Solar modulation model with reentrant particles

We developed a one dimensional model of particle transport in the heliosphere. As opposite to widely used models, we apply a method where a quasi-particle is traced back in time. The model gives us the possibility to work on the possible existence of reentrant particles in the heliosphere that can be hardly solved by the traditional forward tracking method. Particles escape from the heliosphere and may reenter back. We estimate how these particles affect the modulation process in the heliosphere. Presented here are the results for different values of particles mean free path in the interstellar space and for different interstellar magnetic field values.     

Effects of solar modulation on the cosmic ray positron fraction

We implemented a 2D Monte Carlo model to simulate the solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays. The model is based on the Parker’s transport equation which contains diffusion, convection, particle drift and energy loss. Following the evolution in time of the solar activity, we are able to modulate a local interstellar spectrum (LIS), that we assumed isotropic beyond the termination shock, down to the Earth position inside the heliosphere. In this work we focused our attention to the cosmic ray positron fraction at energy below ∼10 GeV, showing how the particle drift processes could explain different results for AMS-01 and PAMELA. We compare our modulated spectra with observations at Earth, and then make a prediction of the cosmic ray positron fraction for the AMS-02 experiment.     

Distribution of secondary particles intensities over Earth’s surface: Effect of the geomagnetic field

We use the CORSIKA package (Heck et al., 1998) and AMS-01 flight data (Alcaraz et al., 2000) to evaluate the distribution of secondary particles in the Earth atmosphere. Distribution covers all longitudes and latitudes of STS-91 Space Shuttle flight trajectory to Mir Space Station. Moreover distribution covers all depth in the atmosphere in the evaluated area. We show distributions for e−, e+, μ+, μ−, gammas, hadrons and Cherenkov light from primary protons and helium component of cosmic rays flux. Our results compare favorably with other estimates made by different techniques.     

Fluxes and nuclear abundances of cosmic rays inside the magnetosphere using a transmission function approach

At 1 AU and outside the Earth’s magnetosphere, the relative abundances to protons for He (He/p), C (C/p) and Fe (Fe/p) nuclei were calculated using the observation data of AMS-01 (for p and He) and HEAO-3 (for C and Fe) above 0.8 GeV/nucleon. In addition, the transmission function (TF) for the GCR propagation inside the magnetosphere was evaluated using the IGRF and T96 (introduced by Tsyganenko and Stern) models to obtain permitted and forbidden trajectories inside the magnetosphere. The TF allowed one to derive the primary He-nuclei fluxes in the same geomagnetic regions of AMS-01 observations. These fluxes were found in good agreement with the observation data. Furthermore inside the magnetosphere in addition to the flux of helium, it allowed one to obtain those of the primary p, C, and Fe nuclei and the relative abundances of He, C and Fe nuclei to protons from the same observation data of AMS-01 and HEAO-3 above ≈0.8 GeV/nucleon. Up to a geomagnetic latitude of ≈45.84°, the relative isotopic abundances were found to depend on the mass number I_isot and, on average, range from a factor ≈2.31 up to ≈3.35 larger than those outside the magnetosphere at 1 AU. Thus, the magnetospheric isotopic/nuclear relative abundances differ from those inside the solar cavity and those in the interstellar space. The usage of the TF approach can allow one to determine the nuclear abundances in the magnetosphere at any geomagnetic latitude and, thus, any orbit, provided that the CR spectra are determined at 1 AU.