A reevaluation of the atmospheric pressure dependence of secondary cosmic-ray neutrons in the context of Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannis Weimar ◽  
Paul Schattan ◽  
Martin Schrön ◽  
Markus Köhli ◽  
Rebecca Gugerli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Hydrogen Content ◽  
Atmospheric Pressure ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Atmospheric Air ◽  
Neutron Intensity ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Primary Cosmic Rays

<p><span>Secondary cosmic-ray neutrons may be effectively used as a proxy for environmental hydrogen content at the hectare scale. These neutrons are generated mostly in the upper layers of the atmosphere within particle showers induced by galactic cosmic rays and other secondary particles. Below 15 km altitude their intensity declines as primary cosmic rays become less abundant and the generated neutrons are attenuated by the atmospheric air. At the earth surface, the intensity of secondary cosmic-ray neutrons heavily depends on their attenuation within the atmosphere, i.e. the amount of air the neutrons and their precursors pass through. Local atmospheric pressure measurements present an effective means to account for the varying neutron attenuation potential of the atmospheric air column above the neutron sensor. Pressure variations possess the second largest impact on the above-ground epithermal neutron intensity. Thus, using epithermal neutrons to infer environmental hydrogen content requires precise knowledge on how to correct for atmospheric pressure changes.</span></p><p><span>We conducted several short-term field experiments in saturated environments and at different altitudes, i.e. different pressure states to observe the neutron intensity pressure relation over a wide range of pressure values. Moreover, we used long-term measurements above glaciers in order to monitor the local dependence of neutron intensities and pressure in a pressure range typically found in Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing. The results are presented along with a broad Monte Carlo simulation campaign using MCNP 6. In these simulations, primary cosmic rays are released above the earth atmosphere at different cut-off rigidities capturing the whole evolution of cosmic-ray neutrons from generation to attenuation and annihilation. The simulated and experimentally derived pressure relation of cosmic-ray neutrons is compared to those of similar studies and assessed in the light of an appropriate atmospheric pressure correction for Cosmic-Ray Neutron Sensing.</span></p>

scholarly journals Short- and Medium-Term Induced Ionization in the Earth Atmosphere by Galactic and Solar Cosmic Rays

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Mishev
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Earth Atmosphere ◽  
Medium Term ◽  
Ground Level Enhancement ◽  
Solar Cosmic Rays ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Ionization Effect

The galactic cosmic rays are the main source of ionization in the troposphere of the Earth. Solar energetic particles of MeV energies cause an excess of ionization in the atmosphere, specifically over polar caps. The ionization effect during the major ground level enhancement 69 on January 20, 2005 is studied at various time scales. The estimation of ion rate is based on a recent numerical model for cosmic-ray-induced ionization. The ionization effect in the Earth atmosphere is obtained on the basis of solar proton energy spectra, reconstructed from GOES 11 measurements and subsequent full Monte Carlo simulation of cosmic-ray-induced atmospheric cascade. The evolution of atmospheric cascade is performed with CORSIKA 6.990 code using FLUKA 2011 and QGSJET II hadron interaction models. The atmospheric ion rate is explicitly obtained for various latitudes, namely, 40°N, 60°N and 80°N. The time evolution of obtained ion rates is presented. The short- and medium-term ionization effect is compared with the average effect due to galactic cosmic rays. It is demonstrated that ionization effect is significant only in subpolar and polar atmosphere during the major ground level enhancement of January 20, 2005. It is negative in troposphere at midlatitude, because of the accompanying Forbush effect.

A New Determination of Muon Directional Coupling Coefficients

1968 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 154-157
Author(s):  
D. J. Cooke ◽  
A. G. Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Coupling Coefficients ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Directional Coupling ◽  
Cosmic Ray Flux ◽  
Primary Cosmic Rays

Primary cosmic rays passing through the solar system carry with them valuable information about solar and astrophysical phenomena in the form of intensity and spectral variations. In order that this information be efficiently extracted from observations of the directional cosmic-ray flux at the surface of the Earth, it is essential to have accurate information available to enable the relating of the observed secondary cosmic-ray directions of motion and intensity to those outside the range of the disturbing terrestrial influences.

scholarly journals Cosmic ray spectra in planetary atmospheres

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S257) ◽  
pp. 471-473
Author(s):  
M. Buchvarova ◽  
P. Velinov
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Solar Cycle ◽  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Planetary Atmospheres ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Outer Planets ◽  
Practical Possibility ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Theoretical Results

