Milagro Contributions to XXVI International Cosmic Ray Conference

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffman, C.M.; Haines, T.J.; Sinnis, G.

1999-08-01

Milagrito, a prototype for the Milagro detector, operated for 15 months in 1997--8 and collected 8.9 x 10{sup 9} events. It was the first extensive air shower (EAS) array sensitive to showers initiated by primaries with energy below 1 TeV. The shadows of the sun and moon observed with cosmic rays can be used to study systematic pointing shifts and measure the angular resolution of EAS arrays. Below a few TeV, the paths of cosmic rays coming toward the earth are bent by the helio- and geo-magnetic fields. This is expected to distort and displace the shadows of the sunmore » and the moon. The moon shadow, offset from the nominal (unreflected) position, has been observed with high statistical significance in Milagrito. This can be used to establish energy calibrations, as well as to search for the anti-matter content of the VHE cosmic ray flux. The shadow of the sun has also been observed with high significance.« less

CREST: a New Multi-TeV Cosmic-Ray Electron Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coutu, Stephane; Wakely, Scott; Anderson, Tyler; Bower, Charles; Geske, Matthew; Mueller, Dietrich; Musser, James; Nutter, Scott; Schubnell, Michael; Tarle, Gregory; Yagi, Atsushi

Recent observations of TeV gamma rays from supernova remnants, coupled with measurements of non-thermal X-ray emission, are interpreted as evidence for shock acceleration of cosmic rays in supernova remnants. While it is often assumed that the particles accelerated in these sources include electrons up to multi-TeV energies, direct cosmic-ray electron observations are currently restricted to energies below about 2 TeV. Any attempt to extend the energy range is hampered by limited exposure and low fluxes. However, significant intensities at these energies would indicate the presence of relatively nearby acceleration sites. We describe a new balloonborne detector, the Cosmic Ray Electron Synchrotron Telescope (CREST). This instrument achieves high sensitivity by detecting the synchrotron x-ray photons emitted by an electron in the Earth's magnetic field, rather than the primary electron itself. A 5.3 m2 array of 1024 BaF2 crystals surrounded by veto scintillators will be flown by balloon in Antarctica in 2009, preceded by a prototype test flight from Ft Sumner, NM, in Spring 2008. We expect to explore the TeV energy region of primary electrons, with sensitivity up to about 50 TeV. Here we describe the CREST science, instrument design and performance.

The AGILE silicon tracker: testbeam results of the prototype silicon detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbiellini, G.; Fedel, G.; Liello, F.; Longo, F.; Pontoni, C.; Prest, M.; Tavani, M.; Vallazza, E.

2002-09-01

AGILE (Light Imager for Gamma-ray Astrophysics) is a small scientific satellite for the detection of cosmic γ-ray sources in the energy range 30MeV-50GeV with a very large field of view (1/4 of the sky). It is planned to be operational in the years 2003-2006, a period in which no other γ-ray mission in the same energy range is foreseen. The heart of the AGILE scientific instrument is a silicon-tungsten tracker made of 14 planes of single sided silicon detectors for a total of 43000 readout channels. Each detector has a dimension of 9.5×9.5cm2 and a thickness of 410μm. We present here a detailed description of the performance of the detector prototype during a testbeam period at the CERN PS in May 2000. The Tracker performance is described in terms of position resolution and signal-to-noise ratio for on and off-axis incident charged particles. The measured 40μm resolution for a large range of incident angles will provide an excellent angular resolution for cosmic γ-ray imaging.

Characterising encapsulated nuclear waste using cosmic-ray muon tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarkson, A.; Hamilton, D. J.; Hoek, M.; Ireland, D. G.; Johnstone, J. R.; Kaiser, R.; Keri, T.; Lumsden, S.; Mahon, D. F.; McKinnon, B.; Murray, M.; Nutbeam-Tuffs, S.; Shearer, C.; Yang, G.; Zimmerman, C.

2015-03-01

Tomographic imaging techniques using the Coulomb scattering of cosmic-ray muons have been shown previously to successfully identify and characterise low- and high-Z materials within an air matrix using a prototype scintillating-fibre tracker system. Those studies were performed as the first in a series to assess the feasibility of this technology and image reconstruction techniques in characterising the potential high-Z contents of legacy nuclear waste containers for the U.K. Nuclear Industry. The present work continues the feasibility study and presents the first images reconstructed from experimental data collected using this small-scale prototype system of low- and high-Z materials encapsulated within a concrete-filled stainless-steel container. Clear discrimination is observed between the thick steel casing, the concrete matrix and the sample materials assayed. These reconstructed objects are presented and discussed in detail alongside the implications for future industrial scenarios.

The high energy cosmic-radiation detection (HERD) facility onboard China's Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S. N.; Adriani, O.; Albergo, S.; Ambrosi, G.; An, Q.; Bao, T. W.; Battiston, R.; Bi, X. J.; Cao, Z.; Chai, J. Y.; Chang, J.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, Y.; Cui, X. H.; Dai, Z. G.; D'Alessandro, R.; Dong, Y. W.; Fan, Y. Z.; Feng, C. Q.; Feng, H.; Feng, Z. Y.; Gao, X. H.; Gargano, F.; Giglietto, N.; Gou, Q. B.; Guo, Y. Q.; Hu, B. L.; Hu, H. B.; He, H. H.; Huang, G. S.; Huang, J.; Huang, Y. F.; Li, H.; Li, L.; Li, Y. G.; Li, Z.; Liang, E. W.; Liu, H.; Liu, J. B.; Liu, J. T.; Liu, S. B.; Liu, S. M.; Liu, X.; Lu, J. G.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Mori, N.; Orsi, S.; Pearce, M.; Pohl, M.; Quan, Z.; Ryde, F.; Shi, H. L.; Spillantini, P.; Su, M.; Sun, J. C.; Sun, X. L.; Tang, Z. C.; Walter, R.; Wang, J. C.; Wang, J. M.; Wang, L.; Wang, R. J.; Wang, X. L.; Wang, X. Y.; Wang, Z. G.; Wei, D. M.; Wu, B. B.; Wu, J.; Wu, X.; Wu, X. F.; Xia, J. Q.; Xiao, H. L.; Xu, H. H.; Xu, M.; Xu, Z. Z.; Yan, H. R.; Yin, P. F.; Yu, Y. W.; Yuan, Q.; Zha, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Y. J.; Zhang, Y. L.; Zhao, Z. G.

2014-07-01

The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility is one of several space astronomy payloads of the cosmic lighthouse program onboard China's Space Station, which is planned for operation starting around 2020 for about 10 years. The main scientific objectives of HERD are indirect dark matter search, precise cosmic ray spectrum and composition measurements up to the knee energy, and high energy gamma-ray monitoring and survey. HERD is composed of a 3-D cubic calorimeter (CALO) surrounded by microstrip silicon trackers (STKs) from five sides except the bottom. CALO is made of about 104 cubes of LYSO crystals, corresponding to about 55 radiation lengths and 3 nuclear interaction lengths, respectively. The top STK microstrips of seven X-Y layers are sandwiched with tungsten converters to make precise directional measurements of incoming electrons and gamma-rays. In the baseline design, each of the four side SKTs is made of only three layers microstrips. All STKs will also be used for measuring the charge and incoming directions of cosmic rays, as well as identifying back scattered tracks. With this design, HERD can achieve the following performance: energy resolution of 1% for electrons and gamma-rays beyond 100 GeV, 20% for protons from 100 GeV to 1 PeV; electron/proton separation power better than 10-5; effective geometrical factors of >3 m2sr for electron and diffuse gamma-rays, >2 m2sr for cosmic ray nuclei. R and D is under way for reading out the LYSO signals with optical fiber coupled to image intensified CCD and the prototype of one layer of CALO.

Testing a Prototype for a New Cosmic Ray Particle Detector at the South Pole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, R.; Rimsa, E.; Tharp, T.; Andeen, K.

2017-01-01

Cosmic ray research has grown rapidly in the past century, often using vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to analyze the light produced by high-energy particles passing through scintillating material. Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are now being recognized as a more efficient alternative to PMTs. Different types of photon events have been characterized using a SensL brand SiPM in combination with a QuarkNet Data Acquisition board. The goal of this study is to test the viability of the SiPM for a new generation surface detector at the South Pole.

Accelerator Tests of the KLEM Prototypes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bashindzhagyan, G.; Adams, J. H.; Bashindzhagyan, P.; Baranova, N.; Christl, M.; Chilingarian, A.; Chupin, I.; Derrickson, J.; Drury, L.; Egorov, N.

2003-01-01

The Kinematic Lightweight Energy Meter (KLEM) device is planned for direct measurement of the elemental energy spectra of high-energy (10(exp 11)-10(exp 16) eV) cosmic rays. The first KLEM prototype has been tested at CERN with 180 GeV pion beam in 2001. A modified KLEM prototype will be tested in proton and heavy ion beams to give more experimental data on energy resolution and charge resolution with KLEM method. The first test results are presented and compared with simulations.

A detailed study of FDIRC prototype with waveform digitizing electronics in cosmic ray telescope using 3D tracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, K.; Dey, B.; Aston, D.; Leith, D. W. G. S.; Ratcliff, B.; Roberts, D.; Ruckman, L.; Shtol, D.; Varner, G. S.; Va'vra, J.

2013-02-01

We present a detailed study of a novel Cherenkov imaging detector called the Focusing DIRC (FDIRC) with waveform digitizing electronics. In this study, the FDIRC prototype has been instrumented with seven Hamamatsu H-8500 MaPMTs. Waveforms from 384 pixels are digitized with waveform sampling electronics based on the BLAB2 ASIC, operating at a sampling speed of ∼2.5 GSa/s. The FDIRC prototype was tested in a large cosmic ray telescope (CRT) providing 3D muon tracks with ∼1.5 mrad angular resolution and muon energy of Emuon> 1.6 GeV. In this study we provide a detailed analysis of the tails in the Cherenkov angle distribution as a function of various variables, compare experimental results with simulation, and identify the major contributions to the tails. We demonstrate that to see the full impact of these tails on the Cherenkov angle resolution, it is crucial to use 3D tracks, and have a full understanding of the role of reconstruction ambiguities. These issues could not be fully explored in previous FDIRC studies where the beam was perpendicular to the quartz radiator bars. This work is relevant for the final FDIRC prototype of the PID detector at SuperB, which will be tested this year in the CRT setup.

The MU-RAY experiment. An application of SiPM technology to the understanding of volcanic phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, A.; Ambrosino, F.; Basta, D.; Bonechi, L.; Brianzi, M.; Bross, A.; Callier, S.; Cassese, F.; Castellini, G.; Ciaranfi, R.; Cimmino, L.; D'Alessandro, R.; De Fazio, B.; de La Taille, C.; Garufi, F.; Iacobucci, G.; Martini, M.; Masone, V.; Mattone, C.; Miyamoto, S.; Montesi, M. C.; Nishiyama, R.; Noli, P.; Orazi, M.; Parascandolo, L.; Passeggio, G.; Peluso, R.; Pla-Dalmau, A.; Raux, L.; Rocco, R.; Rubinov, P.; Saracino, G.; Scarlini, E.; Scarpato, G.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Starodubtsev, O.; Strolin, P.; Taketa, A.; Tanaka, H. K. M.; Tanaka, M.; Uchida, T.

2013-08-01

The purpose of the MU-RAY project is to develop an innovative approach to the study of volcanoes and their monitoring based on a particle physics approach. The test site is Vesuvio: one of the higher risk volcanoes in the world. In this context, muon radiography is an innovative method of enormous impact. This is an imaging technique which relies on the measurement, by means of a cosmic ray telescope, of the absorption in the volcano of muons with near-horizontal trajectories, produced by the interactions of cosmic rays with the atmosphere. Since 2003 this technique has been successfully used on volcanoes in Japan, providing pictures of their vertices with resolutions much better than those obtained with the traditional techniques based on gravimeters. Researchers from Naples and Florence are currently involved in the construction and testing of a prototype telescope based on the use of bars of plastic scintillator with a triangular section whose scintillation light is collected by special fibres (wave length shifters) and transported to SiPM (Silicon photomultipliers). A complete prototype telescope, consisting of three xy scintillation planes and 1 m2 active area has been assembled and is now under test.

A high resolution gas scintillation proportional counter for studying low energy cosmic X-ray sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, T. T.; Hailey, C. J.; Ku, W. H.-M.; Novick, R.

1980-01-01

In recent years much effort has been devoted to the development of large area gas scintillation proportional counters (GSPCs) suitable for use in X-ray astronomy. The paper deals with a low-energy GSPC for use in detecting sub-keV X-rays from cosmic sources. This instrument has a measured energy resolution of 85 eV (FWHM) at 149 eV over a sensitive area of 5 sq cm. The development of imaging capability for this instrument is discussed. Tests are performed on the feasibility of using an arrangement of several phototubes placed adjacent to one another to determine event locations in a large flat counter. A simple prototype has been constructed and successfully operated.

A prototype scintillating-fibre tracker for the cosmic-ray muon tomography of legacy nuclear waste containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahon, D. F.; Clarkson, A.; Hamilton, D. J.; Hoek, M.; Ireland, D. G.; Johnstone, J. R.; Kaiser, R.; Keri, T.; Lumsden, S.; McKinnon, B.; Murray, M.; Nutbeam-Tuffs, S.; Shearer, C.; Staines, C.; Yang, G.; Zimmerman, C.

2013-12-01

Cosmic-ray muons are highly penetrative charged particles observed at sea level with a flux of approximately 1 cm-2 min-1. They interact with matter primarily through Coulomb scattering which can be exploited in muon tomography to image objects within industrial nuclear waste containers. A prototype scintillating-fibre detector has been developed for this application, consisting of two tracking modules above and below the volume to be assayed. Each module comprises two orthogonal planes of 2 mm fibres. The modular configuration allows the reconstruction of the initial and scattered muon trajectories which enable the container content, with respect to atomic number Z, to be determined. Fibre signals are read out by Hamamatsu H8500 MAPMTs with two fibres coupled to each pixel via dedicated pairing schemes developed to avoid space point ambiguities and retain the high spatial resolution of the fibres. A likelihood-based image reconstruction algorithm was developed and tested using a GEANT4 simulation of the prototype system. Images reconstructed from this simulation are presented in comparison with experimental results taken with test objects. These results verify the simulation and show discrimination between the low, medium and high-Z materials imaged.

High energy gamma-ray astronomy; Proceedings of the International Conference, ANN Arbor, MI, Oct. 2-5, 1990

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, James

The present volume on high energy gamma-ray astronomy discusses the composition and properties of heavy cosmic rays greater than 10 exp 12 eV, implications of the IRAS Survey for galactic gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray emission from young neutron stars, and high-energy diffuse gamma rays. Attention is given to observations of TeV photons at the Whipple Observatory, TeV gamma rays from millisecond pulsars, recent data from the CYGNUS experiment, and recent results from the Woomera Telescope. Topics addressed include bounds on a possible He/VHE gamma-ray line signal of Galactic dark matter, albedo gamma rays from cosmic ray interactions on the solar surface, source studies, and the CANGAROO project. Also discussed are neural nets and other methods for maximizing the sensitivity of a low-threshold VHE gamma-ray telescope, a prototype water-Cerenkov air-shower detector, detection of point sources with spark chamber gamma-ray telescopes, and real-time image parameterization in high energy gamma-ray astronomy using transputers. (For individual items see A93-25002 to A93-25039)

Using Stars to Align a Steered Laser System for Cosmic Ray Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krantz, Harry; Wiencke, Lawrence

2016-03-01

Ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are the highest energy cosmic particles with kinetic energy above 1018eV . UHECRs are detected from the air shower of secondary particles and UV florescence that results from interaction with the atmosphere. A high power UV laser beam can be used to simulate the optical signature of a UHCER air shower. The Global Light System (GLS) is a planned network of ground-based light sources including lasers to support the planned space-based Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO). A portable prototype GLS laser station has been constructed at the Colorado School of Mines. Currently the laser system uses reference targets on the ground but stars can be used to better align the beam by providing a complete hemisphere of targets. In this work, a CCD camera is used to capture images of known stars through the steering head optics. The images are analyzed to find the steering head coordinates of the target star. The true coordinates of the star are calculated from the location and time of observation. A universal adjustment for the steering head is determined from the differences between the two pairs of coordinates across multiple stars. This laser system prototype will also be used for preflight tests of the ESUO Super Pressure Balloon mission.

