METEOROLOGICAL EFFECTS ON COSMIC RAY INTENSITY AND THE MESON SPECTRUM

1951 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Rose

Continuous recording of the intensity of the hard component of cosmic rays has been carried out at Ottawa (Geomagnetic Lat. 56.8) and at Resolute (Geomagnetic Lat. 83) in the Canadian Arctic for over a year. Two counter telescopes with different amounts of lead shielding are used at each station. The results have been analyzed for barometer effect in four series of observations each extending over three months. When averaged, they show a barometer coefficient of –1.75% per cm. of mercury for mesons with momenta above 350 Mev./c and –2.13% per cm. of mercury for those with momenta above 630 Mev./c.A calculation has been made of the temperature and barometer effects. It was based on the variations in the probability of decay of mesons in the atmosphere, under varying atmospheric conditions. The calculations of the temperature effect do not yield results comparable with measurement; those of the barometer effect show that considerable information can be obtained about the meson spectrum from measurements of the barometer coefficients. The results favor a spectrum in agreement with parts of spectra measured by other authors. They suggest the possibility of a second maximum in the production spectrum of mesons.

1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S823-S824
Author(s):  
S. N. Vernov ◽  
A. N. Charakhchyan ◽  
T. N. Charakhchyan ◽  
Yu. J. Stozhkov

The results of the analysis of data obtained from measurements carried out by means of regular stratospheric launchings of cosmic-ray radiosondes over the Murmansk region and the Antarctic observatory in Mirny in 1963–66 are presented. The problem of the anisotropy of the primary component of low-energy cosmic rays and of temperature effects on the cosmic-ray intensity in the atmosphere are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 02001
Author(s):  
Bianca Keilhauer

The Pierre Auger Observatory for detecting ultrahigh energy cosmic rays has been founded in 1999. After a main planning and construction phase of about five years, the regular data taking started in 2004, but it took another four years until the full surface detector array was deployed. In parallel to the main detectors of the Observatory, a comprehensive set of instruments for monitoring the atmospheric conditions above the array was developed and installed as varying atmospheric conditions influence the development and detection of extensive air showers. The multitude of atmospheric monitoring installations at the Pierre Auger Observatory will be presented as well as the challenges and efforts to run such instruments for several decades.


1981 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 309-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. W. Wolfendale

It is shown that there is evidence favouring molecular clouds being sources of γ-rays, the fluxes being consistent with expectation for ambient cosmic rays interacting with the gas in the clouds for the clouds considered. An estimate is made of the fraction of the apparently diffuse γ-ray flux which comes from cosmic ray interactions in the I.S.M. as distinct from unresolved discrete sources. Finally, an examination is made of the possibility of gradients of cosmic ray intensity in the Galaxy.


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.


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.


1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.E. Morfill ◽  
M.J. Freyberg

AbstractThe current status of observations of energetic particles in the “local bubble” is reviewed. This includes primarily “direct” measurements of cosmic rays made in the Solar System, but also the “remote sensing” made possible by observing cosmic ray produced γ-rays in the nearby interstellar clouds. Since the energetic events responsible for the formation of our local bubble may also have produced copious amounts of cosmic rays, fossil records are examined to determine whether there is a corresponding signature. The observations show that: 1) the cosmic ray (proton) intensity is fairly homogeneous throughout the local bubble and its adjacent interstellar clouds, 2) there is some evidence for a “recent” local cosmic ray injection about 40,000 years ago, 3) on longer time scales (a few million years) the cosmic ray intensity was constant within a factor two, 4) there is apparently some “activity” in the Orion cloud, as evidenced by low energy γ-ray signatures, and 5) there are two unexplained observations – the variations in the energy spectra, in particular the significantly flatter spectrum of heavy cosmic rays (Fe) and the matter path length variation, which yields consistently larger path lengths for the lighter elements (H, He). It is suggested that these observations are compatible with two cosmic ray populations – an older one in equilibrium with losses from the galaxy and a younger one which is not yet strongly affected by losses. The latter could be a cosmic ray signature of the formation of the local bubble.


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. S887-S891 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Balasubrahmanyan ◽  
D. E. Hagge ◽  
F. B. McDonald

The results of the continuous monitoring of the intensity of cosmic rays (of energy > 50 MeV) with identical G-M counter telescopes flown in satellites IMP I, II, and III and OGO-I are presented along with the differential spectrum studies obtained from balloon flights at Fort Churchill and from satellites. A comparison of the time behavior of the G-M counter data with Deep River neutron monitor data suggests the presence of a "hysteresis" type of behavior due to spectral changes occurring near solar minimum. The existence of this "hysteresis" suggests that the radial gradient of cosmic rays near the earth could be much smaller than the ~ 10%/AU obtained by O'Gallagher and Simpson (1967) and O'Gallagher (1967) at higher energies. The long-term intensity variation of cosmic rays seems to follow the Ap index rather closely in phase, in contrast to sunspot numbers which display a pronounced phase difference with cosmic-ray intensity. The differential spectra of protons and He nuclei have been analyzed in terms of two different models for the propagation in the interplanetary medium. The modulations indicated by the present data seem to disagree with a diffusion coefficient proportional to βR where β and R are the velocity and rigidity of the particle respectively (Jokipii 1966).


1961 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Rose ◽  
S. M. Lapointe

The intensity–time curves for cosmic rays recorded at some 30 stations distributed all over the world are examined for structure in the recovery period from the third in a series of three closely spaced Forbush-type decreases which occurred in the middle of July 1959. It is shown that the structure of intensity peaks is regular and that these occur at each station at the same effective local time. It is found that this is consistent with the hypothesis that recovery from a very deep Forbush-type decrease is first apparent in directions making 15° and 165° with the sun–earth line respectively. The analyses suggest further, that during recovery from this deep Forbush decrease temporary openings appeared in the intensity depressing mechanism which allowed intensity increases in limited directions.


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