Eleven-year modulation of galactic cosmic rays in interplanetary space

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S879-S882 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Chaeakhchyan ◽  
T. N. Charakhchyan

Almost the whole increase in the cosmic-ray intensity in the stratosphere during the period of decreasing solar activity (1960–64) was composed of a number of individual events occurring at intervals of 6–12 months. This phenomenon is almost entirely due to the corresponding decrease of solar activity (according to the sunspot number).Several interesting cases were found when solar-activity decreases to a new stationary level took place rapidly (within several days). After such events the cosmic-ray intensity gradually increased to reach a stationary level over a period of about two months. The time, tst, during which the cosmic-ray intensity in interplanetary space (after the above-mentioned events on the sun) approaches a stationary value is about 40, 60, and 80 days according to observations in 1961, 1963, and 1964 respectively.Some results have been obtained on the large-scale magnetic "clouds" which modulate the galactic cosmic rays in interplanetary space: (a) The velocity of propagation of these magnetic clouds is [Formula: see text]. According to the data on u and tst the radius of the sphere around the sun, r, within which the cosmic rays are modulated depends little on solar activity and is equal to 10–15 AU. (b) The density of magnetic clouds in space is either independent of the distance to the sun or decreases less rapidly than the inverse square law suggested by conservation of clouds.[Formula: see text]

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Rodgers-Lee ◽  
Aline Vidotto ◽  
Andrew Taylor ◽  
Paul Rimmer ◽  
Turlough Downes

<p>Cosmic rays may have contributed to the start of life on Earth. Cosmic rays also influence and contribute to atmospheric electrical circuits, cloud cover and biological mutation rates which are important for the characterisation of exoplanetary systems. The flux of Galactic cosmic rays present at the time when life is thought to have begun on the young Earth or in other young exoplanetary systems is largely determined by the properties of the stellar wind. </p> <p>The spectrum of Galactic cosmic rays that we observe at Earth is modulated, or suppressed, by the magnetised solar wind and thus differs from the local interstellar spectrum observed by Voyager 1 and 2 outside of the solar system. Upon reaching 1au, Galactic cosmic rays subsequently interact with the Earth’s magnetosphere and some of their energy is deposited in the upper atmosphere. The properties of the solar wind, such as the magnetic field strength and velocity profile, evolve with time. Generally, young solar-type stars are very magnetically active and are therefore thought to drive stronger stellar winds. </p> <p>Here I will present our recent results which simulate the propagation of Galactic cosmic rays through the heliosphere to the location of Earth as a function of the Sun's life, from 600 Myr to 6 Gyr, in the Sun’s future. I will specifically focus on the flux of Galactic cosmic rays present at the time when life is thought to have started on Earth (~1 Gyr). I will show that the intensity of Galactic cosmic rays which reached the young Earth, by interacting with the solar wind, would have been greatly reduced in comparison to the present day intensity. I will also discuss the effect that the Sun being a slow/fast rotator would have had on the flux of cosmic rays reaching Earth at early times in the solar system's life.</p> <p>Despite the importance of Galactic cosmic rays, their chemical signature in the atmospheres’ of young Earth-like exoplanets may not be observable with instruments in the near future. On the other hand, it may instead be possible to detect their chemical signature by observing young warm Jupiters. Thus, I will also discuss the HR 2562b exoplanetary system as a candidate for observing the chemical signature of Galactic cosmic rays in a young exoplanetary atmosphere with upcoming missions such as JWST.</p>


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
Peter Gololobov ◽  
Prokopy Krivoshapkin ◽  
Germogen Krymsky ◽  
Sardaana Gerasimova

The work studies the cumulative modulating effect of the geometry of the interplanetary magnetic field's neutral current sheet and solar activity on propagation of galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere. The role of each factor on the modulation of cosmic rays is estimated using a method of main components. The application of the method to experimental data on solar activity, to the tilt angle of the neutral sheet, and cosmic ray intensity for a long period from 1980 to 2018 allows us to reveal the temporal dynamics of roles of these factors in the modulation. The modulation character is shown to strongly depend on the polarity of the Sun’s general magnetic field. Results of the study confirm the existing theoretical concepts of the heliospheric modulation of cosmic rays and reflect its peculiarities for almost four full cycles of solar activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35
Author(s):  
Peter Gololobov ◽  
Prokopy Krivoshapkin ◽  
Germogen Krymsky ◽  
Sardaana Gerasimova