Predicting the response of a submillimeter bolometer to cosmic rays.

PubMed

Woodcraft, Adam L; Sudiwala, Rashmi V; Ade, Peter A R; Griffin, Matthew J; Wakui, Elley; Bhatia, Ravinder S; Lange, Andrew E; Bock, James J; Turner, Anthony D; Yun, Minhee H; Beeman, Jeffrey W

2003-09-01

Bolometers designed to detect submillimeter radiation also respond to cosmic, gamma, and x rays. Because detectors cannot be fully shielded from such energy sources, it is necessary to understand the effect of a photon or cosmic-ray particle being absorbed. The resulting signal (known as a glitch) can then be removed from raw data. We present measurements using an Americium-241 gamma radiation source to irradiate a prototype bolometer for the High Frequency Instrument in the Planck Surveyor satellite. Our measurements showed no variation in response depending on where the radiation was absorbed, demonstrating that the bolometer absorber and thermistor thermalize quickly. The bolometer has previously been fully characterized both electrically and optically. We find that using optically measured time constants underestimates the time taken for the detector to recover from a radiation absorption event. However, a full thermal model for the bolometer, with parameters taken from electrical and optical measurements, provides accurate time constants. Slight deviations from the model were seen at high energies; these can be accounted for by use of an extended model.

Predicting the response of a submillimeter bolometer to cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodcraft, Adam L.; Sudiwala, Rashmi V.; Ade, Peter A. R.; Griffin, Matthew J.; Wakui, Elley; Bhatia, Ravinder S.; Lange, Andrew E.; Bock, James J.; Turner, Anthony D.; Yun, Minhee H.; Beeman, Jeffrey W.

2003-09-01

Bolometers designed to detect submillimeter radiation also respond to cosmic, gamma, and x rays. Because detectors cannot be fully shielded from such energy sources, it is necessary to understand the effect of a photon or cosmic-ray particle being absorbed. The resulting signal (known as a glitch) can then be removed from raw data. We present measurements using an Americium-241 gamma radiation source to irradiate a prototype bolometer for the High Frequency Instrument in the Planck Surveyor satellite. Our measurements showed no variation in response depending on where the radiation was absorbed, demonstrating that the bolometer absorber and thermistor thermalize quickly. The bolometer has previously been fully characterized both electrically and optically. We find that using optically measured time constants underestimates the time taken for the detector to recover from a radiation absorption event. However, a full thermal model for the bolometer, with parameters taken from electrical and optical measurements, provides accurate time constants. Slight deviations from the model were seen at high energies; these can be accounted for by use of an extended model.

Research relative to high energy astrophysics. [large area modular array of reflectors, X-ray spectroscopy, and thermal control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gorenstein, P.

1984-01-01

Various parameters which affect the design of the proposed large area modular array of reflectors (LAMAR) are considered, including thermal control, high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, pointing control, and mirror performance. The LAMAR instrument is to be a shuttle-launched X-ray observatory to carry out cosmic X-ray investigations. The capabilities of LAMAR are enumerated. Angular resolution performance of the mirror module prototype was measured to be 30 sec of ARC for 50% of the power. The LAMAR thermal pre-collimator design concepts and test configurations are discussed in detail.

Cosmic ray oriented performance studies for the JEM-EUSO first level trigger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdellaoui, G.; Abe, S.; Acheli, A.; Adams, J. H.; Ahmad, S.; Ahriche, A.; Albert, J.-N.; Allard, D.; Alonso, G.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andreev, V.; Anzalone, A.; Aouimeur, W.; Arai, Y.; Arsene, N.; Asano, K.; Attallah, R.; Attoui, H.; Ave Pernas, M.; Bacholle, S.; Bakiri, M.; Baragatti, P.; Barrillon, P.; Bartocci, S.; Batsch, T.; Bayer, J.; Bechini, R.; Belenguer, T.; Bellotti, R.; Belov, A.; Belov, K.; Benadda, B.; Benmessai, K.; Berlind, A. A.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Biktemerova, S.; Bisconti, F.; Blanc, N.; Błȩcki, J.; Blin-Bondil, S.; Bobik, P.; Bogomilov, M.; Bonamente, M.; Boudaoud, R.; Bozzo, E.; Briggs, M. S.; Bruno, A.; Caballero, K. S.; Cafagna, F.; Campana, D.; Capdevielle, J.-N.; Capel, F.; Caramete, A.; Caramete, L.; Carlson, P.; Caruso, R.; Casolino, M.; Cassardo, C.; Castellina, A.; Castellini, G.; Catalano, C.; Catalano, O.; Cellino, A.; Chikawa, M.; Chiritoi, G.; Christl, M. J.; Connaughton, V.; Conti, L.; Contino, G.; Cordero, G.; Cotto, G.; Crawford, H. J.; Cremonini, R.; Csorna, S.; Dagoret-Campagne, S.; De Donato, C.; de la Taille, C.; De Santis, C.; del Peral, L.; Di Martino, M.; Djemil, T.; Djenas, S. A.; Dulucq, F.; Dupieux, M.; Dutan, I.; Ebersoldt, A.; Ebisuzaki, T.; Engel, R.; Eser, J.; Fang, K.; Fenu, F.; Fernández-González, S.; Fernández-Soriano, J.; Ferrarese, S.; Finco, D.; Flamini, M.; Fornaro, C.; Forza, R.; Fouka, M.; Franceschi, A.; Franchini, S.; Fuglesang, C.; Fujimoto, J.; Fukushima, M.; Galeotti, P.; García-Ortega, E.; Garipov, G.; Gascón, E.; Geary, J.; Gelmini, G.; Genci, J.; Giraudo, G.; Gonchar, M.; González Alvarado, C.; Gorodetzky, P.; Guardone, N.; Guarino, F.; Guehaz, R.; Guzmán, A.; Hachisu, Y.; Haiduc, M.; Harlov, B.; Haungs, A.; Hernández Carretero, J.; Hidber, W.; Higashide, K.; Ikeda, D.; Ikeda, H.; Inoue, N.; Inoue, S.; Insolia, A.; Isgrò, F.; Itow, Y.; Jammer, T.; Joven, E.; Judd, E. G.; Jung, A.; Jochum, J.; Kajino, F.; Kajino, T.; Kalli, S.; Kaneko, I.; Kang, D.; Kanouni, F.; Karadzhov, Y.; Karczmarczyk, J.; Karus, M.; Katahira, K.; Kawai, K.; Kawasaki, Y.; Kedadra, A.; Khales, H.; Khrenov, B. A.; Kim, Jeong-Sook; Kim, Soon-Wook; Kim, Sug-Whan; Kleifges, M.; Klimov, P. A.; Kolev, D.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Kudela, K.; Kurihara, Y.; Kusenko, A.; Kuznetsov, E.; Lacombe, M.; Lachaud, C.; Lahmar, H.; Lakhdari, F.; Larsson, O.; Lee, J.; Licandro, J.; Lim, H.; López Campano, L.; Maccarone, M. C.; Mackovjak, S.; Mahdi, M.; Manfrin, M.; Maravilla, D.; Marcelli, L.; Marcos, J. L.; Marini, A.; Martens, K.; Martín, Y.; Martinez, O.; Masciantonio, G.; Mase, K.; Matev, R.; Matthews, J. N.; Mebarki, N.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Mehrad, L.; Mendoza, M. A.; Merino, A.; Mernik, T.; Meseguer, J.; Messaoud, S.; Micu, O.; Mignone, M.; Mimouni, J.; Miyamoto, H.; Miyazaki, Y.; Mizumoto, Y.; Modestino, G.; Monaco, A.; Monnier-Ragaigne, D.; Morales de los Ríos, J. A.; Moretto, C.; Morozenko, V. S.; Mot, B.; Murakami, T.; Nadji, B.; Nagano, M.; Nagata, M.; Nagataki, S.; Nakamura, T.; Napolitano, T.; Naumov, D.; Nava, R.; Neronov, A.; Nomoto, K.; Nonaka, T.; Ogawa, T.; Ogio, S.; Ohmori, H.; Olinto, A. V.; Orleański, P.; Osteria, G.; Painter, W.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Panico, B.; Parizot, E.; Park, I. H.; Park, H. W.; Pastircak, B.; Patzak, T.; Paul, T.; Pennypacker, C.; Pérez-Grande, I.; Perfetto, F.; Peter, T.; Picozza, P.; Pierog, T.; Pindado, S.; Piotrowski, L. W.; Piraino, S.; Placidi, L.; Plebaniak, Z.; Pliego, S.; Pollini, A.; Popescu, E. M.; Prat, P.; Prévôt, G.; Prieto, H.; Putis, M.; Rabanal, J.; Radu, A. A.; Rahmani, M.; Reardon, P.; Reyes, M.; Rezazadeh, M.; Ricci, M.; Rodríguez Frías, M. D.; Ronga, F.; Roth, M.; Rothkaehl, H.; Roudil, G.; Rusinov, I.; Rybczyński, M.; Sabau, M. D.; Sáez Cano, G.; Sagawa, H.; Sahnoune, Z.; Saito, A.; Sakaki, N.; Sakata, M.; Salazar, H.; Sanchez, J. C.; Sánchez, J. L.; Santangelo, A.; Santiago Crúz, L.; Sanz-Andrés, A.; Sanz Palomino, M.; Saprykin, O.; Sarazin, F.; Sato, H.; Sato, M.; Schanz, T.; Schieler, H.; Scotti, V.; Segreto, A.; Selmane, S.; Semikoz, D.; Serra, M.; Sharakin, S.; Shibata, T.; Shimizu, H. M.; Shinozaki, K.; Shirahama, T.; Siemieniec-Oziȩbło, G.; Sledd, J.; Słomińska, K.; Sobey, A.; Stan, I.; Sugiyama, T.; Supanitsky, D.; Suzuki, M.; Szabelska, B.; Szabelski, J.; Tahi, H.; Tajima, F.; Tajima, N.; Tajima, T.; Takahashi, Y.; Takami, H.; Takeda, M.; Takizawa, Y.; Talai, M. C.; Tenzer, C.; Tibolla, O.; Tkachev, L.; Tokuno, H.; Tomida, T.; Tone, N.; Toscano, S.; Traïche, M.; Tsenov, R.; Tsunesada, Y.; Tsuno, K.; Tymieniecka, T.; Uchihori, Y.; Unger, M.; Vaduvescu, O.; Valdés-Galicia, J. F.; Vallania, P.; Vankova, G.; Vigorito, C.; Villaseñor, L.; Vlcek, B.; von Ballmoos, P.; Vrabel, M.; Wada, S.; Watanabe, J.; Watanabe, S.; Watts, J.; Weber, M.; Weigand Muñoz, R.; Weindl, A.; Weiler, T. J.; Wibig, T.; Wiencke, L.; Wille, M.; Wilms, J.; Włodarczyk, Z.; Yamamoto, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Yang, J.; Yano, H.; Yashin, I. V.; Yonetoku, D.; Yoshida, S.; Young, R.; Zgura, I. S.; Zotov, M. Yu.; Zuccaro Marchi, A.

2017-09-01

JEM-EUSO is a space mission designed to investigate Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and Neutrinos (E > 5 ṡ 1019 eV) from the International Space Station (ISS). Looking down from above its wide angle telescope is able to observe their air showers and collect such data from a very wide area. Highly specific trigger algorithms are needed to drastically reduce the data load in the presence of both atmospheric and human activity related background light, yet retain the rare cosmic ray events recorded in the telescope. We report the performance in offline testing of the first level trigger algorithm on data from JEM-EUSO prototypes and laboratory measurements observing different light sources: data taken during a high altitude balloon flight over Canada, laser pulses observed from the ground traversing the real atmosphere, and model landscapes reproducing realistic aspect ratios and light conditions as would be seen from the ISS itself. The first level trigger logic successfully kept the trigger rate within the permissible bounds when challenged with artificially produced as well as naturally encountered night sky background fluctuations and while retaining events with general air-shower characteristics.

Definition study for an advanced cosmic ray experiment utilizing the long duration exposure facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, P. B.

1982-06-01

To achieve the goals of cosmic ray astrophysics, an ultraheavy cosmic ray experiment on an LDEF reflight should be in an orbit with high inclination (approximately 57 deg) at approximately 230 nm for approximately 2 years near solar minimum (approximately 1986). It should fill 61 trays. Each tray should contain 4 modules of total active area 0.7 sq m, with a thermal blanket, thermal labyrinth mounts, aluminum honeycomb mechanical support, and total weight approximately 100 kg. Each module should contain interleaved CR39, Lexan, and thin copper sheets plus one event-thermometer canned in a thin metal cannister sealed with approximately 0.2 atm dry O2. The CR39 and Lexan should be manufactured to specifications and the sheet copper rolled to specifications. The event-thermometer should be a stiffened CR39 sheet that slides via bimetal strips relative to fixed CR39 sheet so that stack temperature can be read out for each event. The metal cannister can be collapsed at launch and landing, capturing the sliding assembly to prevent damage. An engineering study should be made of a prototype LDEF tray; this will include thermal and mechanical tests of detectors and the event thermometer.

Definition study for an advanced cosmic ray experiment utilizing the long duration exposure facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, P. B.

1982-01-01

To achieve the goals of cosmic ray astrophysics, an ultraheavy cosmic ray experiment on an LDEF reflight should be in an orbit with high inclination (approximately 57 deg) at approximately 230 nm for approximately 2 years near solar minimum (approximately 1986). It should fill 61 trays. Each tray should contain 4 modules of total active area 0.7 sq m, with a thermal blanket, thermal labyrinth mounts, aluminum honeycomb mechanical support, and total weight approximately 100 kg. Each module should contain interleaved CR39, Lexan, and thin copper sheets plus one event-thermometer canned in a thin metal cannister sealed with approximately 0.2 atm dry O2. The CR39 and Lexan should be manufactured to specifications and the sheet copper rolled to specifications. The event-thermometer should be a stiffened CR39 sheet that slides via bimetal strips relative to fixed CR39 sheet so that stack temperature can be read out for each event. The metal cannister can be collapsed at launch and landing, capturing the sliding assembly to prevent damage. An engineering study should be made of a prototype LDEF tray; this will include thermal and mechanical tests of detectors and the event thermometer.

