Hard rock cosmic ray archaeology

Recent examinations of extraterrestrial materials exposed to cosmic rays for different intervals of time during the geological history of the solar system have generated a wealth of new information on the history of cosmic radiation. This information relates to the temporal variations in

1. the flux and energy spectrum of low energy (solar) protons of ? 10 MeV kinetic energy;
2. the flux and energy spectrum of (solar) heavy nuclei of Z > 20 of kinetic energy, 0.5–10 MeV/n;
3. the integrated flux of protons and heavier nuclei of ? 0.5 GeV kinetic energy, and
4. the flux and energy spectrum of nuclei of Z > 20 of medium energy — 100–2000 MeV/n kinetic energy.

The above studies are entirely based on the natural detector method which utilises two principal cosmogenic effects observed in rocks, (i) isotopic changes and (ii) changes in the crystalline structure of rock constituents, due to cosmogenic interactions. The information available to date in the field of hard rock cosmic ray archaeology refers to meteorites and lunar rocks/soil. Additional information based on study of cosmogenic effects in man-made materials exposed to cosmic radiation in space is also discussed. It is shown that the natural detectors inspite of their extreme simplicity have begun to provide cosmic ray information in a very quantitative and precise manner comparable to the most sophisticated electronic particle detectors. The single handicap in using the hard rock detectors is however the uncertainty regarding their manner of exposure, geometry etc. At present, a variety of techniques are being used to study the evolutionary history of extraterrestrial materials and as this field grows, uncertainties in cosmic ray archaeology will correspondingly decrease.     

Insights into Cosmic-Ray Acceleration from the Study of Anomalous Cosmic Rays

Cosmic rays from many sources and in many locations exhibit similar, inverse-power-law energy spectra, which suggests a common origin for most cosmic rays. Diffusive shock acceleration appears at present to be this common accelerator. Hence, anomalous cosmic rays, thought to be accelerated at the solar-wind termination shock, provide a relatively accessible laboratory for the study of the mechanism of cosmic-ray acceleration. Observations showing a transition from singly-charged anomalous cosmic-ray oxygen to multiply-charged at an energy of some 250 MeV support the picture of acceleration at the quasi-perpendicular termination shock. Such acceleration may be important in other sources, as well. The basic physics of this acceleration process is discussed in some detail. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmic Ray Induced Ion Production in the Atmosphere

An overview is presented of basic results and recent developments in the field of cosmic ray induced ionisation in the atmosphere, including a general introduction to the mechanism of cosmic ray induced ion production. We summarize the results of direct and indirect measurements of the atmospheric ionisation with special emphasis to long-term variations. Models describing the ion production in the atmosphere are also overviewed together with detailed results of the full Monte-Carlo simulation of a cosmic ray induced atmospheric cascade. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the present state and further perspectives of measuring and modeling cosmic ray induced ionisation in the terrestrial atmosphere.     

Skylab measurements of low energy cosmic rays

In this review the present state of our knowledge on the properties of heavy ions in low energy cosmic rays measured in the Skylab mission and in other spacecrafts is summarised and the possible mechanisms of their origin are discussed. A brief review of the general features of the galactic and solar cosmic rays is given in order to understand the special features of the low energy heavy ions of cosmic rays. The results of the cosmic ray experiment in the Skylab show that in the low energy interval of 8–30 MeV/N, the abundances of oxygen, nitrogen, and neon ions, relative to carbon are enhanced by a factor of 5 to 2 as compared to high energy cosmic rays; while Mg, Si, S, and A are depleted. In 50–150 MeV/N energy interval the abundance of nuclei of Ca-Cr relative to iron-group (Z = 25–28) is found to be highly enhanced, as compared to high energy cosmic rays. Furthermore the observations of the energy spectra of O, N, and Ne ions and their fairly large fluences in the energy interval of 8–30 MeV/N below the geomagnetic cut off energy of 50 MeV/N for fully stripped nuclei at the Skylab orbit indicate that these heavy ions are probably in partly ionised states. Thus, it is found that the Skylab results represent a new type of heavy ion population of low energy cosmic rays below 50 MeV/N, in the near Earth space and their properties are distinctly different from those of high energy cosmic rays and are similar to those of the anomalous component in the interplanetary space. The available data from the Skylab can be understood at present on the hypothesis that low energy interplanetary cosmic ray ions of oxygen etc. occur in partly ionised state such as O⁺¹,O⁺², etc. and these reach the inner magnetosphere at high latitudes where stripping process occurs near mirror points and this leads to temporarily trapped ions such as O⁺³, O⁺⁴, etc. It is noted that the origin of these low energy heavy cosmic ray ions in the magnetosphere and in interplanetary space is not yet fully understood and new type of sources or processes are responsible for their origin and these need further studies.     