The work studies the cumulative modulating effect of the geometry of the interplanetary magnetic field's neutral current sheet and solar activity on propagation of galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere. The role of each factor on the modulation of cosmic rays is estimated using a method of main components. The application of the method to experimental data on solar activity, to the tilt angle of the neutral sheet, and cosmic ray intensity for a long period from 1980 to 2018 allows us to reveal the temporal dynamics of roles of these factors in the modulation. The modulation character is shown to strongly depend on the polarity of the Sun’s general magnetic field. Results of the study confirm the existing theoretical concepts of the heliospheric modulation of cosmic rays and reflect its peculiarities for almost four full cycles of solar activity.


Author(s):  
Arnon Dar

Changes in the solar neighbourhood due to the motion of the sun in the Galaxy, solar evolution, and Galactic stellar evolution influence the terrestrial environment and expose life on the Earth to cosmic hazards. Such cosmic hazards include impact of near-Earth objects (NEOs), global climatic changes due to variations in solar activity and exposure of the Earth to very large fluxes of radiations and cosmic rays from Galactic supernova (SN) explosions and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Such cosmic hazards are of low probability, but their influence on the terrestrial environment and their catastrophic consequences, as evident from geological records, justify their detailed study, and the development of rational strategies, which may minimize their threat to life and to the survival of the human race on this planet. In this chapter I shall concentrate on threats to life from increased levels of radiation and cosmic ray (CR) flux that reach the atmosphere as a result of (1) changes in solar luminosity, (2) changes in the solar environment owing to the motion of the sun around the Galactic centre and in particular, owing to its passage through the spiral arms of the Galaxy, (3) the oscillatory displacement of the solar system perpendicular to the Galactic plane, (4) solar activity, (5) Galactic SN explosions, (6) GRBs, and (7) cosmic ray bursts (CRBs). The credibility of various cosmic threats will be tested by examining whether such events could have caused some of the major mass extinctions that took place on planet Earth and were documented relatively well in the geological records of the past 500 million years (Myr). A credible claim of a global threat to life from a change in global irradiation must first demonstrate that the anticipated change is larger than the periodical changes in irradiation caused by the motions of the Earth, to which terrestrial life has adjusted itself. Most of the energy of the sun is radiated in the visible range. The atmosphere is highly transparent to this visible light but is very opaque to almost all other bands of the electromagnetic spectrum except radio waves, whose production by the sun is rather small.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 555-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everton Frigo ◽  
Francesco Antonelli ◽  
Djeniffer S. S. da Silva ◽  
Pedro C. M. Lima ◽  
Igor I. G. Pacca ◽  
...  

Abstract. Quasi-periodic variations in solar activity and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) on decadal and bidecadal timescales have been suggested as a climate forcing mechanism for many regions on Earth. One of these regions is southern Brazil, where the lowest values during the last century were observed for the total geomagnetic field intensity at the Earth's surface. These low values are due to the passage of the center of the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA), which crosses the Brazilian territory from east to west following a latitude of ∼ 26∘. In areas with low geomagnetic intensity, such as the SAMA, the incidence of GCRs is increased. Consequently, possible climatic effects related to the GCRs tend to be maximized in this region. In this work, we investigate the relationship between the ∼ 11-year and ∼ 22-year cycles that are related to solar activity and GCRs and the annual average temperature recorded between 1936 and 2014 at two weather stations, both located near a latitude of 26∘ S but at different longitudes. The first of these stations (Torres – TOR) is located in the coastal region, and the other (Iraí – IRA) is located in the interior, around 450 km from the Atlantic Ocean. Sunspot data and the solar modulation potential for cosmic rays were used as proxies for the solar activity and the GCRs, respectively. Our investigation of the influence of decadal and bidecadal cycles in temperature data was carried out using the wavelet transform coherence (WTC) spectrum. The results indicate that periodicities of 11 years may have continuously modulated the climate at TOR via a nonlinear mechanism, while at IRA, the effects of this 11-year modulation period were intermittent. Four temperature maxima, separated by around 20 years, were detected in the same years at both weather stations. These temperature maxima are almost coincident with the maxima of the odd solar cycles. Furthermore, these maxima occur after transitions from even to odd solar cycles, that is, after some years of intense GCR flux. The obtained results offer indirect mathematical evidence that solar activity and GCR variations contributed to climatic changes in southern Brazil during the last century. A comparison of the results obtained for the two weather stations indicates that the SAMA also contributes indirectly to these temperature variations. The contribution of other mechanisms also related to solar activity cannot be excluded. Keywords. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (climatology)