First Accelerator Test of the Kinematic Lightweight Energy Meter (KLEM) Prototype

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bashindzhagyan, G.; Adams, J. H.; Bashindzhagyan, P.; Chilingarian, A.; Donnelly, J.; Drury, L.; Egorov, N.; Golubkov, S.; Grebenyuk, V.; Kalinin, A.;

Cosmic Rays: "A Thin Rain of Charged Particles."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedlander, Michael

1990-01-01

Discussed are balloons and electroscopes, understanding cosmic rays, cosmic ray paths, isotopes and cosmic-ray travel, sources of cosmic rays, and accelerating cosmic rays. Some of the history of the discovery and study of cosmic rays is presented. (CW)

NICHE: Non-Imaging Cherenkov Light Observation at the TA Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsunesada, Yoshiki; Omura, Yugo; Shin, BokKyun; Bergman, Douglas R.; Krizmanic, John F.; Nonaka, Toshiyuki

The Non-Imaging CHErenkov Array (NICHE) is a low energy extension to the Telescope Array and TALE using an array of closely spaced (70-100 m) light collectors covering an area of up to a square km. The target is cosmic rays with energies above the knee, including the "transition region" above which Galactic cosmic rays are no more confined by the galactic magnetic field. It will be deployed in the field of view of TALE and will overlap it in energy range. TALE can observe events in the energy range 3-30 PeV by non-imaging air-Cherenkov, so NICHE and TALE will observe imaging/non-imaging Cherenkov hybrid events. NICHE itself will use both the Cherenkov lateral distribution and the Cherenkov time-width lateral distribution in measuring air showers. These two methods will allow shower energy and Xmax to be determined to infer primary types of cosmic nuclei. A prototype of the array with 15 counters, called j-NICHE, is currently being built. We describe the design of the experiment and the status of the detector development.

Observations of a weak gamma ray burst, A0535 plus 26, NP0532 and solar flare events by a balloon-borne detector array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. B.; Fishman, G. J.; Meegan, C. A.

1982-01-01

Observations of a cosmic gamma ray burst of about 10 to the -6 erg/sq cm, pulsed emission profiles of A0535 plus 26 and NP0532, and two solar flare events are reported for several energy intervals in 45-500 keV. The measurements were made with a NaI (Tl) detector array flown on a balloon to 4 g/sq cm residual atmosphere from Palestine, Texas Oct. 6-8, 1980 for 28 hours. The detector is a prototype of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment to be flown on the Gamma Ray Observatory.

The Energetic Trans-Iron Composition Experiment (ENTICE) on the Heavy Nuclei Explorer (HNX)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Israel, M. H.; Adams, J. H.; Barbier, L. M.; Binns, W. R.; Christian, E. R.; Cummings, A. C.; Cummings, J. R.; Doke, T.; Hasebe, N.; Hayashi, T.;

An instrument employing electronic counters and an emulsion chamber for studying heavy cosmic ray interactions (JACEE-3)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, R. W.; Meegan, C. A.; Parnell, T. A.; Selig, W. J.; Watts, J. W.; Burnett, T. H.; Iwai, J.; Lord, J. J.; Strauscz, S.; Wilkes, R. J.;

A balloon-borne prototype for demonstrating the concept of JEM-EUSO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Ballmoos, P.; Santangelo, A.; Adams, J. H.; Barrillon, P.; Bayer, J.; Bertaina, M.; Cafagna, F.; Casolino, M.; Dagoret, S.; Danto, P.; Distratis, G.; Dupieux, M.; Ebersoldt, A.; Ebisuzaki, T.; Evrard, J.; Gorodetzky, Ph.; Haungs, A.; Jung, A.; Kawasaki, Y.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Mot, B.; Osteria, G.; Parizot, E.; Park, I. H.; Picozza, P.; Prévôt, G.; Prieto, H.; Ricci, M.; Rodríguez Frías, M. D.; Roudil, G.; Scotti, V.; Szabelski, J.; Takizawa, Y.; Tusno, K.

2014-05-01

EUSO-BALLOON has been conceived as a pathfinder for JEM-EUSO, a mission concept for a space-borne wide-field telescope monitoring the Earth's nighttime atmosphere with the objective of recording the ultraviolet light from tracks initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. Through a series of stratospheric balloon flights performed by the French Space Agency CNES, EUSO-BALLOON will serve as a test-bench for the key technologies of JEM-EUSO. EUSO-BALLOON shall perform an end-to-end test of all subsystems and components, and prove the global detection chain while improving our knowledge of the atmospheric and terrestrial ultraviolet background. The balloon-instrument also has the potential to detect for the first time UV-light generated by atmospheric air-shower from above, marking a milestone in the development of UHECR science, and paving the way for any future large scale, space-based ultra-high energy cosmic ray observatory.

Operations of and Future Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abraham, : J.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.

2009-06-01

These are presentations to be presented at the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, in Lodz, Poland during July 2009. It consists of the following presentations: (1) Performance and operation of the Surface Detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory; (2) Extension of the Pierre Auger Observatory using high-elevation fluorescence telescopes (HEAT); (3) AMIGA - Auger Muons and Infill for the Ground Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory; (4) Radio detection of Cosmic Rays at the southern Auger Observatory; (5) Hardware Developments for the AMIGA enhancement at the Pierre Auger Observatory; (6) A simulation of the fluorescence detectors of the Pierre Augermore » Observatory using GEANT 4; (7) Education and Public Outreach at the Pierre Auger Observatory; (8) BATATA: A device to characterize the punch-through observed in underground muon detectors and to operate as a prototype for AMIGA; and (9) Progress with the Northern Part of the Pierre Auger Observatory.« less

Prototype Power and Communications System for EeV Cosmic Rays Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Russ, James S.

2010-08-31

An analysis of improving the power output of small wind turbines by adding a venturi housing was done. Including the effects of back pressure developed at the input to the housing lowers the efficiency gain from a factor of 5 to a factor of 2 for a turbine blade radius of 24 inches. The gain is small enough that only large systems could profit from the application.

A drift chamber tracking system for muon scattering tomography applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burns, J.; Quillin, S.; Stapleton, M.; Steer, C.; Snow, S.

2015-10-01

Muon scattering tomography (MST) allows the identification of shielded high atomic number (high-Z) materials by measuring the scattering angle of cosmic ray muons passing through an inspection region. Cosmic ray muons scatter to a greater degree due to multiple Coulomb scattering in high-Z materials than low-Z materials, which can be measured as the angular difference between the incoming and outgoing trajectories of each muon. Measurements of trajectory are achieved by placing position sensitive particle tracking detectors above and below the inspection volume. By localising scattering information, the point at which a series of muons scatter can be used to reconstruct an image, differentiating high, medium and low density objects. MST is particularly useful for differentiating between materials of varying density in volumes that are difficult to inspect visually or by other means. This paper will outline the experimental work undertaken to develop a prototype MST system based on drift chamber technology. The planar drift chambers used in this prototype measure the longitudinal interaction position of an ionising particle from the time taken for elections, liberated in the argon (92.5%), carbon dioxide (5%), methane (2.5%) gas mixture, to reach a central anode wire. Such a system could be used to enhance the detection of shielded radiological material hidden within regular shipping cargo.

Impact of Cosmic-Ray Transport on Galactic Winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farber, R.; Ruszkowski, M.; Yang, H.-Y. K.; Zweibel, E. G.

2018-04-01

The role of cosmic rays generated by supernovae and young stars has very recently begun to receive significant attention in studies of galaxy formation and evolution due to the realization that cosmic rays can efficiently accelerate galactic winds. Microscopic cosmic-ray transport processes are fundamental for determining the efficiency of cosmic-ray wind driving. Previous studies modeled cosmic-ray transport either via a constant diffusion coefficient or via streaming proportional to the Alfvén speed. However, in predominantly cold, neutral gas, cosmic rays can propagate faster than in the ionized medium, and the effective transport can be substantially larger; i.e., cosmic rays can decouple from the gas. We perform three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical simulations of patches of galactic disks including the effects of cosmic rays. Our simulations include the decoupling of cosmic rays in the cold, neutral interstellar medium. We find that, compared to the ordinary diffusive cosmic-ray transport case, accounting for the decoupling leads to significantly different wind properties, such as the gas density and temperature, significantly broader spatial distribution of cosmic rays, and higher wind speed. These results have implications for X-ray, γ-ray, and radio emission, and for the magnetization and pollution of the circumgalactic medium by cosmic rays.

Development of the GEM-TPC X-ray Polarimeter with the Scalable Readout System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitaguchi, Takao; Hayato, Asami; Iwakiri, Wataru; Takeuchi, Yoko; Kubota, Megu; Nishida, Kazuki; Enoto, Teruaki; Tamagawa, Toru

2018-02-01

We have developed a gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) containing a single-layered foil of a gas electron multiplier (GEM) to open up a new window on cosmic X-ray polarimetry in the 2-10 keV band. The micro-pattern TPC polarimeter in combination with the Scalable Readout System produced by the RD51 collaboration has been built as an engineering model to optimize detector parameters and improve polarimeter sensitivity. The polarimeter was characterized with unpolarized X-rays from an X-ray generator in a laboratory and polarized X-rays on the BL32B2 beamline at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. Preliminary results show that the polarimeter has a comparable modulation factor to a prototype of the flight one.

Observations of a gamma-ray burst and other sources with a large-area, balloon-borne detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. B.; Fishman, G. J.; Meegan, C. A.

1982-01-01

Observations of a weak cosmic gamma ray burst of integrated intensity 2 x 10 to the -6th erg/sq cm, two solar flare events, and pulsed emission profiles of A0535+26 and NP0532 are reported for several energy intervals in the energy range from 45 to 520 keV. The measurements were made with a NaI(Tl) detector array flown on a balloon to 4 g/sq cm residual atmosphere from Palestine, Texas, on October 6-8, 1980, for 28 hours. The detector is a prototype of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) to be flown on the Gamma-Ray Observatory (GRO).

A mercuric iodide detector system for X-ray astronomy. II - Results from flight tests of a balloon borne instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vallerga, J. V.; Vanderspek, R. K.; Ricker, G. R.

1983-01-01

To establish the expected sensitivity of a new hard X-ray telescope design, described by Ricker et al., an experiment was conducted to measure the background counting rate at balloon altitudes (40 km) of mercuric iodide, a room temperature solid state X-ray detector. The prototype detector consisted of two thin mercuric iodide (HgI2) detectors surrounded by a large bismuth germanate scintillator operated in anticoincidence. The bismuth germanate shield vetoed most of the background counting rate induced by atmospheric gamma-rays, neutrons and cosmic rays. A balloon-borne gondola containing a prototype detector assembly was designed, constructed and flown twice in the spring of 1982 from Palestine, TX. The second flight of this instrument established a differential background counting rate of 4.2 + or - 0.7 x 10 to the -5th counts/s sq cm keV over the energy range of 40-80 keV. This measurement was within 50 percent of the predicted value. The measured rate is about 5 times lower than previously achieved in shielded NaI/CsI or Ge systems operating in the same energy range.

Calculation of Cosmic Ray Induced Single Event Upsets: Program CRUP, Cosmic Ray Upset Program

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-14

1.., 0 .j ~ u M ~ t R A’- ~~ ’ .~ ; I .: ’ 1 J., ) ’- CALCULATION OF COSMIC RAY INDUCED SINGLE EVEI’o"T UPSETS: PROGRAM CRUP , COSMIC RAY UPSET...neceuety end Identity by blo..;k number) 0Thls report documents PROGR.Al\\1 CRUP , COSMIC RAY UPSET PROGRAM. The computer program calculates cosmic...34. » » •-, " 1 » V »1T"~ Calculation of Cosmic Ray Induced Single Event Upsets: PROGRAM CRUP , COSMIC RAY UPSET PROGRAM I. INTRODUCTION Since the

The microphysics and macrophysics of cosmic rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zweibel, Ellen G.

2013-05-15

This review paper commemorates a century of cosmic ray research, with emphasis on the plasma physics aspects. Cosmic rays comprise only ∼10{sup −9} of interstellar particles by number, but collectively their energy density is about equal to that of the thermal particles. They are confined by the Galactic magnetic field and well scattered by small scale magnetic fluctuations, which couple them to the local rest frame of the thermal fluid. Scattering isotropizes the cosmic rays and allows them to exchange momentum and energy with the background medium. I will review a theory for how the fluctuations which scatter the cosmicmore » rays can be generated by the cosmic rays themselves through a microinstability excited by their streaming. A quasilinear treatment of the cosmic ray–wave interaction then leads to a fluid model of cosmic rays with both advection and diffusion by the background medium and momentum and energy deposition by the cosmic rays. This fluid model admits cosmic ray modified shocks, large scale cosmic ray driven instabilities, cosmic ray heating of the thermal gas, and cosmic ray driven galactic winds. If the fluctuations were extrinsic turbulence driven by some other mechanism, the cosmic ray background coupling would be entirely different. Which picture holds depends largely on the nature of turbulence in the background medium.« less

Calculation of cosmic ray induced single event upsets: Program CRUP (Cosmic Ray Upset Program)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, P.

1983-09-01

This report documents PROGRAM CRUP, COSMIC RAY UPSET PROGRAM. The computer program calculates cosmic ray induced single-event error rates in microelectronic circuits exposed to several representative cosmic-ray environments.

The origin of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichler, D.

1986-01-01

Data related to the development of cosmic rays are discussed. The relationship between cosmic ray production and the steady-state Boltzmann equation is analyzed. The importance of the power-law spectrum, the scattering rate, the theory of shock acceleration, anisotropic instabilities, and cosmic ray diffusion in the formation of cosmic rays is described. It is noted that spacecraft observations at the earth's bow shock are useful for studying cosmic rays and that the data support the collisionless shock-wave theory of cosmic ray origin.

A comparison of the cosmic-ray energy scales of Tunka-133 and KASCADE-Grande via their radio extensions Tunka-Rex and LOPES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apel, W. D.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Bähren, L.; Bezyazeekov, P. A.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Budnev, N. M.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Falcke, H.; Fedorov, O.; Fuchs, B.; Gemmeke, H.; Gress, O. A.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hiller, R.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Kazarina, Y.; Kleifges, M.; Korosteleva, E. E.; Kostunin, D.; Krömer, O.; Kuijpers, J.; Kuzmichev, L. A.; Link, K.; Lubsandorzhiev, N.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Mirgazov, R. R.; Monkhoev, R.; Morello, C.; Oehlschläger, J.; Osipova, E. A.; Pakhorukov, A.; Palmieri, N.; Pankov, L.; Pierog, T.; Prosin, V. V.; Rautenberg, J.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Rubtsov, G. I.; Rühle, C.; Saftoiu, A.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schoo, S.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Weindl, A.; Wischnewski, R.; Wochele, J.; Zabierowski, J.; Zagorodnikov, A.; Zensus, J. A.; Tunka-Rex; Lopes Collaborations

2016-12-01

The radio technique is a promising method for detection of cosmic-ray air showers of energies around 100PeV and higher with an array of radio antennas. Since the amplitude of the radio signal can be measured absolutely and increases with the shower energy, radio measurements can be used to determine the air-shower energy on an absolute scale. We show that calibrated measurements of radio detectors operated in coincidence with host experiments measuring air showers based on other techniques can be used for comparing the energy scales of these host experiments. Using two approaches, first via direct amplitude measurements, and second via comparison of measurements with air shower simulations, we compare the energy scales of the air-shower experiments Tunka-133 and KASCADE-Grande, using their radio extensions, Tunka-Rex and LOPES, respectively. Due to the consistent amplitude calibration for Tunka-Rex and LOPES achieved by using the same reference source, this comparison reaches an accuracy of approximately 10% - limited by some shortcomings of LOPES, which was a prototype experiment for the digital radio technique for air showers. In particular we show that the energy scales of cosmic-ray measurements by the independently calibrated experiments KASCADE-Grande and Tunka-133 are consistent with each other on this level.