What we knew,what we know and what we will know about cosmic gamma-ray bursts

The paper is devoted to the present crisis in the field of cosmic gamma-ray bursts. There are two different paradigms of the phenomenon, which have practically equal numbers of supporters. The cosmological one associates bursts with collisions of compact objects at distances up to those with red-shifts of about 1–2. The galactic paradigm assumes that bursts are generated by neutron stars in the extended galactic halo. The present situation is shown to be very close to the ultimate establishment of the paradigm of the origin of cosmic gamma-ray bursts.     

GEMS at the Galactic Cosmic-Ray Source

Galactic cosmic rays probably predominantly originate from shock-accelerated gas and dust in superbubbles. It is usually assumed that the shock-accelerated dust is quickly destroyed by sputtering. However, it may be that some of the dust can survive bombardment by the high-metallicity gas in the superbubble interior, and that some of that dust has been incorporated into solar system materials. Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) contain enigmatic submicron components called GEMS (Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides). These GEMS have properties that closely match those expected of a population of surviving shock-accelerated dust at the GCR source (Westphal and Bradley in Astrophys. J. 617:1131, 2004). In order to test the hypothesis that GEMS are synthesized from shock-accelerated dust in superbubbles, we plan to measure the relative abundances of Fe, Zr, and Mo isotopes in GEMS using the new Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometer at Argonne National Laboratory. If GEMS are synthesized from shock-accelerated dust in superbubbles, they should exhibit isotopic anomalies in Fe, Zr and Mo: specificially, enhancements in the r-only isotopes ⁹⁶Zr and ¹⁰⁰Mo, and separately in ⁵⁸Fe, should be observed. We review also recent developments in observations of GEMS, laboratory synthesis of GEMS-like materials, and implications of observations of GEMS-like materials in Stardust samples.     

Solar cosmic rays

The first observations of solar cosmic rays were made simultaneously by many investigators at worldwide cosmic-ray stations in the periods of powerful chromospheric flares on February 28 and March 7, 1942. The discovery of these and the investigation of cosmic-ray solar-daily variations with maximum time near noon led some authors (Richtmyer and Teller, 1948; Alfvén, 1949, 1950) to a model of apparent cosmic-ray solar origin. We present here the results of the properties of solar cosmic rays from ground events (experimental and theoretical investigations). We also discuss important information from solar experimental data relating to these ground events observed in September and October 1989 and May 1990. Some experimental evidence of acceleration processes in associated phenomena with flares and long-term (solar cycle) variation of the average flux of solar cosmic rays is discussed as also cornal and interplanetary propagation, and that in the terrestrial magnetosphere. Note that the energy spectrum of solar cosmic rays varied very strongly from one flare to another. What are the causes of these phenomena? What is the nature of chemical and isotopic contents of solar cosmic rays? How can its changes occur in the energy spectrum and chemical contents of solar cosmic rays in the process of propagation? Is it possible to recalculate these parameters to the source? What makes solar cosmic rays rich in heavy nucleus and³He? The important data about electrons, positrons, gamma-quanta and neutrons from flares will be discussed in a subsequent paper (Dorman and Venkatesan, 1992). The question is: What main acceleration mechanism of solar flare and associated phenomena are reliable? These problems are connected with the more general problem on solar flare origin and its energetics. In Dorman and Venkatesan (1993) we will consider these problems as well as the problem of prediction of radiation hazard from solar cosmic rays (not only in space, but also in the Earth's atmosphere too).     

Cosmic Rays in Relation to Space Weather

A review of selected experimental results relevant for the use of cosmic ray records in Space Weather research is presented. Interplanetary perturbations, initiated in the solar atmosphere, affect galactic cosmic rays. In some cases their influence on the cosmic ray intensity results in data signatures that can possibly be used to predict geomagnetic storm onsets. Case studies illustrating the complexity of the cosmic ray effects and related geomagnetic activity precursors are discussed. It is shown that some indices for cosmic ray activity are good tools for testing the reliability of cosmic ray characteristics for Space Weather forecasts. A brief summary of the influence of cosmic rays on the ozone layer is also given. The use of cosmic ray data for Space Weather purposes is still in its infant stage, but suggestions for both case and statistical studies are made. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coronal Mass Ejections and Forbush Decreases

