Forbush decreases and solar events seen in the 10–20 GeV energy range by the Karlsruhe Muon Telescope

Since 1993, a muon telescope located at Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Muon Telescope) has been recording the flux of single muons mostly originating from primary cosmic-ray protons with dominant energies in the 10–20 GeV range. The data are used to investigate the influence of solar effects on the flux of cosmic rays measured at Earth. Non-periodic events like Forbush decreases and ground level enhancements are detected in the registered muon flux. A selection of recent events will be presented and compared to data from the Jungfraujoch neutron monitor. The data of the Karlsruhe Muon Telescope help to extend the knowledge about Forbush decreases and ground level enhancements to energies beyond the neutron monitor regime.     

青海省柴达木盆地大气电场随高度的变化特征

大气电场强度是大气电学的重要参数.大气电场的准确测量及其时空特性对研究空间天气活动、气象活动以及大型地质活动具有重要意义.2019年8月26日和28日,中国科学院鸿鹄专项团队在青海省海西蒙古自治州大柴旦镇地区放飞搭载模式电场仪的探空气球,测量了不同高度的大气电场强度.利用互相关函数法和主成分分析法研究了此次气球实验得到的电场数据.结果表明,尽管通常情况下决定大气垂直电场大小的主要因素是高度,但是该地区风场对大气电场强度的影响也比较显著.晴天大气条件下,有无薄云的存在对大气电场测量存在一定影响,有云条件下,风速会通过影响云的形成间接影响到大气电场.此外,柴达木盆地存在一个易受下垫面影响的大气电场边界层,分析表明这个边界层厚度在3km以上.对边界层大气电场变化以及晴天无云时3600m以上的大气电场分布进行了分析和拟合.      

带电云对大气电场随高度变化特征的影响

大气电场与雷暴活动、气候变化、大气污染、太阳活动密切相关,在特殊地形上探测大气电场的高度分布对于大气电学的相关研究具有重要意义。2020年9月12日,中国科学院鸿鹄专项团队将大气电场仪搭载在探空气球上,在青海省海西蒙古族藏族自治州大柴旦地区进行了大气电场高度分布的探测实验。本文分析讨论了此次实验中用到的电场仪、实验过程及实验结果。大气电场曲线中间凸起的部分对应电场仪穿过带电云层,因此将其分为三段并分别进行拟合。探测实验及分析结果表明:在不同高度处大气电场的主要影响因素不同,其分布规律会存在差异。此外,带电云会使大气电场强度整体增大,但云层中大气电场的高度分布仍能较好地符合指数变化规律。      

The KACST muon detector and its application to cosmic-ray variations studies

A single channel cosmic ray muon detector was constructed and installed in Riyadh, central Saudi Arabia, for studying the variations in the cosmic ray (CR) muon flux. The detector has been in operation since July 2002. The recorded data correspond to muons that primarily have energies between 10 and 20 GeV. The detector will be used to continuously measure the intensity of the muon components of the cosmic rays, exploring its variations and possible correlations with environment parameters. The technical aspects of this detector will be presented. Some results obtained by the detector so far will be given. These include the modulation of the CR flux on different time scales (diurnal, 27-day, and long-term variations). Additionally, the effect of a severe dust storm on the muon count rate was investigated.     

由电离层电位所建立的大气电状态

本文在已知电离层电位分布下, 解析地计算了大气电位, 电场和电流强度的全球分布.结果表明, 在大气导电率随高度呈指数增加的情况下, 100km高度上的电离层电位, 几乎无衰减地扫到25km以下.大气电场较强的区域主要在20km以下的低层大气区, 其垂直分量比水平分量大4个数量级.而中高层大气电场较弱, 且两分量量级相当.本文还提出了一种考虑地面形状对大气电场影响的解析方法.      

CME-geometry and cosmic-ray anisotropy observed by a prototype muon detector network

We analyze the cosmic-ray anisotropy observed by a prototype network of muon detectors during geomagnetic storms associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The network currently consists of multidirectional surface muon detectors at Nagoya (Japan) and Hobart (Australia), together with a prototype detector at São Martinho (Brazil) which has been in operation since March, 2001. In this report, we analyze the anisotropy recorded in both the muon detector and neutron monitor (the Spaceship Earth) networks and find significant enhancements of cosmic-ray anisotropy during geomagnetic storms. Following the analysis by Bieber and Evenson [Bieber, J.W., Evenson, P. CME geometry in relation to cosmic ray anisotropy. Geophys. Res. Lett. 25 (1998) 2955–2958] for the neutron monitor data at 10 GeV, we also derive cosmic-ray density gradients from muon data at higher-energy (50 GeV), possibly reflecting the larger-scale geometry of CMEs causing geomagnetic storms. We particularly find in some events the anisotropy enhancement clearly starting prior to the storm onset in both the muon and neutron data. This is the first result of the CME-geometry derived from simultaneous observations of the anisotropy with networks of multidirectional muon detectors and neutron monitors.     