Prospects of Silicon Photomultipliers for Ground-Based Cosmic Ray Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Christine; Bretz, Thomas; Hebbeker, Thomas; Kemp, Julian; Lauscher, Markus; Middendorf, Lukas; Niggemann, Tim; Schumacher, Johannes

An established technique to study ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is the detection of extensive air showers induced in the atmosphere of the earth. Thereby, cascades of secondary particles are produced consisting of a hadronic, an electromagnetic and a muonic component. Especially the determination of the number of muons and the amount of fluorescence light produced during the shower development allows to draw conclusions on the mass and energy of the primary particle. Thus, these are important observables for air shower experiments like for instance the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, and its AugerPrime upgrade in progress. The steady development of semiconductor devices in the last years resulted in highly improved photon sensors, e.g., silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The small package and moderate bias voltage (<100 V) of these silicon devices allow for compact and robust designs. Detailed detector simulations, the development of dedicated front-end electronics, as well as construction and investigation of detector prototypes, are needed to study the applicability of SiPMs for cosmic ray experiments. We present our findings for two different detector techniques: First, we present the fluorescence telescope, FAMOUS. Its basic principle is based on a Fresnel lens focusing the incoming light onto a camera instrumented with 61 pixels. Secondly, the benefit of the application of SiPMs is studied for scintillator detectors designed for an improved determination of the muonic component in air showers of current experiments.

Prototype detection unit for the CHIPS experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pfützner, Maciej M.

2017-09-01

CHIPS (CHerenkov detectors In mine PitS) is an R&D project aiming to develop novel cost-effective neutrino detectors, focused on measuring the CP-violating neutrino mixing phase (δ CP). A single detector module, containing an enclosed volume of purified water, would be submerged in an existing lake, located in a neutrino beam. A staged approach is proposed with first detectors deployed in a flooded mine pit in Northern Minnesota, 7 mrad off-axis from the existing NuMI beam. A small proof-of-principle model (CHIPS-M) has already been tested and the first stage of a fully functional 10 kt module (CHIPS-10) is planned for 2018. One of the instruments submerged on board of CHIPS-M in autumn 2015 was a prototype detection unit, constructed at Nikhef. The unit contains hardware borrowed from the KM3NeT experiment, including 16 3 inch photomultiplier tubes and readout electronics. In addition to testing the mechanical design and data acquisition, the detector was used to record a large sample of cosmic ray muon events. The collected data is valuable for characterising the cosmic muon background and validating a Monte Carlo simulation used to optimise future designs. This paper introduces the CHIPS project, describes the design of the prototype unit, and presents the results of a preliminary data analysis.

Polarimetric performance of a Laue lens gamma-ray CdZnTe focal plane prototype

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curado da Silva, R. M.; Caroli, E.; Stephen, J. B.; Pisa, A.; Auricchio, N.; Del Sordo, S.; Frontera, F.; Honkimäki, V.; Schiavone, F.; Donati, A.; Trindade, A. M. F.; Ventura, G.

2008-10-01

A gamma-ray telescope mission concept [gamma ray imager (GRI)] based on Laue focusing techniques has been proposed in reply to the European Space Agency call for mission ideas within the framework of the next decade planning (Cosmic Vision 2015-2025). In order to optimize the design of a focal plane for this satellite mission, a CdZnTe detector prototype has been tested at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility under an ~100% polarized gamma-ray beam. The spectroscopic, imaging, and timing performances were studied and in particular its potential as a polarimeter was evaluated. Polarization has been recognized as being a very important observational parameter in high energy astrophysics (>100 keV) and therefore this capability has been specifically included as part of the GRI mission proposal. The prototype detector tested was a 5 mm thick CdZnTe array with an 11×11 active pixel matrix (pixel area of 2.5×2.5 mm2). The detector was irradiated by a monochromatic linearly polarized beam with a spot diameter of about 0.5 mm over the energy range between 150 and 750 keV. Polarimetric Q factors of 0.35 and double event relative detection efficiency of 20% were obtained. Further measurements were performed with a copper Laue monochromator crystal placed between the beam and the detector prototype. In this configuration we have demonstrated that a polarized beam does not change its polarization level and direction after undergoing a small angle (<1°) Laue diffraction inside a crystal.

The EUSO-SPB Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiencke, Lawrence; Adams, Jim; Olinto, Angela; JEM-EUSO Collaboration

2016-03-01

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a super pressure balloon (EUSO-SPB) mission will make the first fluorescence observations of high energy cosmic ray extensive air showers by looking down on the atmosphere from near space. EUSO-SPB follows a successful overnight flight in August 2014 of the JEM-EUSO prototype mission named EUSO-Balloon. EUSO-Balloon recorded artificial tracks and pulses that were generated by a laser and optical flashers that were flown in a helicopter under the balloon. Preparations are underway for EUSO-SPB with the potential for a flight of 50 days duration. The planned launch site is Wanaka, New Zealand. We describe the mission, the updated instrument, and expected detection rates of extensive air showers events produced by cosmic primaries.

Real-time attitude determination and gyro calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Challa, M.; Filla, O.; Sedlak, J.; Chu, D.

1993-01-01

We present results for two real-time filters prototyped for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO), the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE), the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE), and the next generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). Both real and simulated data were used to solve for attitude and gyro biases. These filters promise advantages over single-frame and batch methods for missions like GOES, where startup and transfer-orbit operations require quick knowledge of attitude and gyro biases.

The MIDAS telescope for microwave detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Amaral Soares, E.; Berlin, A.; Bogdan, M.; Boháčová, M.; Bonifazi, C.; Carvalho, W. R.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; Facal San Luis, P.; Genat, J. F.; Hollon, N.; Mills, E.; Monasor, M.; Privitera, P.; Ramos de Castro, A.; Reyes, L. C.; Richardson, M.; Rouille d'Orfeuil, B.; Santos, E. M.; Wayne, S.; Williams, C.; Zas, E.; Zhou, J.

2013-08-01

We present the design, implementation and data taking performance of the MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers (MIDAS) experiment, a large field of view imaging telescope designed to detect microwave radiation from extensive air showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. This novel technique may bring a tenfold increase in detector duty cycle when compared to the standard fluorescence technique based on detection of ultraviolet photons. The MIDAS telescope consists of a 4.5 m diameter dish with a 53-pixel receiver camera, instrumented with feed horns operating in the commercial extended C-Band (3.4-4.2 GHz). A self-trigger capability is implemented in the digital electronics. The main objectives of this first prototype of the MIDAS telescope - to validate the telescope design, and to demonstrate a large detector duty cycle - were successfully accomplished in a dedicated data taking run at the University of Chicago campus prior to installation at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

Advanced optical systems for ultra high energy cosmic rays detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambicorti, L.; Pace, E.; Mazzinghi, P.

2017-11-01

A new advanced optical system is proposed and analysed in this work with the purpose to improve the photons collection efficiency of Multi-AnodePhotoMultipliers (MAPMT) detectors, which will be used to cover large focal surface of instruments dedicated to the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs, above 1019eV) and Ultra High Energy Neutrino (UHEN) detection. The employment of the advanced optical system allows to focus all photons inside the sensitive area of detectors and to improve the signal-to-noise ratios in the wavelength range of interest (300-400nm), thus coupling imaging and filtering capability. Filter is realised with a multilayer coating to reach high transparency in UV range and with a sharp cut-off outside. In this work the applications on different series of PMTs have been studied and results of simulations are shown. First prototypes have been realised. Finally, this paper proposes another class of adapters to be optically coupled on each pixel of MAPMT detector selected, consisting of non-imaging concentrators as Winston cones.

Developing a Modern Low Cost Apparatus to Measure Muon Flux vs. Angle at Muhlenberg College

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasle, Lucas; Bene, Charles; Crawford, Travis; Morash, Richard; Tornetta, Kelly

2017-09-01

Experiments using cosmic ray muons have been a staple of the undergraduate lab for decades. Muhlenberg seeks to modernize one of these experiments, and implement it inexpensively. Cognizant of the widespread use of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) in the research environment, our detector employs SiPMs instead of PMTs. Furthermore, a simulation activity has been developed to accompany the laboratory experiment. Our detector design consists of two small plastic scintillators arranged so that coincidence measurements select cosmic ray muons of particular angles with respect to the zenith. Each scintillator is attached to an SiPM and electronics to process the signal. A crude prototype was constructed last summer that produced results consistent with the well established dependence of flux on polar angle, and a simulation was created that also produced consistent results. Progress in the development of the electronics for the SiPMs, the overall design of the apparatus, and the accompanying computer simulation will be reported. NSF Grant 1507841.

The LOPES experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Link, Katrin; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Asch, T.; Bähren, L.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Buchholz, P.; Buitink, S.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Falcke, H.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gemmeke, H.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Krömer, O.; Kuijpers, J.; Lafebre, S.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Morello, C.; Nehls, S.; Oehlschläger, J.; Palmieri, N.; Pierog, T.; Rautenberg, J.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Rühle, C.; Saftoiu, A.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.; Zensus, J. A.

2011-03-01

Cosmic ray particles hit the Earth's atmosphere and induce extensive air showers (EAS). These EAS mainly consist of electrons and positrons that produce radio emission due to their interaction with the Earth's magnetic field. Measuring this radio emission is the purpose of the LOPES (LOFAR Prototype Station) experiment. LOPES is located at Campus North of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology at the same site as the EAS particle detector KASCADE-Grande. Since the first measurements in 2003, LOPES was improved by various experimental setups and could establish the radio technique. By now, detailed studies of the measured radio signal are performed, like the behaviour of the lateral distribution or the polarization of the electric field. Furthermore, with LOPES the dependence of the radio pulse on properties of the incoming cosmic ray, like primary energy, primary mass, or incoming direction is investigated. In this article we describe the different LOPES setups, next we explain our standard analysis procedure and then we discuss some highlights of our recent results.

International Cosmic Ray Conference, 13th, University of Denver, Denver, Colo., August 17-30, 1973, Proceedings. Volume 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

An X-ray observation of the Norma-Lupus region, charge and isotope measurements of heavy cosmic ray nuclei and their role in the determination of cosmic ray age, and the possibility of a contribution to primary cosmic ray spectra from pulsars are among the topics covered in papers concerned with some of the results of recent cosmic ray research. Other topics covered include multiple scattering of charged particles in magnetic fields, absorption of primary cosmic rays in the atmosphere, and phase lag effects on cosmic ray modulation during a recent solar cycle. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Research in cosmic and gamma ray astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Edward C.; Mewaldt, Richard A.; Prince, Thomas A.

1992-01-01

Discussed here is research in cosmic ray and gamma ray astrophysics at the Space Radiation Laboratory (SRL) of the California Institute of Technology. The primary activities discussed involve the development of new instrumentation and techniques for future space flight. In many cases these instrumentation developments were tested in balloon flight instruments designed to conduct new investigations in cosmic ray and gamma ray astrophysics. The results of these investigations are briefly summarized. Specific topics include a quantitative investigation of the solar modulation of cosmic ray protons and helium nuclei, a study of cosmic ray positron and electron spectra in interplanetary and interstellar space, the solar modulation of cosmic rays, an investigation of techniques for the measurement and interpretation of cosmic ray isotopic abundances, and a balloon measurement of the isotopic composition of galactic cosmic ray boron, carbon, and nitrogen.

Acoustic instability driven by cosmic-ray streaming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Begelman, Mitchell C.; Zweibel, Ellen G.

1994-01-01

We study the linear stability of compressional waves in a medium through which cosmic rays stream at the Alfven speed due to strong coupling with Alfven waves. Acoustic waves can be driven unstable by the cosmic-ray drift, provided that the streaming speed is sufficiently large compared to the thermal sound speed. Two effects can cause instability: (1) the heating of the thermal gas due to the damping of Alfven waves driven unstable by cosmic-ray streaming; and (2) phase shifts in the cosmic-ray pressure perturbation caused by the combination of cosmic-ray streaming and diffusion. The instability does not depend on the magnitude of the background cosmic-ray pressure gradient, and occurs whether or not cosmic-ray diffusion is important relative to streaming. When the cosmic-ray pressure is small compared to the gas pressure, or cosmic-ray diffusion is strong, the instability manifests itself as a weak overstability of slow magnetosonic waves. Larger cosmic-ray pressure gives rise to new hybrid modes, which can be strongly unstable in the limits of both weak and strong cosmic-ray diffusion and in the presence of thermal conduction. Parts of our analysis parallel earlier work by McKenzie & Webb (which were brought to our attention after this paper was accepted for publication), but our treatment of diffusive effects, thermal conduction, and nonlinearities represent significant extensions. Although the linear growth rate of instability is independent of the background cosmic-ray pressure gradient, the onset of nonlinear eff ects does depend on absolute value of DEL (vector differential operator) P(sub c). At the onset of nonlinearity the fractional amplitude of cosmic-ray pressure perturbations is delta P(sub C)/P(sub C) approximately (kL) (exp -1) much less than 1, where k is the wavenumber and L is the pressure scale height of the unperturbed cosmic rays. We speculate that the instability may lead to a mode of cosmic-ray transport in which plateaus of uniform cosmic-ray pressure are separated by either laminar or turbulent jumps in which the thermal gas is subject to intense heating.

Determination and study of the cosmic-ray composition above 100 TeV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sinnis, G.; Haines, T.J.; Hoffman, C.M.

1998-11-01

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The goal of this project was to develop a new technique using ground-based measurements to determine the cosmic-ray composition at energies around 10{sup 15} eV (the knee in the cosmic-ray spectrum). Cosmic rays are high-energy nuclei that continuously bombard the earth. Though cosmic rays were first detected in the 1870s it wasn`t until 1915 that their cosmic origin was established. At present, the authors still do not know the source of cosmic rays. At energies above 50 TeVmore » (1 TeV = 1 trillion electron-volts) they do not know the composition of the cosmic rays. At about 5 PeV (1PeV = 10{sup 15} eV) the cosmic ray spectrum steepens. Knowledge of the composition above and below this point can help determine the origin of cosmic rays.« less

Antideuteron based dark matter search with GAPS: Current progress and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hailey, C. J.; Aramaki, T.; Boggs, S. E.; Doetinchem, P. v.; Fuke, H.; Gahbauer, F.; Koglin, J. E.; Madden, N.; Mognet, S. A. I.; Ong, R.; Yoshida, T.; Zhang, T.; Zweerink, J. A.

2013-01-01

The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) is a new approach to the indirect detection of dark matter. It relies on searching for primary antideuterons produced in the annihilation of dark matter in the galactic halo. Low energy antideuterons produced through Standard Model processes, such as collisions of cosmic-rays with interstellar baryons, are greatly suppressed compared to primary antideuterons. Thus a low energy antideuteron search provides a clean signature of dark matter. In GAPS antiparticles are slowed down and captured in target atoms. The resultant exotic atom deexcites with the emission of X-rays and annihilation pions, protons and other particles. A tracking geometry allows for the detection of the X-rays and particles, providing a unique signature to identify the mass of the antiparticle. A prototype detector was successfully tested at the KEK accelerator in 2005, and a prototype GAPS balloon flight is scheduled for 2011. This will be followed by a full scale experiment on a long duration balloon from Antarctica in 2014. We discuss the status and future plans for GAPS.

Consistency of cosmic-ray source abudances with explosive nucleosynthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kozlovsky, B.; Ramaty, R.

1973-01-01

A model was examined in which the cosmic ray abundances of elements from C to Fe are consistent with explosive nucleosynthesis. The observed abundance of cosmic rays near the earth, cosmic ray source abundance, and solar system abundance are discussed along with the ratios of cosmic ray sources to the solar system abundances.

Cosmic gamma-rays and cosmic nuclei above 1 TeV

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, A. A.

1986-01-01

Work on cosmic gamma rays and cosmic nuclei above I TeV is described and evaluated. The prospect that gamma ray astronomy above I TeV will give new insights into high energy cosmic ray origin within our galaxy is particularly bright.