2020 ◽  
Vol 633 ◽  
pp. A83
Author(s):  
J. Becker Tjus ◽  
P. Desiati ◽  
N. Döpper ◽  
H. Fichtner ◽  
J. Kleimann ◽  
...  

The cosmic-ray Sun shadow, which is caused by high-energy charged cosmic rays being blocked and deflected by the Sun and its magnetic field, has been observed by various experiments, such as Argo-YBJ, Tibet, HAWC, and IceCube. Most notably, the shadow’s size and depth was recently shown to correlate with the 11-year solar cycle. The interpretation of such measurements, which help to bridge the gap between solar physics and high-energy particle astrophysics, requires a solid theoretical understanding of cosmic-ray propagation in the coronal magnetic field. It is the aim of this paper to establish theoretical predictions for the cosmic-ray Sun shadow in order to identify observables that can be used to study this link in more detail. To determine the cosmic-ray Sun shadow, we numerically compute trajectories of charged cosmic rays in the energy range of 5−316 TeV for five different mass numbers. We present and analyze the resulting shadow images for protons and iron, as well as for typically measured cosmic-ray compositions. We confirm the observationally established correlation between the magnitude of the shadowing effect and both the mean sunspot number and the polarity of the magnetic field during the solar cycle. We also show that during low solar activity, the Sun’s shadow behaves similarly to that of a dipole, for which we find a non-monotonous dependence on energy. In particular, the shadow can become significantly more pronounced than the geometrical disk expected for a totally unmagnetized Sun. For times of high solar activity, we instead predict the shadow to depend monotonously on energy and to be generally weaker than the geometrical shadow for all tested energies. These effects should become visible in energy-resolved measurements of the Sun shadow, and may in the future become an independent measure for the level of disorder in the solar magnetic field.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S927-S929
Author(s):  
Yu. Stozhkov ◽  
T. N. Charakhchyan

The energy spectrum of galactic cosmic rays has been investigated for various periods of the solar activity. In the framework of commonly used ideas about the mechanism of the 11-year variation according to Parker the dependence of the cosmic-ray diffusion coefficient, D, on the particle rigidity, P, was determined. For the form D ≈ vpα the parameter α is found to change during the cycle of the solar activity.[Formula: see text]


1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 1207-1215
Author(s):  
J. Katzman

The cosmic ray intensity as measured with an extremely narrow-angle telescope, 1.2 × 10−3 steradians, and with 96 inches of lead as absorber for the period 1 January 1955 to 31 December 1958 shows an increase of 20%. This increase is attributed to particles coming from the sun. It is shown that the change in hour of maximum of the first and second harmonics can be explained by a change in the relative importance of the impact zones. This phenomenon is attributed to a change in the number and polarity of sunspots.


The large solar flares associated with cosmic-ray events release total bolometric energies in the region 1024-1 0 25 J. This is of the order 10~5-10~6 of the normal bolometric energy emission of the Sun. The condition of the M and K type stars when they flare is entirely different; the rate of energy release during the flare is of the same order as the normal energy release of the star in the quiescent condition. Although these dwarf stars are in a markedly different evolutionary condition compared with the Sun recent simultaneous radio and optical observations of the flares have given decisive indications that the physical processes, involving magnetic field collapse of several hundredths of a tesla, must be similar to the flare mechanism in the Sun. Adopting the factor, which has been determined empirically in the case of the Sun, for the conversion of flare energy to cosmic-ray energy, estimates are made of the fraction of galactic cosmic rays which may be generated in the flares on the M and K type stars. It is shown that these stars may be the major source of the galactic cosmic rays for energies from 106-3 x 108 eV and that the K type stars may contribute one fifth of the total cosmic-ray energy up to 109 eV.


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