中子星吸积柱中荷电粒子密度的分布及电场的形成

本文从刘维定理出发,通过相空间求平均,建立了中子星吸积柱中粒子流连续方程和动量迁移方程。并在静力学平衡下求出其解;建立了吸积柱中的荷电粒子分布;引出了某些有趣的新结果。      

锡林浩特市火山地质公园平台山顶近地面大气电场变化特征

大气电场强度是大气电学的重要参数.大气电场的准确测量对雷暴和地震的监测、预警等具有重要的意义.利用2015年8月27日气球搭载大气电场仪测量近地面大气电场实验得到的电场数据，分析在特殊地形表面近地面500m高度内大气电场强度随高度的变化特征.结果表明:晴天条件下，火山喷发形成的熔岩平台山顶上空近地面大气电场强度随高度增加呈指数递减，大气电场的数值和变化范围均较大，尤其是近地面100m高度内，大气电场值达到1kV·m-1以上.此外，还通过经验公式得出了近火山灰石地表的大气电导率.受空气中重离子的影响，其电导率远小于全球大气电导率的平均值.实验结果丰富了在特殊地形下大气电场的测量结果，揭示了中国内蒙古锡林浩特地区火山山顶近地面大气电场强度随高度的变化特征.      

Thermonuclear flashes on magnetized neutron stars as a model for gamma-ray bursts

We propose, as a model for gamma ray bursts, that the energy released by a thermonuclear runaway at the surface of a slowly accreting, magnetized neutron star, is converted into gamma ray photons by small scale magnetic field reconnection. Most of the energy flux is transported up to the atmosphere by Alfvén waves, driven by oscillatory magnetoconvection. The electric field created by reconnection accelerates electrons to very high energies. The excitation of Landau levels by collisions is followed by gamma ray synchrotron emission. The time scales, energies, and luminosities involved agree with the observations.     

雷暴电场对LHAASO探测面宇宙线次级粒子能量的影响

采用Monte Carlo方法,通过模拟研究了不同强度雷暴电场对LHAASO探测面宇宙线次级电子能量的影响.在电场作用下,电子的能量分布发生了变化.在低能段总电子数目增加明显,而在高能段电场的影响不明显.当电场强度为1700V·cm-1（大于逃逸电场）时,能量<120MeV的电子被加速,能量<60MeV的总电子数目呈指数增长（增幅高达约2252%）,雷暴电场对次级粒子的加速机制与相对论电子逃逸雪崩机制（RREA）相符.当电场强度为1000V·cm-1（小于逃逸电场）时,能量<70MeV的电子被加速,其数目明显增加,但是增幅（约86%）远小于逃逸电场时的幅度.对电场强度小于逃逸电场时的雷暴电场加速宇宙线次级粒子的物理机制进行了讨论.研究结果可为理解LHAASO实验数据特点以及研究雷暴期间宇宙线强度的变化等提供参考.      

Consequences of the application of the streamer fluid model to the study of the sprite inception mechanism

We present the results of a streamer-fluid model used to investigate the electrodynamical coupling between the troposphere and upper atmosphere due to the penetration of lightning electric fields into the mesosphere and the lower ionosphere, generating sprites. The model solves the continuity equation for electrons and ions coupled to Poisson equation. The dominant physical response of the atmosphere is the formation of a screening-ionization wave. The wave shields the atmosphere above it from the action of the lightning field and, together with the conductivity reduction below it due to attachment, the wave amplifies the total field below it, allowing for the penetration of intense electric fields in the mesosphere as it propagates downwards into regions of higher density that compress the wave. This is the key physical mechanism for sprite inception. We evaluated the effects of the thundercloud charge geometry, lightning current waveshape, atmospheric conductivity, via different electron density profiles, and the effect of ionization, attachment and electron mobility coefficients in the electrical breakdown process, related to halo production, and sprite streamer initiation. The results showed that electrons with higher mobility are more efficient in shielding the lightning electric field before breakdown, causing delay, and they contribute to the formation of the streamer seed after breakdown, anticipating the sprite streamer inception. Similarly, a higher effective ionization rate, produced by modifications in the attachment and ionization coefficients, anticipates sprite inception. The simulations with 6 different electron density profiles, and therefore conductivities, spanning 4 orders of magnitude, showed that the altitude of breakdown and sprite initiation, as well as their time delays from the lightning discharge are directly related to atmospheric conductivity: higher conductivities produce halo and sprite inception at lower altitudes with longer delays and may hinder sprite formation. We document that variations of 30 times in the lightning current leads to sprite initiation altitudes in the range 66.0–73.5 km, with delays between 1.550 and 34.500 ms, while variations of 4 orders of magnitude in the conductivity profile lead to initiation altitudes 61.0–70.6 km, with delays in the range 3.825–9.825 ms. Consequently, we suggest that lightning characteristics dominate over atmospheric parameters in determining sprites’ initiation altitude and delay. The simulation of a −CG, with a constant current of 30 kA, did not produce a sprite seed, confirming an asymmetry in the response of the atmosphere to positive and negative lightning. This is due to the free electron drift direction that is away from the screening ionization wave, preventing the formation of the streamer seed for the great majority of −CGs. The same does not apply to halos, which depend on the occurrence of breakdown and can be produced by discharges of both polarities.     