High Energy Cosmic Electrons: Messengers from Nearby Cosmic Ray Sources or Dark Matter?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moiseev, Alexander

2011-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the recent discoveries by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Telescope in reference to high energy cosmic electrons, and whether their source is cosmic rays or dark matter. Specific interest is devoted to Cosmic Ray electrons anisotropy,

A Simplified Model for the Acceleration of Cosmic Ray Particles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gron, Oyvind

2010-01-01

Two important questions concerning cosmic rays are: Why are electrons in the cosmic rays less efficiently accelerated than nuclei? How are particles accelerated to great energies in ultra-high energy cosmic rays? In order to answer these questions we construct a simple model of the acceleration of a charged particle in the cosmic ray. It is not…

In Search of Cosmic Rays: A Student Physics Project Aimed at Finding the Origin of Cosmic Rays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonelli, Jamie; Mahoney, Sean; Streich, Derek; Liebl, Michael

2001-01-01

Describes an ongoing project, the Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP), being conducted by the University of Nebraska in partnership with several high schools. Each school group has installed cosmic ray detectors, and initial activities have included calibrating equipment, gathering preliminary data, and learning about cosmic ray showers. Aims to…

Cosmic ray propagation and containment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1976-01-01

The cosmic rays, an active gaseous component of the disk of the galaxy, are considered along with their propagation and containment as a part of the general dynamics of the disk. The sources of cosmic rays are a matter of speculation. The disk is inflated by the cosmic ray gas pressure comparable to the magnetic pressure, but the rate of inflation is unknown. The time spent by the individual cosmic ray particles in the disk is inversely proportional to the cosmic ray production rate. It is evident from the decay of Be(1c) that the cosmic rays circulate through a volume of space perhaps ten times the thickness of the gaseous disk, suggesting a magnetic halo extending out approximately 1 kpc from either face of the disk. The cosmic rays may be responsible for the halo by inflating the magnetic fields of the disk. Extension of the fields to 1 kpc would imply a high production rate and short life of cosmic rays in the dense gaseous disk of the galaxy.

Nuclear Physics in Space: What We Can Learn From Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moskalenko, Igor V.

2004-01-01

Studies and discoveries in cosmic-ray physics and generally in Astrophysics provide a fertile ground for research in many areas of Particle Physics and Cosmology, such as the search for dark matter, antimatter, new particles, and exotic physics, studies of the nucleosynthesis, origin of Galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray diffuse emission, formation of the large scale structure of the universe etc. In several years new missions are planned for cosmic-ray experiments, which will tremendously increase the quality and accuracy of cosmic-ray data. On the other hand, direct measurements of cosmic rays are possible in only one location on the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy and present only a snapshot of very dynamic processes. It has been recently realized that direct information about the fluxes and spectra of cosmic rays in distant locations is provided by the Galactic diffuse gamma-rays, therefore, complementing the local cosmic-ray studies. A wealth of information is also contained in the isotopic abundances of cosmic rays, therefore, accurate evaluation of the isotopic production cross sections is of primary importance for Astrophysics of cosmic rays, studies of the galactic chemical evolution, and Cosmology. In this talk, I will show new results obtained with GALPROP, the most advanced numerical model for cosmic-ray propagation, which includes in a self-consistent way all cosmic-ray species (stable and long-lived radioactive isotopes from H to Ni, antiprotons, positrons and electrons, gamma rays and synchrotron radiation), and all relevant processes and reactions.

Cosmic Gamma-Rays

Science.gov Websites

[Argonne Logo] [DOE Logo] Cosmic Gamma-Rays Home Publications Talks People Students Argonne > ; HEP > Cosmic Gamma-Rays Projects VERITAS Past Projects TrICE What's New CTA Cosmic Gamma-Rays The

A mercuric detector system for X-ray astronomy. 2. Results from flight tests of a balloon borne instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vallerga, J.; Vanderspek, R. K.; Ricker, G. R.

1982-01-01

To establish the expected sensitivity of a new hard X-ray telescope design, an experiment was conducted to measure the background counting rate at balloon altitudes (40 km) of mercuric iodide, a room temperature solid state X-ray detector. The prototype detector consisted of two thin mercuric iodide (HgI2) detectors surrounded by a large bismuth germanate (Bi4Ge3O12) scintillator operated in anticoincidence. The bismuth germanate shield vetoed most of the background counting rate induced by atmospheric gamma-rays, neutrons and cosmic rays. A balloon-borne gondola containing a prototype detector assembly was designed, constructed and flown twice in the spring of 1982 from Palestine, Texas. The second flight of this instrument established a differential background counting rate of 4.2 O.7 x 10-5 counts/sec cm keV over the energy range of 40 to 80 keV. This measurement was within 50% of the predicted value. The measured rate is approx 5 times lower than previously achieved in shielded NaI/CsI or Ge systems operating in the same energy range. The prediction was based on a Monte Carlo simulation of the detector assembly in the radiation environment at float altitude.

Cosmic ray diffusion: Report of the Workshop in Cosmic Ray Diffusion Theory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Birmingham, T. J.; Jones, F. C.

1975-01-01

A workshop in cosmic ray diffusion theory was held at Goddard Space Flight Center on May 16-17, 1974. Topics discussed and summarized are: (1) cosmic ray measurements as related to diffusion theory; (2) quasi-linear theory, nonlinear theory, and computer simulation of cosmic ray pitch-angle diffusion; and (3) magnetic field fluctuation measurements as related to diffusion theory.

REVIEWS OF TOPICAL PROBLEMS: Astrophysical aspects of cosmic-ray research (first 75 years and outlook for the future)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginzburg, Vitalii L.

1988-06-01

(Invited talk at the 20th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Moscow, 2-15 August 1987) The basic topics discussed here are the primary cosmic rays near the earth, cosmic rays in the universe, the origin of cosmic rays, a galactic model with a halo, and some prospects for future research.

35t Prototype Detector for Experiment at Long Base Line Neutrino Facility (ELBNF) Far Detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santucci, Gabriel; Elbnf Collaboration

2015-04-01

The 35ton prototype detector is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LAr TPC) utilizing a membrane cryostat. It serves as a prototype for testing technology proposed for the ELBNF far detector. The construction of the prototype is an essential part of the ELBNF project due to the large amount of new technologies introduced for the far detector. In early 2014, it was shown that the membrane cryostat technology was able to reach and maintain the required LAr purity and an electron lifetime of 2.5 ms was achieved. The goals for the next phase include the installation of a fully functional TPC using the novel designs for the ELBNF far detector as much as possible. This includes the installation of the cold electronics, scintillation photon detectors and multiple Anode Plane Arrays with wrapped wires. In this talk I will review the status of the 35t prototype detector and describe what has been accomplished during 2014 and early 2015, including the commissioning phase and the early stages of data taking from cosmic-rays.

The Parker Instability with Cosmic-Ray Streaming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heintz, Evan; Zweibel, Ellen G.

2018-06-01

Recent studies have found that cosmic-ray transport plays an important role in feedback processes such as star formation and the launching of galactic winds. Although cosmic-ray buoyancy is widely held to be a destabilizing force in galactic disks, the effect of cosmic-ray transport on the stability of stratified systems has yet to be analyzed. We perform a stability analysis of a stratified layer for three different cosmic-ray transport models: decoupled (Classic Parker), coupled with γ c = 4/3 but not streaming (Modified Parker), and finally coupled with streaming at the Alfvén speed. When the compressibility of the cosmic rays is decreased the system becomes much more stable, but the addition of cosmic-ray streaming to the Parker instability severely destabilizes it. Through comparison of these three cases and analysis of the work contributions for the perturbed quantities of each system, we demonstrate that cosmic-ray heating of the gas is responsible for the destabilization of the system. We find that a 3D system is unstable over a larger range of wavelengths than the 2D system. Therefore, the Parker instability with cosmic-ray streaming may play an important role in cosmic-ray feedback.

Monte Carlo Study of Cosmic-Ray Propagation in the Galaxy and Diffuse Gamma-Ray Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, C.-Y.; Pohl, M.

This talk present preliminary results for the time-dependent cosmic-ray propagation in the Galaxy by a fully 3-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation. The distribution of cosmic-rays (both protons and helium nuclei) in the Galaxy is studied on various spatial scales for both constant and variable cosmic-ray sources. The continuous diffuse gamma-ray emission produced by cosmic-rays during the propagation is evaluated. The results will be compared with calculations made with other propagation models.

Explaining TeV cosmic-ray anisotropies with non-diffusive cosmic-ray propagation

DOE PAGES

Harding, James Patrick; Fryer, Chris Lee; Mendel, Susan Marie

2016-05-11

Constraining the behavior of cosmic ray data observed at Earth requires a precise understanding of how the cosmic rays propagate in the interstellar medium. The interstellar medium is not homogeneous; although turbulent magnetic fields dominate over large scales, small coherent regions of magnetic field exist on scales relevant to particle propagation in the nearby Galaxy. Guided propagation through a coherent field is significantly different from random particle diffusion and could be the explanation of spatial anisotropies in the observed cosmic rays. We present a Monte Carlo code to propagate cosmic particle through realistic magnetic field structures. We discuss the detailsmore » of the model as well as some preliminary studies which indicate that coherent magnetic structures are important effects in local cosmic-ray propagation, increasing the flux of cosmic rays by over two orders of magnitude at anisotropic locations on the sky. Furthermore, the features induced by coherent magnetic structure could be the cause of the observed TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy.« less

EXPLAINING TEV COSMIC-RAY ANISOTROPIES WITH NON-DIFFUSIVE COSMIC-RAY PROPAGATION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harding, J. Patrick; Fryer, Chris L.; Mendel, Susan, E-mail: jpharding@lanl.gov, E-mail: fryer@lanl.gov, E-mail: smendel@lanl.gov

2016-05-10

Constraining the behavior of cosmic ray data observed at Earth requires a precise understanding of how the cosmic rays propagate in the interstellar medium. The interstellar medium is not homogeneous; although turbulent magnetic fields dominate over large scales, small coherent regions of magnetic field exist on scales relevant to particle propagation in the nearby Galaxy. Guided propagation through a coherent field is significantly different from random particle diffusion and could be the explanation of spatial anisotropies in the observed cosmic rays. We present a Monte Carlo code to propagate cosmic particle through realistic magnetic field structures. We discuss the detailsmore » of the model as well as some preliminary studies which indicate that coherent magnetic structures are important effects in local cosmic-ray propagation, increasing the flux of cosmic rays by over two orders of magnitude at anisotropic locations on the sky. The features induced by coherent magnetic structure could be the cause of the observed TeV cosmic-ray anisotropy.« less

New prototype scintillator detector for the Tibet ASγ experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Gou, Q.-B.; Cai, H.; Chen, T.-L.; Danzengluobu; Feng, C.-F.; Feng, Y.-L.; Feng, Z.-Y.; Gao, Q.; Gao, X.-J.; Guo, Y.-Q.; Guo, Y.-Y.; Hou, Y.-Y.; Hu, H.-B.; Jin, C.; Li, H.-J.; Liu, C.; Liu, M.-Y.; Qian, X.-L.; Tian, Z.; Wang, Z.; Xue, L.; Zhang, X.-Y.; Zhang, Xi-Ying

2017-11-01

The hybrid Tibet AS array was successfully constructed in 2014. It has 4500 m2 underground water Cherenkov pools used as the muon detector (MD) and 789 scintillator detectors covering 36900 m2 as the surface array. At 100 TeV, cosmic-ray background events can be rejected by approximately 99.99%, according to the full Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for γ-ray observations. In order to use the muon detector efficiently, we propose to extend the surface array area to 72900 m2 by adding 120 scintillator detectors around the current array to increase the effective detection area. A new prototype scintillator detector is developed via optimizing the detector geometry and its optical surface, by selecting the reflective material and adopting dynode readout. {This detector can meet our physics requirements with a positional non-uniformity of the output charge within 10% (with reference to the center of the scintillator), time resolution FWHM of ~2.2 ns, and dynamic range from 1 to 500 minimum ionization particles}.

Galactic cosmic ray composition and energy spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mewaldt, R. A.

1994-01-01

Galactic cosmic ray nuclei represent a significant risk to long-duration spaceflight outside the magnetosphere. We review briefly existing measurements of the composition and energy spectra of heavy cosmic ray nuclei, pointing out which species and energy ranges are most critical to assessing cosmic ray risks for spaceflight. Key data sets are identified and a table of cosmic ray abundances is presented for elements from H to Ni (Z = 1 to 28). Because of the 22-year nature of the solar modulation cycle, data from the approaching 1998 solar minimum is especially important to reducing uncertainties in the cosmic ray radiation hazard. It is recommended that efforts to model this hazard take advantage of approaches that have been developed to model the astrophysical aspects of cosmic rays.

The evolution of Saturn's radiation belts modulated by changes in radial diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kollmann, P.; Roussos, E.; Kotova, A.; Paranicas, C.; Krupp, N.

2017-12-01

Globally magnetized planets, such as the Earth1 and Saturn2, are surrounded by radiation belts of protons and electrons with kinetic energies well into the million electronvolt range. The Earth's proton belt is supplied locally from galactic cosmic rays interacting with the atmosphere3, as well as from slow inward radial transport4. Its intensity shows a relationship with the solar cycle4,5 and abrupt dropouts due to geomagnetic storms6,7. Saturn's proton belts are simpler than the Earth's because cosmic rays are the principal source of energetic protons8 with virtually no contribution from inward transport, and these belts can therefore act as a prototype to understand more complex radiation belts. However, the time dependence of Saturn's proton belts had not been observed over sufficiently long timescales to test the driving mechanisms unambiguously. Here we analyse the evolution of Saturn's proton belts over a solar cycle using in-situ measurements from the Cassini Saturn orbiter and a numerical model. We find that the intensity in Saturn's proton radiation belts usually rises over time, interrupted by periods that last over a year for which the intensity is gradually dropping. These observations are inconsistent with predictions based on a modulation in the cosmic-ray source, as could be expected4,9 based on the evolution of the Earth's proton belts. We demonstrate that Saturn's intensity dropouts result instead from losses due to abrupt changes in magnetospheric radial diffusion.

Cosmic-ray propagation and containment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parker, E. N.

1977-01-01

The cosmic rays are an active gaseous component of the disk of the galaxy, and their propagation and containment is a part of the general dynamics of the disk. The sources of cosmic rays are a matter of speculation. The disk is inflated by the cosmic-ray gas pressure, P, comparable to the magnetic pressure B super 2/ 8 pi, but the rate of inflation is unknown. The time spent by the individual cosmic-ray particles in the disk is inversely proportional to the cosmic-ray production rate and may be anything from 100,000 to more than 10 million years. It is evident from the decay of Be(10) that the cosmic rays circulate through a volume of space perhaps ten times the thickness of the gaseous disk, suggesting a magnetic halo extending out approximately 1 kpc from either face of the disk. The cosmic rays may be responsible for the halo by inflating the magnetic fields of the disk. Extension of the fields to 1 kpc would imply a high production rate and short life of cosmic rays in the dense gaseous disk of the galaxy.

Cosmic Ray Studies with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, David J.; Baldini, L.; Uchiyama, Y.

2012-01-01

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope provides both direct and indirect measurements of galactic cosmic rays (CR). The LAT high-statistics observations of the 7 GeV - 1 TeV electron plus positron spectrum and limits on spatial anisotropy constrain models for this cosmic-ray component. On a galactic scale, the LAT observations indicate that cosmic-ray sources may be more plentiful in the outer Galaxy than expected or that the scale height of the cosmic-ray diffusive halo is larger than conventional models. Production of cosmic rays in supernova remnants (SNR) is supported by the LAT gamma-ray studies of several of these, both young SNR and those interacting with molecular clouds.

Cosmic Ray Studies with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, D. J.; Baldini, L.; Uchiyama, Y.

