Anisotropy of transient variations of cosmic-ray intensity

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S871-S874
Author(s):  
Masami Wada ◽  
Hiroo Komori

The angular distribution of the anisotropy of cosmic rays in interplanetary space is generally assumed to follow a cosine function. In the case of the daily variation, the source direction lies essentially in the equatorial plane. In the present calculation, the following three points were taken into account: (1) the latitude of the principal direction, (2) the angular distribution functions, and (3) the increases in flux of cosmic-ray particles. The response functions, the asymptotic directions, and the variation spectra are also involved in the calculation. Because of the rotation of the earth with respect to the source direction, which is fixed at the 12-h meridian, the daily variations are obtained. The variations include higher harmonics if the angular distribution is other than a simple cosine function.Comparing the calculated curves with observed data, the anisotropy in the space outside the geomagnetic field can be estimated with parameters such as the source direction in latitude and longitude, the half-width of the angular distribution, and the amplitude and exponent of the variation spectrum, which are all time-dependent. An increase which occurred on 24 March 1966 was analyzed.

The daily variation of cosmic ray intensity at low latitudes can under certain conditions be associated with an anisotropy of primary radiation. During 1957-8, this anisotropy had an energy spectrum of variation of the form aϵ -0.8±0.3 and corresponded to a source situated at an angle of 112 ± 10° to the left of the earth-sun line. The daily variation which can be associated with a local source situated along the earth-sun line has an energy spectrum of variation of the form aϵ 0 . Increases in east-west asymmetry and the associated daily variation for east and west directions can be explained by the acceleration of cosmic ray particles crossing beams of solar plasma in the neighbourhood of the earth. For beams of width 5 x 10 12 cm with a frozen magnetic field of the order of 10 -4 G, a radial velocity of about 1.5 x 108 cm/s is required. The process is possible only if the ejection of beams takes place in rarefied regions of inter­ planetary space which extend radially over active solar regions. An explanation of Forbush, type decreases observed at great distances from the earth requires similar limitation on the plasma density and conductivity of regions of interplanetary space. The decrease of east-west asymmetry associated with world-wide decreases of intensity and with SC magnetic storms is consistent with a screening of the low-energy cosmic ray particles due to magnetic fields in plasma clouds.


1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Subramanian

The semidiurnal variation of galactic cosmic ray intensity is investigated using data from mainly high counting rate neutron and meson monitors during 1964–1968. It is shown that in order to explain the observed semidiurnal variation it is necessary that an anisotropy of cosmic ray intensity be present in interplanetary space. The energy spectrum and the asymptotic latitude dependence of the anisotropy are then determined. The energy spectrum has a positive exponent close to + 1 for the power law in energy. The strength of the anisotropy decreases more rapidly than cosλ with increasing asymptotic latitude λ, both cos2λ and cos3λ being acceptable. The distribution of cosmic ray intensity in the range of heliolatitudes ± 7.25° at the orbit of the earth, obtained using data from the Ottawa neutron monitor, does not support the explanation of the semidiurnal variation based on the models of Subramanian and Sarabhai or Lietti and Quenby.


1969 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 234-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
St. Charalambus ◽  
K. Goebel ◽  
W. Stötzel-Riezler

Tritium and argon-39 measurements of stone and iron meteorites are reported and discussed. The tritium values of stone meteorites are in general higher than those found in other laboratories. The tritium decay rates in irons were low but a relatively high tritium value was measured in the rim of the meteorites. Factors which may influence the production rates are discussed and it is concluded that the average cosmic-ray flux which irradiated the meteorites must be at least a factor of two higher than the values reported by MacDonald for the cosmic-ray intensity at the top of the earth atmosphere.


Nature ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 186 (4721) ◽  
pp. 299-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. ELLIOT

Antiquity ◽  
1963 ◽  
Vol 37 (147) ◽  
pp. 213-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Libby

The first test of the accuracy of dates obtained by the radiocarbon technique was made by determining whether dates so obtained agreed with the historical dates for materials of known age (n. 1). The validity of the radiocarbon method continues to be an important question, especially in the light of the numerous results that have been accumulated and the greater precision of the technique during the past few years (n. 2).The radiocarbon content of the biosphere depends on three supposedly independent geophysical quantities: (i) the average cosmic ray intensity over a period of 8000 years (the average life of radiocarbon) as measured in our solar system but outside the earth's magnetic field (n. 1); (ii) the magnitude (but not the orientation, because of the relatively rapid mixing over the earth's surface) of the magnetic field in the vicinity of the earth, averaged over the same period (n. 1,3); and (iii) the degree of mixing of the oceans during the same period (n. 1). The question of the accuracy of radiocarbon dates therefore is of interest to geophysicists in general as well as to the archaeologists, geologists and historians who use the dates.Previous workers in this area (n. 1, 2) have reported some discrepancies, and it is the purpose here to consider the matter further.


1958 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 377-385
Author(s):  
V. Sarabhai ◽  
N. W. Nerurkar ◽  
S. P. Duggal ◽  
T. S. G. Sastry

Study of the anisotropy of cosmic rays from the measurement of the daily variation of meson intensity has demonstrated that there are significant day-today changes in the anisotropy of the radiation. New experimental data pertaining to these changes and their solar and terrestrial relationships are discussed.An interpretation of these changes of anisotropy in terms of the modulation of cosmic rays by streams of matter emitted by the sun is given. In particular, an explanation for the existence of the recently discovered types of daily variations exhibiting day and night maxima respectively, can be found by an extension of some ideas of Alfvén, Nagashima, and Davies. An integrated attempt is made to interpret the known features of the variation of cosmic ray intensity in conformity with ideas developed above.


1968 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 148-149
Author(s):  
B. J. Stone

This paper is a progress report on an examination of the short-term variability of solar proton flux in interplanetary space at times of solar flare activity. The data are from the GRCSW cosmic-ray detector on board the Pioneer 7 space probe, which, at the times to be discussed, was more than a million miles from the Earth.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S257) ◽  
pp. 451-456
Author(s):  
E. Eroshenko ◽  
A. Belov ◽  
H. Mavromichalaki ◽  
V. Oleneva ◽  
A. Papaioannou ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Forbush effects associated with far western and eastern powerful sources on the Sun that occurred on the background of unsettled and moderate interplanetary and geomagnetic disturbances have been studied by data from neutron monitor networks and relevant measurements of the solar wind parameters. These Forbush effects may be referred to a special sub-class of events, with the characteristics like the event in July 2005, and incorporated by the common conditions: absence of a significant disturbance in the Earth vicinity; absence of a strong geomagnetic storm; slow decrease of cosmic ray intensity during the main phase of the Forbush effect. General features and separate properties in behavior of density and anisotropy of 10 GV cosmic rays for this subclass are investigated.


1952 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 1277-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. S. Green ◽  
H. Messel ◽  
B. A. Chartres

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