红精灵发光光谱的数值模拟研究

红精灵是发生在雷暴层云顶的一类大气瞬态发光现象, 是能量由对流层耦合到中高层大气的直接证据. 其发光光谱研究是了解整个事件对中高层大气能量注入的重要手段, 有助于认识事件发生区域的大气电离度及事件过程的能量电子分布, 进一步为研究红精灵的产生机制提供重要信息, 同时为大气辐射背景资料研究提供重要依据. 本文利用Boltzmann方程求解了电场作用下弱电离气体中电子能量分布的时变函数, 以此为基础, 模拟计算了红精灵各典型发射带的光谱强度. 模拟计算结果表明, 约化电场E/N越强, 电子获得的能量就越多, 高能电子也就越多, 致使撞击中性大气产生的辐射光强就越强; 模拟显示红精灵光辐射谱分布从远紫外直至近红外.      

A numerical model approximating extreme energetic electron events involved in the physical and chemical processes of the middle atmosphere

Relativistic electrons (with energies >150 keV) which originate in the outer radiation belt and detected by the Russian ‘Meteor’ series of satellites have been correlated with the atmospheric total ozone data compiled by almost 90 stations located around the world within the latitude zone 40°–70°N. In more than 60% of the stations examined we have detected a clear decrease of the ozone 3–5 days after the electron flux excess. A numerical model has been applied to approximate this effect based on relativistic electron initiated nitric oxides creation in the upper mesosphere with subsequent atmospheric transport (both vertical and horizontal) towards the upper stratosphere. A first attempt of local and temporal prediction of ozone depletion because of energetic electrons impact in the middle atmosphere has been illustrated.     

Test alert service against very large SEP Events

The Aragats Solar Environment Center provides real time monitoring of different components of secondary cosmic ray fluxes. We plan to use this information to establish an early warning alert system against extreme, very large solar particle events with hard spectra, dangerous for satellite electronics and for the crew of the Space Station. Neutron monitors operating at altitude 2000 and 3200 m are continuously gathering data to detect possible abrupt variations of the particle count rates. Additional high precision detectors measuring muon and electron fluxes, along with directional information are under construction on Mt. Aragats. Registered ground level enhancements, in neutron and muon fluxes along with correlations between different species of secondary cosmic rays are analyzed to reveal possible correlations with expected times of arrival of dangerous solar energetic particles.     

Shumann resonances and electromagnetic transparence in the atmosphere of Titan

Among the multiple questions that the CASSINI/HUYGENS mission tries to answer is the likelihood of electric discharges in Titan's atmosphere. The instruments “Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument” and “Radio and Plasma Wave Science” will probe the electromagnetic emissions during the Huygens descent and Cassini flybys, respectively. Although no lightning was observed during Voyager's encounters with Titan in 1980 and 1981, this does not exclude the existence of lightning phenomena. Recent investigations show that lightning discharges could occur in the lower atmosphere, such as the detection of methane condensation clouds in the troposphere and the theoretical prediction of an electric field that would be sufficient enough to cause lightning. We present a numerical model of Titan's atmosphere with the aim of calculating the resonance frequencies and the atmospheric transparency to electromagnetic waves. The detection and measurement of these resonances, Schumann frequencies, by the Huygens probe, would show the existence of electric activity connected with lightning discharges in the atmosphere. As it happens with the Schumann frequencies of Earth, losses associated with the electric conductivity will make these frequencies to be lower than the theoretically predicted, the fundamental one being located between 11 and 15 Hz. An analytical study shows that the strong losses associated with the high conductivity make it impossible that an electromagnetic wave generated near the surface with a frequency of 10 MHz or lower reaches the outer part of Titan's atmosphere. Therefore the detection of electromagnetic waves coming from Titan's lower atmosphere by the RPWS instrument is very unlikely.     