2011-01-01

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope provides both direct and indirect measurements of Galactic cosmic rays (CR). The LAT high-statistics observations of the 7 GeV - 1 TcV electron plus positron spectrum and limits on spatial anisotropy constrain models for this cosmic-ray component. On a Galactic scale, the LAT observations indicate that cosmic-ray sources may be more plentiful in the outer Galaxy than expected or that the scale height of the cosmic-ray diffusive halo is larger than conventional models. Production of cosmic rays in supernova remnants (SNR) is supported by the LAT gamma-ray studies of several of these, both young SNR and those interacting with molecular clouds.

Cosmic Ray Induced Neutron Irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Overholt, Andrew

2011-11-01

After cancer studies performed on flight crews during the 1970s, it was found that cosmic rays produce a signficant flux of thermal neutrons at airplane altitudes. In the case of high energy cosmic rays these biologically threatening neutrons are increased at ground level. Our work models the flux of neutrons produced by high energy cosmic rays, exploring the possibility of biological impact due to extended periods of increase high energy cosmic ray flux.

Cosmic ray experimental observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubrahmanyan, V. K.; Mcdonald, F. B.

1974-01-01

The current experimental situation in cosmic ray studies is discussed, with special emphasis on the development of new detector systems. Topics covered are the techniques for particle identification, energy measurements, gas Cerenkov counters, magnet spectrometers, ionization spectrometers, track detectors, nuclear emulsions, multiparameter analysis using arrays of detectors, the Goddard ionization spectrometer, charge spectra, relative abundances, isotope composition, antinuclei in cosmic rays, electrons, the measurement of cosmic ray arrival directions, and the prehistory of cosmic rays.

AMON: Transition to real-time operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowen, D. F.; Keivani, A.; Tešić, G.

2016-04-01

The Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON) will link the world's leading high-energy neutrino, cosmic-ray, gamma-ray and gravitational wave observatories by performing real-time coincidence searches for multimessenger sources from observatories' subthreshold data streams. The resulting coincidences will be distributed to interested parties in the form of electronic alerts for real-time follow-up observation. We will present the science case, design elements, current and projected partner observatories, status of the AMON project, and an initial AMON-enabled analysis. The prototype of the AMON server has been online since August 2014 and processing archival data. Currently, we are deploying new high-uptime servers and will be ready to start issuing alerts as early as winter 2015/16.

Cosmic Rays Astrophysics: The Discipline, Its Scope, and Its Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barghouty, A. F.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation gives an overview of the discipline surrounding cosmic ray astrophysics. It includes information on recent assertions surrounding cosmic rays, exposure levels, and a short history with specific information on the origin, acceleration, transport, and modulation of cosmic rays.

Connecting blazars with ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays and astrophysical neutrinos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resconi, E.; Coenders, S.; Padovani, P.; Giommi, P.; Caccianiga, L.

2017-06-01

We present a strong hint of a connection between high-energy γ-ray emitting blazars, very high energy neutrinos, and ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays. We first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering γ-ray emitters in spatial coincidence with the high-energy neutrinos detected by IceCube. The neutrino filtered γ-ray emitters are then correlated with the ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays from the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array by scanning in γ-ray flux (Fγ) and angular separation (θ) between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal excess of 80 cosmic rays (42.5 expected) is found at θ ≤ 10° from the neutrino-filtered γ-ray emitters selected from the second hard Fermi-LAT catalogue (2FHL) and for Fγ(>50 GeV) ≥ 1.8 × 10-11 ph cm-2 s-1. The probability for this to happen is 2.4 × 10-5, which translates to ˜2.4 × 10-3 after compensation for all the considered trials. No excess of cosmic rays is instead observed for the complement sample of γ-ray emitters (I.e. not in spatial connection with IceCube neutrinos). A likelihood ratio test comparing the connection between the neutrino-filtered and the complement source samples with the cosmic rays favours a connection between neutrino-filtered emitters and cosmic rays with a probability of ˜1.8 × 10-3 (2.9σ) after compensation for all the considered trials. The neutrino-filtered γ-ray sources that make up the cosmic rays excess are blazars of the high synchrotron peak type. More statistics is needed to further investigate these sources as candidate cosmic ray and neutrino emitters.

A Shifting Shield Provides Protection Against Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-12-01

The Sun plays an important role in protecting us from cosmic rays, energetic particles that pelt us from outside our solar system. But can we predict when and how it will provide the most protection, and use this to minimize the damage to both pilotedand roboticspace missions?The Challenge of Cosmic RaysSpacecraft outside of Earths atmosphere and magnetic field are at risk of damage from cosmic rays. [ESA]Galactic cosmic rays are high-energy, charged particles that originate from astrophysical processes like supernovae or even distant active galactic nuclei outside of our solar system.One reason to care about the cosmic rays arriving near Earth is because these particles can provide a significant challenge for space missions traveling above Earths protective atmosphere and magnetic field. Since impacts from cosmic rays can damage human DNA, this risk poses a major barrier to plans for interplanetary travel by crewed spacecraft. And roboticmissions arent safe either: cosmic rays can flip bits, wreaking havoc on spacecraft electronics as well.The magnetic field carried by the solar wind provides a protective shield, deflecting galactic cosmic rays from our solar system. [Walt Feimer/NASA GSFCs Conceptual Image Lab]Shielded by the SunConveniently, we do have some broader protection against galactic cosmic rays: a built-in shield provided by the Sun. The interplanetary magnetic field, which is embedded in the solar wind, deflects low-energy cosmic rays from us at the outer reaches of our solar system, decreasing the flux of these cosmic rays that reach us at Earth.This shield, however, isnt stationary; instead, it moves and changes as the strength and direction of the solar wind moves and changes. This results in a much lower cosmic-ray flux at Earth when solar activity is high i.e., at the peak of the 11-year solar cycle than when solar activity is low. This visible change in local cosmic-ray flux with solar activity is known as solar modulation of the cosmic ray flux at Earth.In a new study, a team of scientists led by Nicola Tomassetti (University of Perugia, Italy) has modeled this solar modulation to better understand the process by which the Suns changing activity influences the cosmic ray flux that reaches us at Earth.Modeling a LagTomassetti and collaborators model uses two solar-activity observables as inputs: the number of sunspots and the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet. By modeling basic transport processes in the heliosphere, the authors then track the impact that the changing solar properties have on incoming galactic cosmic rays. In particular, the team explores the time lag between when solar activity changes and when we see the responding change in the cosmic-ray flux.Cosmic-ray flux observations are best fit by the authors model when an 8-month lag is included (red bold line). A comparison model with no lag (black dashed line) is included. [Tomassetti et al. 2017]By comparing their model outputs to the large collection of time-dependent observations of cosmic-ray fluxes, Tomassetti and collaborators show that the best fit to data occurs with an 8-month lag between changing solar activity and local cosmic-ray flux modulation.This is an important outcome for studying the processes that affect the cosmic-ray flux that reaches Earth. But theres an additional intriguing consequence of this result: knowledge of the current solar activity could allow us to predict the modulation that will occur for cosmic rays near Earth an entire 8 months from now! If this model is correct, it brings us one step closer to being able to plan safer space missions for the future.CitationNicola Tomassetti et al 2017 ApJL 849 L32. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa9373

Cosmic rays: a review for astrobiologists.

PubMed

Ferrari, Franco; Szuszkiewicz, Ewa

2009-05-01

Cosmic rays represent one of the most fascinating research themes in modern astronomy and physics. Significant progress is being made toward an understanding of the astrophysics of the sources of cosmic rays and the physics of interactions in the ultrahigh-energy range. This is possible because several new experiments in these areas have been initiated. Cosmic rays may hold answers to a great number of fundamental questions, but they also shape our natural habitat and influence the radiation environment of our planet Earth. The importance of the study of cosmic rays has been acknowledged in many fields, including space weather science and astrobiology. Here, we concentrate on the astrobiological aspects of cosmic rays with regard to the enormous amount of new data available, some of which may, in fact, improve our knowledge about the radiation of cosmic origin on Earth. We focus on fluxes arriving at Earth and doses received, and will guide the reader through the wealth of scientific literature on cosmic rays. We have prepared a concise and self-contained source of data and recipes useful for performing interdisciplinary research in cosmic rays and their effects on life on Earth.

CosmicSIG science and plans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olinto, Angela V.

2014-03-01

Recent activities of the Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group (CosmicSIG) of the Physics of the Cosmos PAG will be reviewed. CosmicSIG was formed to provide an assessment to NASA HQ and the PCOS program office of the status of current and future missions in the area of cosmic-ray astrophysics. CosmicSIG also strives to act as a focal point and forum for the cosmic ray community.

Primary gamma rays. [resulting from cosmic ray interaction with interstellar matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fichtel, C. E.

1974-01-01

Within this galaxy, cosmic rays reveal their presence in interstellar space and probably in source regions by their interactions with interstellar matter which lead to gamma rays with a very characteristic energy spectrum. From the study of the intensity of the high energy gamma radiation as a function of galactic longitude, it is already clear that cosmic rays are almost certainly not uniformly distributed in the galaxy and are not concentrated in the center of the galaxy. The galactic cosmic rays appear to be tied to galactic structural features, presumably by the galactic magnetic fields which are in turn held by the matter in the arm segments and the clouds. On the extragalactic scale, it is now possible to say that cosmic rays are not universal at the density seen near the earth. The diffuse celestial gamma ray spectrum that is observed presents the interesting possibility of cosmological studies and possible evidence for a residual universal cosmic ray density, which is much lower than the present galactic cosmic ray density.

Supernova Origin of Cosmic Rays from a γ-Ray Signal in the Constellation III Region of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

PubMed

Neronov, Andrii

2017-11-10

Cosmic rays could be produced via shock acceleration powered by supernovae. The supernova hypothesis implies that each supernova injects, on average, some 10^{50}  erg in cosmic rays, while the shock acceleration model predicts a power law cosmic ray spectrum with the slope close to 2. Verification of these predictions requires measurement of the spectrum and power of cosmic ray injection from supernova population(s). Here, we obtain such measurements based on γ-ray observation of the Constellation III region of the Large Magellanic Cloud. We show that γ-ray emission from this young star formation region originates from cosmic rays injected by approximately two thousand supernovae, rather than by a massive star wind powered by a superbubble predating supernova activity. Cosmic ray injection power is found to be (1.1_{-0.2}^{+0.5})×10^{50}  erg/supernova (for the estimated interstellar medium density 0.3  cm^{-3}). The spectrum is a power law with slope 2.09_{-0.07}^{+0.06}. This agrees with the model of particle acceleration at supernova shocks and provides a direct proof of the supernova origin of cosmic rays.

Supernova Remnant Kes 17: An Efficient Cosmic Ray Accelerator inside a Molecular Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfand, Joseph; Slane, Patrick; Hughes, John; Temim, Tea; Castro, Daniel; Rakowski, Cara

Supernova remnant are believed to be the dominant source of cosmic rays protons below the "knee" in the energy spectrum. However, relatively few supernova remnants have been identified as efficient producers of cosmic ray protons. In this talk, I will present evidence that the production of cosmic ray protons is required to explain the broadband non-thermal spectrum of supernova remnant Kes 17 (SNR G304.6+0.1). Evidence for efficient cosmic ray acceleration in Kes 17 supports recent theoretical work concluding that the strong magnetic field, turbulence, and clumpy nature of molecular clouds enhance cosmic ray production in supernova remnants. While additional observations are needed to confirm this interpretation, further study of Kes 17 and similar sources are important for understanding how cosmic rays are accelerated in supernova remnants.

Cosmic Ray Helium Intensities over the Solar Cycle from ACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeNolfo, G. A.; Yanasak, N. E.; Binns, W. R.; Cohen, C. M. S.; Cummings, A. C.; Davis, A. J.; George, J. S.; Hink. P. L.; Israel, M. H.; Lave, K.;

Long term variability of the cosmic ray intensity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhat, C. L.; Houston, B. P.; Mayer, C. J.; Wolfendale, A. W.

1985-01-01

In a previous paper Bhat, et al., assess the evidence for the continuing acceleration of cosmic rays in the Loop I supernova remnant. The enhanced gamma-ray emission is found consistent with the Blandford and Cowie model for particle acceleration at the remnant shock wave. The contributions of other supernovae remnants to the galactic cosmic ray energy density are now considered, paying anisotropy of cosmic rays accelerated by local supernovae ( 100 pc). The results are compared with geophysical data on the fluctuations in the cosmic ray intensity over the previous one billion years.

Integration of the ATLAS FE-I4 Pixel Chip in the Mini Time Projection Chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Thibodeaux, Mayra; Garcia-Sciveres, Maurice; Kadyk, John; Oliver-Mallory, Kelsey

2013-04-01

This project deals with development of readout for a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) prototype. This is a type of detector proposed for direct detection of dark matter (WIMPS) with direction information. The TPC is a gaseous charged particle tracking detector composed of a field cage and a gas avalanche detector. The latter is made of two Gas Electron Multipliers in series, illuminating a pixel readout integrated circuit, which measures the distribution in position and time of the output charge. We are testing the TPC prototype, filled with ArCO2 gas, using a Fe-55 x-ray source and cosmic rays. The present prototype uses an FE-I3 chip for readout. This chip was developed about 10 years ago and is presently in use within the ATLAS pixel detector at the LHC. The aim of this work is to upgrade the TPC prototype to use an FE-I4 chip. The FE-I4 has an active area of 336 mm^2 and 26880 pixels, over nine times the number of pixels in the FE-I3 chip, and an active area about six times as much. The FE-I4 chip represents the state of the art of pixel detector readout, and is presently being used to build an upgrade of the ATLAS pixel detector.

Secondary gamma-ray production in a coded aperture mask

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, A.; Frye, G. M., Jr.; Hall, C. J.; Jenkins, T. L.; Pendleton, G. N.; Carter, J. N.; Ramsden, D.; Agrinier, B.; Bonfand, E.; Gouiffes, C.

1985-01-01

The application of the coded aperture mask to high energy gamma-ray astronomy will provide the capability of locating a cosmic gamma-ray point source with a precision of a few arc-minutes above 20 MeV. Recent tests using a mask in conjunction with drift chamber detectors have shown that the expected point spread function is achieved over an acceptance cone of 25 deg. A telescope employing this technique differs from a conventional telescope only in that the presence of the mask modifies the radiation field in the vicinity of the detection plane. In addition to reducing the primary photon flux incident on the detector by absorption in the mask elements, the mask will also be a secondary radiator of gamma-rays. The various background components in a CAMTRAC (Coded Aperture Mask Track Chamber) telescope are considered. Monte-Carlo calculations are compared with recent measurements obtained using a prototype instrument in a tagged photon beam line.

The Muon Portal Project: Design and construction of a scanning portal based on muon tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonuccio, V.; Bandieramonte, M.; Becciani, U.; Bonanno, D. L.; Bonanno, G.; Bongiovanni, D.; Fallica, P. G.; Garozzo, S.; Grillo, A.; La Rocca, P.; Leonora, E.; Longhitano, F.; Lo Presti, D.; Marano, D.; Parasole, O.; Pugliatti, C.; Randazzo, N.; Riggi, F.; Riggi, S.; Romeo, G.; Romeo, M.; Russo, G. V.; Santagati, G.; Timpanaro, M. C.; Valvo, G.