AbstractOur model generalizes the differential D(E) and integral D(>E) spectra of cosmic rays (CR) during the 11-year solar cycle. The empirical model takes into account galactic (GCR) and anomalous cosmic rays (ACR) heliospheric modulation by four coefficients. The calculated integral spectra in the outer planets are on the basis of mean gradients: for GCR – 3%/AU and 7%/AU for anomalous protons. The obtained integral proton spectra are compared with experimental data, the CRÈME96 model for the Earth and theoretical results of 2D stochastic model. The proposed analytical model gives practical possibility for investigation of experimental data from measurements of galactic cosmic rays and their anomalous component.

Effects of ICMEs on High Energetic Particles as Observed by the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN)

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (S335) ◽  
pp. 69-74
Author(s):  
A. Dal Lago ◽  
C. R. Braga ◽  
R. R. S. de Mendonca ◽  
M. Rockenbach ◽  
E. Echer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Space Weather ◽  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Muon Detector ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
The Earth

AbstractThe Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN) is composed by four ground cosmic ray detectors distributed around the Earth: Nagoya (Japan), Hobart (Australia), Sao Martinho da Serra (Brazil) and Kuwait city (Kuwait). The network has operated since March 2006. It has been upgraded a few times, increasing its detection area. Each detector is sensitive to muons produced by the interactions of ~50 GeV Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) with the Earth′s atmosphere. At these energies, GCR are known to be affected by interplanetary disturbances in the vicinity of the earth. Of special interest are the interplanetary counterparts of coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their driven shocks because they are known to be the main origins of geomagnetic storms. It has been observed that these ICMEs produce changes in the cosmic ray gradient, which can be measured by GMDN observations. In terms of applications for space weather, some attempts have been made to use GMDN for forecasting ICME arrival at the earth with lead times of the order of few hours. Scientific space weather studies benefit the most from the GMDN network. As an example, studies have been able to determine ICME orientation at the earth using cosmic ray gradient. Such determinations are of crucial importance for southward interplanetary magnetic field estimates, as well as ICME rotation.

scholarly journals The Galactic cosmic ray intensity at the evolving Earth and young exoplanets

2020 ◽  
Vol 499 (2) ◽  
pp. 2124-2137
Author(s):  
D Rodgers-Lee ◽  
A A Vidotto ◽  
A M Taylor ◽  
P B Rimmer ◽  
T P Downes
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Solar Rotation ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Type Star ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Solar Type ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Ray ◽  
Solar Type Star

ABSTRACT Cosmic rays may have contributed to the start of life on the Earth. Here, we investigate the evolution of the Galactic cosmic ray spectrum at the Earth from ages t = 0.6−6.0 Gyr. We use a 1D cosmic ray transport model and a 1.5D stellar wind model to derive the evolving wind properties of a solar-type star. At $t=1\,$ Gyr, approximately when life is thought to have begun on the Earth, we find that the intensity of ∼GeV Galactic cosmic rays would have been ∼10 times smaller than the present-day value. At lower kinetic energies, Galactic cosmic ray modulation would have been even more severe. More generally, we find that the differential intensity of low-energy Galactic cosmic rays decreases at younger ages and is well described by a broken power law in solar rotation rate. We provide an analytic formula of our Galactic cosmic ray spectra at the Earth’s orbit for different ages. Our model is also applicable to other solar-type stars with exoplanets orbiting at different radii. Specifically, we use our Galactic cosmic ray spectrum at 20 au for $t=600\,$ Myr to estimate the penetration of cosmic rays in the atmosphere of HR 2562b, a directly imaged exoplanet orbiting a young solar-type star. We find that the majority of particles <0.1 GeV are attenuated at pressures ≳10−5 bar and thus do not reach altitudes below ∼100 km. Observationally constraining the Galactic cosmic ray spectrum in the atmosphere of a warm Jupiter would in turn help constrain the flux of cosmic rays reaching young Earth-like exoplanets.

scholarly journals The contribution of nearby supernova remnants on the cosmic ray flux at Earth

2020 ◽  
Vol 493 (2) ◽  
pp. 1960-1981
Author(s):  
A A L-Zetoun ◽  
A Achterberg
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Anisotropic Diffusion ◽  
Supernova Remnants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Source Position ◽  
Galactic Magnetic Field ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Cosmic Ray Flux