Relativistic solar protons in the ground level event of 23 February 1956: New study

In this study we applied again to the outstanding solar particle event of 23 February 1956, the largest one in the entire history of observations of solar cosmic rays. Due to significant improvement of the analysis/modeling techniques and new understanding of physical processes in the solar atmosphere and interplanetary space, a possibility arises to interpret the old data in the light of modern concept of multiple particle acceleration at/near the Sun. In our new analysis the data of available then neutron monitors and muon telescopes are used. The technique of the analysis includes: (a) calculation of asymptotic cones of ground-based detectors; (b) modeling of cosmic ray detector responses at variable parameters of the flux of solar relativistic protons; (c) determination of primary solar proton parameters outside magnetosphere by comparison of computed responses with observations. Certain evidence was obtained that the flux of relativistic solar protons consisted of two distinct components: prompt and delayed ones. The prompt component with exponential energy spectrum caused a giant impulse-like increase at a number of European cosmic ray stations. The delayed component had a power-law spectrum and was a cause of gradual increase at cosmic ray stations in the North American region. A numerical simulation of the proton acceleration in the vicinity of the magnetic reconnection region brings to the proton spectrum with exponential dependence on energy. This agrees with observational data for the prompt component. It is also shown that the huge increase in ∼5000% on neutron monitors was due to the prompt component only with the exponential proton spectrum. The power-law spectrum of comparable intensity gave considerably smaller effect.     

The cosmic ray ground level enhancement of 6 November 1997.

The relativistic solar proton event of 6 November 1997 resulted in the first ground-level enhancement (GLE) of solar cycle 23. The earliest onset was around 1215 UT but was up to 15 minutes later at some neutron monitor locations. The time of maximum intensity also varied significantly over the world-wide neutron monitor network. The modeled particle distributions and spectra are presented. The apparent particle arrival direction is found to be largely consistent with propagation outward from the sun along interplanetary magnetic field lines.     

Deterministic pion and muon transport in Earth’s atmosphere

An accurate understanding of the physical interactions and transport of space radiation is important for safe and efficient space operations. Secondary particles produced by primary particle interactions with intervening materials are an important contribution to radiation risk. Pions are copiously produced in the nuclear interactions typical of space radiations and can therefore be an important contribution to radiation exposure. Charged pions decay almost exclusively to muons. As a consequence, muons must also be considered in space radiation exposure studies. In this work, the NASA space radiation transport code HZETRN has been extended to include the transport of charged pions and muons. The relevant transport equation, solution method, and implemented cross sections are reviewed. Muon production in the Earth’s upper atmosphere is then investigated, and comparisons with recent balloon flight measurements of differential muon flux are presented. Muon production from the updated version of HZETRN is found to match the experimental data well.     

Enhancement of High Energy Electron Fluxes and Variation of Atmospheric Electric Field in the Antarctic Region ormalsize

High-energy electron precipitation in the high latitude regions enhances the ionization of the atmosphere, and subsequently increases the atmospheric conductivities and the vertical electric field of the atmosphere near the ground as well. The High-Energy Electron Flux (HEEF) data measured by the Fengyun-3 meteorological satellite are analyzed together with the data of near-surface atmospheric vertical electric field measured at the Russian Vostok Station. Three HEEF enhancements are identified and it is shown that when the HEEF increases to a certain level, the local atmospheric vertical electric field near the ground can increase substantially than usual. The response time of the electric field to HEEF enhancement is about 3.7 to 4 days.      

Enhancement of High Energy Electron Fluxes and Variation of Atmospheric Electric Field in the Antarctic Region

High-energy electron precipitation in the high latitude regions enhances the ionization of the atmosphere,and subsequently increases the atmospheric conductivities and the vertical electric field of the atmosphere near the ground as well.The High-Energy Electron Flux(HEEF) data measured by the Fengyun-3 meteorological satellite are analyzed together with the data of nearsurface atmospheric vertical electric field measured at the Russian Vostok Station.Three HEEF enhancements are identified and it is shown that when the HEEF increases to a certain level,the local atmospheric vertical electric field near the ground can increase substantially than usual.The response time of the electric field to HEEF enhancement is about 3.7 to 4 days.