2017-02-01

Cosmic ray tomography is a technique which exploits the multiple Coulomb scattering of highly penetrating cosmic ray-produced muons to perform non-destructive inspection of high-Z materials without the use of artificial radiation. A muon tomography detection system can be used as a portal monitor at border crossing points for detecting illegal targeted objects. The Muon Portal Project is a joint initiative between Italian research and industrial partners, aimed at the construction of a real size detector prototype (6×3×7 m3) for the inspection of cargo containers by the muon scattering technique. The detector consists of four XY tracking planes, two placed above and two below the container to be inspected. After a research and development phase, which led to the choice and test of the individual components, the construction and installation of the detection modules is almost completed. In this paper the present status of the Project is reported, focusing on the design and construction phase, as well as on the preliminary results obtained with the first detection planes.

First Results from the DUNE 35-ton Prototype using Cosmics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Insler, Jonathan; DUNE Collaboration

2016-03-01

The 35-ton prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Far Detector is a single-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr-TPC) integrated detector that will take cosmics data for a two month run beginning in February 2016. The 35-ton prototype will characterize DUNE's Far Detector technology performance and provide a sample of real data for DUNE reconstruction algorithms. The 35-ton prototype has two drift volumes of lengths 2.23 m and 0.23 m on either side of its anode plane assembly (APA) and makes use of wire planes with wrapped wires and a photon detection system (PDS) utilizing photon detection panels read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). Data from the 35-ton LAr detector are expected to provide rich information on scintillation light and charged particle tracks. We present a preliminary analysis of cosmics data taken with the 35-ton detector with a focus on stopping muons.

Difference between even and odd 11-year cycles in cosmic ray intensity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otaola, J. A.; Perez-Enriquez, R.; Valdes-Galicia, J. F.

1985-01-01

Cosmic ray data for the period 1946-1984 are used to determine the run of the cosmic ray intensity over three complete solar cycles. The analysis shows a tendency towards a regular alternation of cosmic ray intensity cycles with double and single maxima. Whereas a saddle-like shape is characteristic of even cycles, odd cycles are characterized by a peak-like shape. The importance of this behavior is discussed in terms of different processes influencing cosmic ray transport in the heliosphere.

The basis for cosmic ray feedback: Written on the wind

PubMed Central

Zweibel, Ellen G.

2017-01-01

Star formation and supermassive black hole growth in galaxies appear to be self-limiting. The mechanisms for self-regulation are known as feedback. Cosmic rays, the relativistic particle component of interstellar and intergalactic plasma, are among the agents of feedback. Because cosmic rays are virtually collisionless in the plasma environments of interest, their interaction with the ambient medium is primarily mediated by large scale magnetic fields and kinetic scale plasma waves. Because kinetic scales are much smaller than global scales, this interaction is most conveniently described by fluid models. In this paper, I discuss the kinetic theory and the classical theory of cosmic ray hydrodynamics (CCRH) which follows from assuming cosmic rays interact only with self-excited waves. I generalize CCRH to generalized cosmic ray hydrodynamics, which accommodates interactions with extrinsic turbulence, present examples of cosmic ray feedback, and assess where progress is needed. PMID:28579734

The basis for cosmic ray feedback: Written on the wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zweibel, Ellen G.

2017-05-01

Star formation and supermassive black hole growth in galaxies appear to be self-limiting. The mechanisms for self-regulation are known as feedback. Cosmic rays, the relativistic particle component of interstellar and intergalactic plasma, are among the agents of feedback. Because cosmic rays are virtually collisionless in the plasma environments of interest, their interaction with the ambient medium is primarily mediated by large scale magnetic fields and kinetic scale plasma waves. Because kinetic scales are much smaller than global scales, this interaction is most conveniently described by fluid models. In this paper, I discuss the kinetic theory and the classical theory of cosmic ray hydrodynamics (CCRH) which follows from assuming cosmic rays interact only with self-excited waves. I generalize CCRH to generalized cosmic ray hydrodynamics, which accommodates interactions with extrinsic turbulence, present examples of cosmic ray feedback, and assess where progress is needed.

The basis for cosmic ray feedback: Written on the wind.

PubMed

Zweibel, Ellen G

2017-05-01

Star formation and supermassive black hole growth in galaxies appear to be self-limiting. The mechanisms for self-regulation are known as feedback . Cosmic rays, the relativistic particle component of interstellar and intergalactic plasma, are among the agents of feedback. Because cosmic rays are virtually collisionless in the plasma environments of interest, their interaction with the ambient medium is primarily mediated by large scale magnetic fields and kinetic scale plasma waves. Because kinetic scales are much smaller than global scales, this interaction is most conveniently described by fluid models. In this paper, I discuss the kinetic theory and the classical theory of cosmic ray hydrodynamics (CCRH) which follows from assuming cosmic rays interact only with self-excited waves. I generalize CCRH to generalized cosmic ray hydrodynamics, which accommodates interactions with extrinsic turbulence, present examples of cosmic ray feedback, and assess where progress is needed.

The Origin of Cosmic Rays

ScienceCinema

Blasi, Pasquale

2017-12-22

Cosmic Rays reach the Earth from space with energies of up to more than 1020 eV, carrying information on the most powerful particle accelerators that Nature has been able to assemble. Understanding where and how cosmic rays originate has required almost one century of investigations, and, although the last word is not written yet, recent observations and theory seem now to fit together to provide us with a global picture of the origin of cosmic rays of unprecedented clarity. Here we will describe what we learned from recent observations of astrophysical sources (such as supernova remnants and active galaxies) and we will illustrate what these observations tell us about the physics of particle acceleration and transport. We will also discuss the “end” of the Galactic cosmic ray spectrum, which bridges out attention towards the so called ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). At ~1020 eV the gyration scale of cosmic rays in cosmic magnetic fields becomes large enough to allow us to point back to their sources, thereby allowing us to perform “cosmic ray astronomy”, as confirmed by the recent results obtained with the Pierre Auger Observatory. We will discuss the implications of these observations for the understanding of UHECRs, as well as some questions which will likely remain unanswered and will be the target of the next generation of cosmic ray experiments.

Single particle effects, Biostack, and risk evaluation - Studies on the radiation risk from Galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curtis, Stanley B.

1993-01-01

The possible health risks posed by Galactic cosmic rays, especially the possible heightened cancer risk, are examined. The results of the Biostack studies of the biological effects of high-energy cosmic rays are discussed. The biological mechanisms involved in possible harm due to cosmic rays are considered.

Cosmic ray interactions in the ground: Temporal variations in cosmic ray intensities and geophysical studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lal, D.

1986-01-01

Temporal variations in cosmic ray intensity have been deduced from observations of products of interactions of cosmic ray particles in the Moon, meteorites, and the Earth. Of particular interest is a comparison between the information based on Earth and that based on other samples. Differences are expected at least due to: (1) differences in the extent of cosmic ray modulation, and (2) changes in the geomagnetic dipole field. Any information on the global changes in the terrestrial cosmic ray intensity is therefore of importance. In this paper a possible technique for detecting changes in cosmic ray intensity is presented. The method involves human intervention and is applicable for the past 10,000 yrs. Studies of changes over longer periods of time are possible if supplementary data on age and history of the sample are available using other methods. Also discussed are the possibilities of studying certain geophysical processes, e.g., erosion, weathering, tectonic events based on studies of certain cosmic ray-produced isotopes for the past several million years.

Observation of New Properties of Secondary Cosmic Rays Lithium, Beryllium, and Boron by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station.

PubMed

Aguilar, M; Ali Cavasonza, L; Ambrosi, G; Arruda, L; Attig, N; Aupetit, S; Azzarello, P; Bachlechner, A; Barao, F; Barrau, A; Barrin, L; Bartoloni, A; Basara, L; Başeğmez-du Pree, S; Battarbee, M; Battiston, R; Becker, U; Behlmann, M; Beischer, B; Berdugo, J; Bertucci, B; Bindel, K F; Bindi, V; de Boer, W; Bollweg, K; Bonnivard, V; Borgia, B; Boschini, M J; Bourquin, M; Bueno, E F; Burger, J; Burger, W J; Cadoux, F; Cai, X D; Capell, M; Caroff, S; Casaus, J; Castellini, G; Cervelli, F; Chae, M J; Chang, Y H; Chen, A I; Chen, G M; Chen, H S; Cheng, L; Chou, H Y; Choumilov, E; Choutko, V; Chung, C H; Clark, C; Clavero, R; Coignet, G; Consolandi, C; Contin, A; Corti, C; Creus, W; Crispoltoni, M; Cui, Z; Dadzie, K; Dai, Y M; Datta, A; Delgado, C; Della Torre, S; Demirköz, M B; Derome, L; Di Falco, S; Dimiccoli, F; Díaz, C; von Doetinchem, P; Dong, F; Donnini, F; Duranti, M; D'Urso, D; Egorov, A; Eline, A; Eronen, T; Feng, J; Fiandrini, E; Fisher, P; Formato, V; Galaktionov, Y; Gallucci, G; García-López, R J; Gargiulo, C; Gast, H; Gebauer, I; Gervasi, M; Ghelfi, A; Giovacchini, F; Gómez-Coral, D M; Gong, J; Goy, C; Grabski, V; Grandi, D; Graziani, M; Guo, K H; Haino, S; Han, K C; He, Z H; Heil, M; Hsieh, T H; Huang, H; Huang, Z C; Huh, C; Incagli, M; Ionica, M; Jang, W Y; Jia, Yi; Jinchi, H; Kang, S C; Kanishev, K; Khiali, B; Kim, G N; Kim, K S; Kirn, Th; Konak, C; Kounina, O; Kounine, A; Koutsenko, V; Kulemzin, A; La Vacca, G; Laudi, E; Laurenti, G; Lazzizzera, I; Lebedev, A; Lee, H T; Lee, S C; Leluc, C; Li, H S; Li, J Q; Li, Q; Li, T X; Li, Y; Li, Z H; Li, Z Y; Lim, S; Lin, C H; Lipari, P; Lippert, T; Liu, D; Liu, Hu; Lordello, V D; Lu, S Q; Lu, Y S; Luebelsmeyer, K; Luo, F; Luo, J Z; Lyu, S S; Machate, F; Mañá, C; Marín, J; Martin, T; Martínez, G; Masi, N; Maurin, D; Menchaca-Rocha, A; Meng, Q; Mikuni, V M; Mo, D C; Mott, P; Nelson, T; Ni, J Q; Nikonov, N; Nozzoli, F; Oliva, A; Orcinha, M; Palermo, M; Palmonari, F; Palomares, C; Paniccia, M; Pauluzzi, M; Pensotti, S; Perrina, C; Phan, H D; Picot-Clemente, N; Pilo, F; Pizzolotto, C; Plyaskin, V; Pohl, M; Poireau, V; Quadrani, L; Qi, X M; Qin, X; Qu, Z Y; Räihä, T; Rancoita, P G; Rapin, D; Ricol, J S; Rosier-Lees, S; Rozhkov, A; Rozza, D; Sagdeev, R; Schael, S; Schmidt, S M; Schulz von Dratzig, A; Schwering, G; Seo, E S; Shan, B S; Shi, J Y; Siedenburg, T; Son, D; Song, J W; Tacconi, M; Tang, X W; Tang, Z C; Tescaro, D; Ting, Samuel C C; Ting, S M; Tomassetti, N; Torsti, J; Türkoğlu, C; Urban, T; Vagelli, V; Valente, E; Valtonen, E; Vázquez Acosta, M; Vecchi, M; Velasco, M; Vialle, J P; Vitale, V; Wang, L Q; Wang, N H; Wang, Q L; Wang, X; Wang, X Q; Wang, Z X; Wei, C C; Weng, Z L; Whitman, K; Wu, H; Wu, X; Xiong, R Q; Xu, W; Yan, Q; Yang, J; Yang, M; Yang, Y; Yi, H; Yu, Y J; Yu, Z Q; Zannoni, M; Zeissler, S; Zhang, C; Zhang, F; Zhang, J; Zhang, J H; Zhang, S W; Zhang, Z; Zheng, Z M; Zhuang, H L; Zhukov, V; Zichichi, A; Zimmermann, N; Zuccon, P

2018-01-12

We report on the observation of new properties of secondary cosmic rays Li, Be, and B measured in the rigidity (momentum per unit charge) range 1.9 GV to 3.3 TV with a total of 5.4×10^{6} nuclei collected by AMS during the first five years of operation aboard the International Space Station. The Li and B fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 7 GV and all three fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 30 GV with the Li/Be flux ratio of 2.0±0.1. The three fluxes deviate from a single power law above 200 GV in an identical way. This behavior of secondary cosmic rays has also been observed in the AMS measurement of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O but the rigidity dependences of primary cosmic rays and of secondary cosmic rays are distinctly different. In particular, above 200 GV, the secondary cosmic rays harden more than the primary cosmic rays.

Observation of New Properties of Secondary Cosmic Rays Lithium, Beryllium, and Boron by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aguilar, M.; Ali Cavasonza, L.; Ambrosi, G.; Arruda, L.; Attig, N.; Aupetit, S.; Azzarello, P.; Bachlechner, A.; Barao, F.; Barrau, A.; Barrin, L.; Bartoloni, A.; Basara, L.; Başeǧmez-du Pree, S.; Battarbee, M.; Battiston, R.; Becker, U.; Behlmann, M.; Beischer, B.; Berdugo, J.; Bertucci, B.; Bindel, K. F.; Bindi, V.; de Boer, W.; Bollweg, K.; Bonnivard, V.; Borgia, B.; Boschini, M. J.; Bourquin, M.; Bueno, E. F.; Burger, J.; Burger, W. J.; Cadoux, F.; Cai, X. D.; Capell, M.; Caroff, S.; Casaus, J.; Castellini, G.; Cervelli, F.; Chae, M. J.; Chang, Y. H.; Chen, A. I.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, H. S.; Cheng, L.; Chou, H. Y.; Choumilov, E.; Choutko, V.; Chung, C. H.; Clark, C.; Clavero, R.; Coignet, G.; Consolandi, C.; Contin, A.; Corti, C.; Creus, W.; Crispoltoni, M.; Cui, Z.; Dadzie, K.; Dai, Y. M.; Datta, A.; Delgado, C.; Della Torre, S.; Demirköz, M. B.; Derome, L.; Di Falco, S.; Dimiccoli, F.; Díaz, C.; von Doetinchem, P.; Dong, F.; Donnini, F.; Duranti, M.; D'Urso, D.; Egorov, A.; Eline, A.; Eronen, T.; Feng, J.; Fiandrini, E.; Fisher, P.; Formato, V.; Galaktionov, Y.; Gallucci, G.; García-López, R. J.; Gargiulo, C.; Gast, H.; Gebauer, I.; Gervasi, M.; Ghelfi, A.; Giovacchini, F.; Gómez-Coral, D. M.; Gong, J.; Goy, C.; Grabski, V.; Grandi, D.; Graziani, M.; Guo, K. H.; Haino, S.; Han, K. C.; He, Z. H.; Heil, M.; Hsieh, T. H.; Huang, H.; Huang, Z. C.; Huh, C.; Incagli, M.; Ionica, M.; Jang, W. Y.; Jia, Yi; Jinchi, H.; Kang, S. C.; Kanishev, K.; Khiali, B.; Kim, G. N.; Kim, K. S.; Kirn, Th.; Konak, C.; Kounina, O.; Kounine, A.; Koutsenko, V.; Kulemzin, A.; La Vacca, G.; Laudi, E.; Laurenti, G.; Lazzizzera, I.; Lebedev, A.; Lee, H. T.; Lee, S. C.; Leluc, C.; Li, H. S.; Li, J. Q.; Li, Q.; Li, T. X.; Li, Y.; Li, Z. H.; Li, Z. Y.; Lim, S.; Lin, C. H.; Lipari, P.; Lippert, T.; Liu, D.; Liu, Hu; Lordello, V. D.; Lu, S. Q.; Lu, Y. S.; Luebelsmeyer, K.; Luo, F.; Luo, J. Z.; Lyu, S. S.; Machate, F.; Mañá, C.; Marín, J.; Martin, T.; Martínez, G.; Masi, N.; Maurin, D.; Menchaca-Rocha, A.; Meng, Q.; Mikuni, V. M.; Mo, D. C.; Mott, P.; Nelson, T.; Ni, J. Q.; Nikonov, N.; Nozzoli, F.; Oliva, A.; Orcinha, M.; Palermo, M.; Palmonari, F.; Palomares, C.; Paniccia, M.; Pauluzzi, M.; Pensotti, S.; Perrina, C.; Phan, H. D.; Picot-Clemente, N.; Pilo, F.; Pizzolotto, C.; Plyaskin, V.; Pohl, M.; Poireau, V.; Quadrani, L.; Qi, X. M.; Qin, X.; Qu, Z. Y.; Räihä, T.; Rancoita, P. G.; Rapin, D.; Ricol, J. S.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Rozhkov, A.; Rozza, D.; Sagdeev, R.; Schael, S.; Schmidt, S. M.; Schulz von Dratzig, A.; Schwering, G.; Seo, E. S.; Shan, B. S.; Shi, J. Y.; Siedenburg, T.; Son, D.; Song, J. W.; Tacconi, M.; Tang, X. W.; Tang, Z. C.; Tescaro, D.; Ting, Samuel C. C.; Ting, S. M.; Tomassetti, N.; Torsti, J.; Türkoǧlu, C.; Urban, T.; Vagelli, V.; Valente, E.; Valtonen, E.; Vázquez Acosta, M.; Vecchi, M.; Velasco, M.; Vialle, J. P.; Vitale, V.; Wang, L. Q.; Wang, N. H.; Wang, Q. L.; Wang, X.; Wang, X. Q.; Wang, Z. X.; Wei, C. C.; Weng, Z. L.; Whitman, K.; Wu, H.; Wu, X.; Xiong, R. Q.; Xu, W.; Yan, Q.; Yang, J.; Yang, M.; Yang, Y.; Yi, H.; Yu, Y. J.; Yu, Z. Q.; Zannoni, M.; Zeissler, S.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, J. H.; Zhang, S. W.; Zhang, Z.; Zheng, Z. M.; Zhuang, H. L.; Zhukov, V.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, N.; Zuccon, P.; AMS Collaboration