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are plasma eruptions from the solar atmosphere involving previously closed field regions which are expelled into the interplanetary medium. Such regions, and the shocks which they may generate, have pronounced effects on cosmic ray densities both locally and at some distance away. These energetic particle effects can often be used to identify CMEs in the interplanetary medium, where they are usually called `ejecta'. When both the ejecta and shock effects are present the resulting cosmic ray event is called a `classical, two-step' Forbush decrease. This paper will summarize the characteristics of CMEs, their effects on particles and the present understanding of the mechanisms involved which cause the particle effects. The role of CMEs in long term modulation will also be discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmic Ray Modulation over the Poles at Solar Maximum: Observations

Our knowledge of how galactic and anomalous cosmic rays are modulated in the inner heliosphere has been dramatically enlarged as a result of measurements from several missions launched in the past ten years. Among them, Ulysses explored the polar regions of the inner heliosphere during the last solar minimum period and is now revisiting southern polar latitudes under solar maximum conditions. This gives us for the first time the possibility to compare modulation of cosmic rays at high heliographic latitudes during such different time periods. We present data from different instruments on board the Ulysses spacecraft together with 1 AU measurements in the ecliptic. In this paper we focus on measurements that have direct implications for our understanding of modulation of cosmic rays in the inner heliosphere. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Large Scale Modulation: View From the Earth

The current knowledge and ideas, obtained from groundlevel observations and concerning the solar modulation of cosmic rays, are reviewed. The following topics are discussed: observations of the cosmic ray modulation at the Earth and main characteristics of the accumulated experimental data; manifestations of the solar magnetic cycle in cosmic rays; the effect of hysteresis and its relation to the size of the heliosphere; the rigidity spectrum of long-term cosmic ray variations; the influence of the sporadic effects on long-term modulation; long-term variations of cosmic ray anisotropy and gradients; the place of groundlevel observations in current studies of cosmic ray modulation and their future prospects. Particular consideration is given to the correlation of long-term cosmic ray variations with different solar-heliospheric parameters, and to empirical models of cosmic ray modulation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ion Irradiation and the Origin of Cometary Materials

For about 20 years laboratory research has been carried out on the effects induced by energetic ions on materials (ices, silicates, carbons) of cometary relevance. Here I present some recent results and outline the relevance such laboratory investigations might have for understanding the origin of cometary materials. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Solar cosmic ray phenomena

This review attempts to present an integrated view of the several types of solar cosmic ray phenomena. The relevant large and small scale properties of the interplanetary medium are first surveyed, and their use in the development of a quantitative understanding of the cosmic ray propagation processes summarised. Solar cosmic ray events, in general, are classified into two phenomenological categories: (a) prompt events, and (b) delayed events. The properties of both classes of events are summarised. The properties considered are the frequency of occurrence, dependence on parent flare position, the time profile, energy spectra, anisotropies, particle species, velocity dispersions, etc. A single model is presented to explain the various species of delayed event. Thus the halo and core events, energetic storm particle events, EDP events and proton recurrent regions are suggested to be essentially of common origin. The association of flare particle events with electromagnetic phenomena, including optical, X-ray and microwave emissions is summarised. The conditions in a sunspot group, and solar flare that are considered to be conducive to cosmic ray acceleration processes are discussed. Considerable discussion is devoted to physical processes occurring near the Sun. Near Sun particle storage, and diffusion, and secondary injection processes that are triggered by a far distant solar flare are reviewed. In order to explain the considerable differences between aspects of the prompt and delayed events, we propose selective diffusion processes that only occur at early times in a solar flare. The type IV radio emissions at metric wave-lengths are suggested to yield direct evidence for the storage processes that are necessary to explain the properties of the delayed events, and also as yielding direct evidence of secondary injection processes. We conclude by briefly summarising the ionospheric effects of the solar cosmic radiation.     

The Composition of Cosmic Rays and the Mixing of the Interstellar Medium

The differences between the composition of Galactic cosmic rays and that of the interstellar medium are manifold, and they contain a wealth of information about the varying processes that created them. These differences reveal much about the initial mixing of freshly synthesized matter, the chemistry and differentiation of the interstellar medium, and the mechanisms and environment of ion injection and acceleration. Here we briefly explore these processes and show how they combine to create the peculiar, but potentially universal, composition of the cosmic rays and how measurements of the composition can provide a unique measure of the mixing ratio of the fresh supernova ejecta and the old interstellar medium in this initial phase of interstellar mixing. In particular, we show that the major abundance differences between the cosmic rays and the average interstellar medium can all result from cosmic ray ion injection by sputtering and scattering from fast refractory oxide grains in a mix of fresh supernova ejecta and old interstellar material. Since the bulk of the Galactic supernovae occur in the cores of superbubbles, the bulk of the cosmic rays are accelerated there out of such a mix. We show that the major abundance differences all imply a mixing ratio of the total masses of fresh supernova ejecta and old interstellar material in such cores is roughly 1 to 4. That means that the metallicity of ∼3 times solar, since the ejecta has a metallicity of ∼8 times that of the present interstellar medium.     

