both a barrier, to impede their arrival, and a removal mechanism within the barrier, to prevent eventual statistical equilibrium (with uniform particle density). Quantitative development indicates that a heliocentric magnetic dipole, a heliocentric cavity in the galactic field (Davis, Phys. Rev.100, 1440, 1955), and a heliocentric interplanetary cloud barrier (Morrison, Phys. Rev.101, 1397, 1956) all encounter serious difficulties in explaining the observed effects, one reason being the ineffective removal that is available.It is shown that a geocentric magnetic cloud barrier does not encounter these difficulties: it is proposed that during the years of solar activity the terrestrial gravitational field captures magnetic gas of solar origin from interplanetary space, which is then supported by the geomagnetic field; the removal by absorption by the earth is sufficiently effective that only a relatively thin barrier need be maintained; the occasional capture of new magnetic material accounts for the abrupt onset of the Forbush decreases, and the slow decay (0·5 years) of the captured fields for the smooth variation of the mean cosmic ray intensity with the sunspot cycle.