ABSTRACT We consider anisotropic diffusion of Galactic cosmic rays in the Galactic magnetic field, using the Jansson–Farrar model for the field. In this paper, we investigate the influence of source position on the cosmic ray flux at the Earth in two ways: (1) by considering the contribution from cosmic ray sources located in different intervals in Galactocentric radius, and (2) by considering the contribution from a number of specific and individual close-by supernova remnants. Our calculation is performed by using a fully three-dimensional stochastic method. This method is based on the numerical solution of a set of stochastic differential equations, equivalent to Itô formulation, that describes the propagation of the Galactic cosmic rays.

scholarly journals Steep Cosmic-Ray Spectra with Revised Diffusive Shock Acceleration

2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Rebecca Diesing ◽  
Damiano Caprioli
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Supernova Remnants ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Shock Acceleration ◽  
Analytic Model ◽  
Diffusive Shock Acceleration ◽  
Energy Distributions ◽  
Magnetic Structures ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) are accelerated at the forward shocks of supernova remnants (SNRs) via diffusive shock acceleration (DSA), an efficient acceleration mechanism that predicts power-law energy distributions of CRs. However, observations of nonthermal SNR emission imply CR energy distributions that are generally steeper than E −2, the standard DSA prediction. Recent results from kinetic hybrid simulations suggest that such steep spectra may arise from the drift of magnetic structures with respect to the thermal plasma downstream of the shock. Using a semi-analytic model of nonlinear DSA, we investigate the implications that these results have on the phenomenology of a wide range of SNRs. By accounting for the motion of magnetic structures in the downstream, we produce CR energy distributions that are substantially steeper than E −2 and consistent with observations. Our formalism reproduces both modestly steep spectra of Galactic SNRs (∝E −2.2) and the very steep spectra of young radio supernovae (∝E −3).

Cosmic rays at ground level; a brief introduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Du Toit Strauss
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Primary Particle ◽  
Secondary Particle ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Neutron Monitors ◽  
The Earth

<p>Galactic cosmic rays, and sporadic high energy solar energetic particles, are energetic enough to pierce the Earth’s protective magnetosphere and interact with the atmosphere. Here, a secondary particle cascade leads to enhanced radiation levels which is of importance, for instance, to aviation dosimetry and related studies. At ground level, these secondary particles can be observed (indirectly) by means of neutron monitors, and this has been done for more than 70 years, providing a valuable long-term cosmic ray record. In this talk, we introduce the different primary particle populations, discuss their acceleration and modulation, and connect this with long-term neutron monitor measurements.</p>

scholarly journals On particle acceleration and transport in plasmas in the Galaxy: theory and observations

2021 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Amato ◽  
Sabrina Casanova
Keyword(s):  
Particle Acceleration ◽  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Energetic Particles ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Formation And Evolution ◽  
Galaxy Assembly

Accelerated particles are ubiquitous in the Cosmos and play a fundamental role in many processes governing the evolution of the Universe at all scales, from the sub-AU scale relevant for the formation and evolution of stars and planets to the Mpc scale involved in Galaxy assembly. We reveal the presence of energetic particles in many classes of astrophysical sources thanks to their production of non-thermal radiation, and we detect them directly at the Earth as cosmic rays. In the last two decades both direct and indirect observations have provided us a wealth of new, high-quality data about cosmic rays and their interactions both in sources and during propagation, in the Galaxy and in the Solar System. Some of the new data have confirmed existing theories about particle acceleration and propagation and their interplay with the environment in which they occur. Some others have brought about interesting surprises, whose interpretation is not straightforward within the standard framework and may require a change of paradigm in terms of our ideas about the origin of cosmic rays of different species or in different energy ranges. In this article, we focus on cosmic rays of galactic origin, namely with energies below a few petaelectronvolts, where a steepening is observed in the spectrum of energetic particles detected at the Earth. We review the recent observational findings and the current status of the theory about the origin and propagation of galactic cosmic rays.

scholarly journals Measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectrum from 40 GeV to 100 TeV with the DAMPE satellite

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. eaax3793 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Q. An ◽  
R. Asfandiyarov ◽  
P. Azzarello ◽  
P. Bernardini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cosmic Rays ◽  
Cosmic Radiation ◽  
Precise Measurement ◽  
Milky Way ◽  
Spectral Feature ◽  
Dark Matter Particle ◽  
Cosmic Ray ◽  
Galactic Cosmic Rays ◽  
Proton Spectrum ◽  
First Time

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 1/2 years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

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