Fifty Years of Cosmic Radiation Data

Cosmic radiation has been measured by a variety of techniques since 1933. This paper presents the evolution of data acquisition, processing, and availability of cosmic radiation data from the early years to the present time. Information on the worldwide network of neutron monitor stations and the availability of these cosmic radiation records is included. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmic-Ray Energy Spectra and Time Variations in the Local Interstellar Medium: Constraints and Uncertainties

The spectra of galactic cosmic rays that are observed inside the heliosphere result from the interaction of the spectra present in the local interstellar medium with the structured but turbulent magnetic field carried by the solar wind. Observational tests of solar modulation theory depend on comparisons between spectra inside and outside the heliosphere. Our knowledge of the local interstellar spectra are indirect, using extrapolations of interplanetary spectra measured at high energies where solar modulation effects are minimal and modeling of the physical processes that occur during particle acceleration and transport in the interstellar medium. The resulting estimates of the interstellar spectra can also be checked against observations of the effects that cosmic rays have on the chemistry of the interstellar medium and on the production of the diffuse galactic gamma-ray background. I review the present understanding of the local galactic cosmic-ray spectra, emphasizing the constraints set by observations and the uncertainties that remain.     

Global Processes that Determine Cosmic Ray Modulation

The global processes that determine cosmic ray modulation are reviewed. The essential elements of the theory which describes cosmic ray behavior in the heliosphere are summarized, and a series of discussions is presented which compare the expectations of this theory with observations of the spatial and temporal behavior of both galactic cosmic rays and the anomalous component; the behavior of cosmic ray electrons and ions; and the 26-day variations in cosmic rays as a function of heliographic latitude. The general conclusion is that the current theory is essentially correct. There is clear evidence, in solar minimum conditions, that the cosmic rays and the anomalous component behave as is expected from theory, with strong effects of gradient and curvature drifts. There is strong evidence of considerable latitude transport of the cosmic rays, at all energies, but the mechanism by which this occurs is unclear. Despite the apparent success of the theory, there is no single choice for the parameters which describe cosmic ray behavior, which can account for all of the observed temporal and spatial variations, spectra, and electron vs. ion behavior.     

Turbulence, Magnetic Reconnection in Turbulent Fluids and Energetic Particle Acceleration

Turbulence is ubiquitous in astrophysics. It radically changes many astrophysical phenomena, in particular, the propagation and acceleration of cosmic rays. We present the modern understanding of compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence, in particular its decomposition into Alfvén, slow and fast modes, discuss the density structure of turbulent subsonic and supersonic media, as well as other relevant regimes of astrophysical turbulence. All this information is essential for understanding the energetic particle acceleration that we discuss further in the review. For instance, we show how fast and slow modes accelerate energetic particles through the second order Fermi acceleration, while density fluctuations generate magnetic fields in pre-shock regions enabling the first order Fermi acceleration of high energy cosmic rays. Very importantly, however, the first order Fermi cosmic ray acceleration is also possible in sites of magnetic reconnection. In the presence of turbulence this reconnection gets fast and we present numerical evidence supporting the predictions of the Lazarian and Vishniac (Astrophys. J. 517:700–718, 1999) model of fast reconnection. The efficiency of this process suggests that magnetic reconnection can release substantial amounts of energy in short periods of time. As the particle tracing numerical simulations show that the particles can be efficiently accelerated during the reconnection, we argue that the process of magnetic reconnection may be much more important for particle acceleration than it is currently accepted. In particular, we discuss the acceleration arising from reconnection as a possible origin of the anomalous cosmic rays measured by Voyagers as well as the origin cosmic ray excess in the direction of Heliotail.     

Global Muon Detector Network Used for Space Weather Applications

In this work, we summarize the development and current status of the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN). The GMDN started in 1992 with only two muon detectors. It has consisted of four detectors since the Kuwait-city muon hodoscope detector was installed in March 2006. The present network has a total of 60 directional channels with an improved coverage of the sunward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) orientation, making it possible to continuously monitor cosmic ray precursors of geomagnetic storms. The data analysis methods developed also permit precise calculation of the three dimensional cosmic ray anisotropy on an hourly basis free from the atmospheric temperature effect and analysis of the cosmic ray precursors free from the diurnal anisotropy of the cosmic ray intensity.