2018-01-01

We report on the observation of new properties of secondary cosmic rays Li, Be, and B measured in the rigidity (momentum per unit charge) range 1.9 GV to 3.3 TV with a total of 5.4 ×106 nuclei collected by AMS during the first five years of operation aboard the International Space Station. The Li and B fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 7 GV and all three fluxes have an identical rigidity dependence above 30 GV with the Li /Be flux ratio of 2.0 ±0.1 . The three fluxes deviate from a single power law above 200 GV in an identical way. This behavior of secondary cosmic rays has also been observed in the AMS measurement of primary cosmic rays He, C, and O but the rigidity dependences of primary cosmic rays and of secondary cosmic rays are distinctly different. In particular, above 200 GV, the secondary cosmic rays harden more than the primary cosmic rays.

Nineteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. Conference Papers: Invited Rapporteur, Highlight, Miscellaneous, Volume 9

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1986-01-01

Invited talks, rapporteur talks, and highlight talks are included. Topics of the invited and highlight talks include astrophysical jets, gamma-ray line astronomy, cosmic rays and gamma rays in astrophysics, the early universe, elementary particle physics, solar flares and acceleration of energetic particles, cosmogenic nuclei, extragalactic astronomy, composition of solar flare particles, very high energy gamma ray sources, gamma-ray bursts, shock acceleration in the solar wind, cosmic rays in deep underground detectors, spectrum of cosmic rays at 10 to the 19th power eV, and nucleus-nucleus interactions.

Cosmic Ray investigations on peak Musala in Bulgaria: A memoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavlakov, S.

2009-11-01

A very brief historical description of the Bulgarian Cosmic Ray investigations, in the Cosmic Ray Station on peak Musala (2925 m.a.s.l.) is presented. Difficulties of the high mountain measurements that time are mentioned, together with the hard emotional and successful work done by a small staff of young Bulgarian cosmic ray scientists.

Anisotropy and corotation of galactic cosmic rays.

PubMed

Amenomori, M; Ayabe, S; Bi, X J; Chen, D; Cui, S W; Danzengluobu; Ding, L K; Ding, X H; Feng, C F; Feng, Zhaoyang; Feng, Z Y; Gao, X Y; Geng, Q X; Guo, H W; He, H H; He, M; Hibino, K; Hotta, N; Hu, Haibing; Hu, H B; Huang, J; Huang, Q; Jia, H Y; Kajino, F; Kasahara, K; Katayose, Y; Kato, C; Kawata, K; Labaciren; Le, G M; Li, A F; Li, J Y; Lou, Y-Q; Lu, H; Lu, S L; Meng, X R; Mizutani, K; Mu, J; Munakata, K; Nagai, A; Nanjo, H; Nishizawa, M; Ohnishi, M; Ohta, I; Onuma, H; Ouchi, T; Ozawa, S; Ren, J R; Saito, T; Saito, T Y; Sakata, M; Sako, T K; Sasaki, T; Shibata, M; Shiomi, A; Shirai, T; Sugimoto, H; Takita, M; Tan, Y H; Tateyama, N; Torii, S; Tsuchiya, H; Udo, S; Wang, B; Wang, H; Wang, X; Wang, Y G; Wu, H R; Xue, L; Yamamoto, Y; Yan, C T; Yang, X C; Yasue, S; Ye, Z H; Yu, G C; Yuan, A F; Yuda, T; Zhang, H M; Zhang, J L; Zhang, N J; Zhang, X Y; Zhang, Y; Zhang, Yi; Zhaxisangzhu; Zhou, X X

2006-10-20

The intensity of Galactic cosmic rays is nearly isotropic because of the influence of magnetic fields in the Milky Way. Here, we present two-dimensional high-precision anisotropy measurement for energies from a few to several hundred teraelectronvolts (TeV), using the large data sample of the Tibet Air Shower Arrays. Besides revealing finer details of the known anisotropies, a new component of Galactic cosmic ray anisotropy in sidereal time is uncovered around the Cygnus region direction. For cosmic-ray energies up to a few hundred TeV, all components of anisotropies fade away, showing a corotation of Galactic cosmic rays with the local Galactic magnetic environment. These results have broad implications for a comprehensive understanding of cosmic rays, supernovae, magnetic fields, and heliospheric and Galactic dynamic environments.

Transient cosmic ray increase associated with a geomagnetic storm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kudo, S.; Wada, M.; Tanskanen, P.; Kodama, M.

1985-01-01

On the basis of worldwide network data of cosmic ray nucleonic components, the transient cosmic ray increase due to the depression of cosmic ray cutoff rigidity during a severe geomagnetic storm was investigated in terms of the longitudinal dependence. Multiple correlation analysis among isotropic and diurnal terms of cosmic ray intensity variations and Dst term of the geomagnetic field is applied to each of various station's data. It is shown that the amplitude of the transient cosmic ray increase associated with Dst depends on the local time of the station, and that its maximum phase is found in the evening sector. This fact is consistent with the theoretical estimation based on the azimuthally asymmetric ring current model for the magnetic DS field.

Ultra high energy gamma rays, cosmic rays and neutrinos from accreting degenerate stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brecher, K.; Chanmugam, G.

1985-01-01

Super-Eddington accretion for a recently proposed unipolar induction model of cosmic ray acceleration in accreting binary star systems containing magnetic white dwarfs or neutron stars is considered. For sufficiently high accretion rates and low magnetic fields, the model can account for: (1) acceleration of cosmic ray nuclei up to energies of 10 to the 19th power eV; (2) production of more or less normal solar cosmic ray composition; (3) the bulk of cosmic rays observed with energies above 1 TeV, and probably even down to somewhat lower energies as well; and (4) possibly the observed antiproton cosmic ray flux. It can also account for the high ultra high energy (UHE) gamma ray flux observed from several accreting binary systems (including Cygnus X-3), while allowing the possibility of an even higher neutrino flux from these sources, with L sub nu/L sub gamma is approximately 100.

Lightning Initiation and Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-22

ray (gamma ray ) and multiple-station (>24) cosmic - ray - muon detection network (TERA) pl:esently in place. Upgrade TERA with LaBr3 detectors to...DATES COVERED 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Lightning Initistion and Propagation Including the Role of X- Rays , Gamma Rays , and Cosmic Rays 5a... rays , gamma rays , and cosmic rays in the initiation and propagation of lightning and in the phenomenology of thunderclouds. The experimental

Measurement Of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) Detector Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seongtae; Baldelomar, Edwin; Park, Kwangjune; Sosebee, Mark; White, Andy; Yu, Jaehoon

2011-06-01

The High Energy Physics group of the University of Texas at Arlington has been developing gas electron multiplier detectors to use them as sensitive gap detectors in digital hadron calorimeters for the International Linear Collider, a future high energy particle accelerator. For this purpose, we constructed numerous GEM detectors that employ double GEM layers. In this study, two kinds of prototype GEM detectors were tested; one with 28×28 cm2 active area double GEM structure with a 3 mm drift gap, a 1 mm transfer gap and a 1 mm induction gap and the other with two 3×3 cm2 GEM foils in the amplifier stage with a 5 mm drift gap, a 2 mm transfer gap and a 1 mm induction gap. The detectors' characteristics from exposure to high-energy charged particles and other radiations were measured using cosmic rays and 55Fe radioactive source. From the 55Fe tests, we observed two well separated characteristic X-ray emission peaks and confirmed the detectors' functionality. We also measured chamber gains to be over 6000 at a high voltage of 395 V across each GEM electrode. The responses to cosmic rays show the spectra that fit well to Landau distributions as expected from minimum ionizing particles.

Cosmic ray transport in astrophysical plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schlickeiser, R.

2015-09-15

Since the development of satellite space technology about 50 years ago the solar heliosphere is explored almost routinely by several spacecrafts carrying detectors for measuring the properties of the interplanetary medium including energetic charged particles (cosmic rays), solar wind particle densities, and electromagnetic fields. In 2012, the Voyager 1 spacecraft has even left what could be described as the heliospheric modulation region, as indicated by the sudden disappearance of low energy heliospheric cosmic ray particles. With the available in-situ measurements of interplanetary turbulent electromagnetic fields and of the momentum spectra of different cosmic ray species in different interplanetary environments, themore » heliosphere is the best cosmic laboratory to test our understanding of the transport and acceleration of cosmic rays in space plasmas. I review both the historical development and the current state of various cosmic ray transport equations. Similarities and differences to transport theories for terrestrial fusion plasmas are highlighted. Any progress in cosmic ray transport requires a detailed understanding of the electromagnetic turbulence that is responsible for the scattering and acceleration of these particles.« less

Cosmic Rays in the Heliosphere: Requirements for Future Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mewaldt, R. A.

2013-06-01

Since the publication of Cosmic Rays in the Heliosphere in 1998 there has been great progress in understanding how and why cosmic rays vary in space and time. This paper discusses measurements that are needed to continue advances in relating cosmic ray variations to changes in solar and interplanetary activity and variations in the local interstellar environment. Cosmic ray acceleration and transport is an important discipline in space physics and astrophysics, but it also plays a critical role in defining the radiation environment for humans and hardware in space, and is critical to efforts to unravel the history of solar activity. Cosmic rays are measured directly by balloon-borne and space instruments, and indirectly by ground-based neutron, muon and neutrino detectors, and by measurements of cosmogenic isotopes in ice cores, tree-rings, sediments, and meteorites. The topics covered here include: what we can learn from the deep 2008-2009 solar minimum, when cosmic rays reached the highest intensities of the space era; the implications of 10Be and 14C isotope archives for past and future solar activity; the effects of variations in the size of the heliosphere; opportunities provided by the Voyagers for discovering the origin of anomalous cosmic rays and measuring cosmic-ray spectra in interstellar space; and future space missions that can continue the exciting exploration of the heliosphere that has occurred over the past 50 years.

Re-evaluation of cosmic ray cutoff terminology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooke, D. J.; Humble, J. E.; Shea, M. A.; Smart, D. F.; Lund, N.; Rasmussen, I. L.; Byrnak, B.; Goret, P.; Petrou, N.

1985-01-01

The study of cosmic ray access to locations inside the geomagnetic field has evolved in a manner that has led to some misunderstanding and misapplication of the terminology originally developed to describe particle access. This paper presents what is believed to be a useful set of definitions for cosmic ray cutoff terminology for use in theoretical and experimental cosmic ray studies.

A Demonstration Device for Cosmic Rays Telescopes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Esposito, Salvatore

2018-01-01

We describe a hands-on accurate demonstrator for cosmic rays realized by six high school students. The main aim is to show the relevance and the functioning of the principal parts of a cosmic ray telescope (muon detector), with the help of two large sized wooden artefacts. The first one points out how cosmic rays can be tracked in a muon…

Influence of the backreaction of streaming cosmic rays on magnetic field generation and thermal instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nekrasov, Anatoly K.; Shadmehri, Mohsen, E-mail: anekrasov@ifz.ru, E-mail: nekrasov.anatoly@gmail.com, E-mail: m.shadmehri@gu.ac.ir

2014-06-10

Using a multifluid approach, we investigate streaming and thermal instabilities of the electron-ion plasma with homogeneous cold cosmic rays propagating perpendicular to the background magnetic field. Perturbations are also considered to be across the magnetic field. The backreaction of cosmic rays resulting in strong streaming instabilities is taken into account. It is shown that, for sufficiently short wavelength perturbations, the growth rates can exceed the growth rate of cosmic-ray streaming instability along the magnetic field, found by Nekrasov and Shadmehri, which is in turn considerably larger than the growth rate of the Bell instability. The thermal instability is shown notmore » to be subject to the action of cosmic rays in the model under consideration. The dispersion relation for the thermal instability has been derived, which includes sound velocities of plasma and cosmic rays and Alfvén and cosmic-ray streaming velocities. The relation between these parameters determines the kind of thermal instability ranging from the Parker to the Field instabilities. The results obtained can be useful for a more detailed investigation of electron-ion astrophysical objects, such as supernova remnant shocks, galaxy clusters, and others, including the dynamics of streaming cosmic rays.« less

Results from Two Low Mass Cosmic Ray Experiments Flown on the HASP Platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontenot, R. S.; Hollerman, W. A.; Tittsworth, M.; Fountain, W.; Christl, M.; Thibodaux, C.; Broussard, B. M.

2009-03-01

The High Altitude Student Payload (HASP) program is designed to carry twelve student experiments to an altitude of about 123,000 feet (˜37 km). In 2006, students participated in the first HASP launch to measure cosmic ray intensities using traditional film and absorbers. This 10 kg payload flew from Fort Sumner, New Mexico in early September 2006 and was a great success. In 2007, students participated in the second HASP flight to measure the cosmic ray intensity and flux using a traditional film and absorber stack with five layers of optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) dosimeters. Results from both payloads showed that the cosmic ray flux decreases as a function of payload depth. As the cosmic rays go through the stack, they deposit their energy in the payload material. Determining cosmic ray flux is a tedious task. It involves digitizing the film and determining the real cosmic ray density. For the first HASP payload, students used a program known as GlobalLab to count particles. For the second payload, the students decided to use a combination of the GREYCStoration image regularization algorithm, an embossing filter, and a depth-merging filter to reconstruct the paths of the cosmic rays.

Ultra-heavy cosmic rays: Theoretical implications of recent observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blake, J. B.; Hainebach, K. L.; Schramm, D. N.; Anglin, J. D.

1977-01-01

Extreme ultraheavy cosmic ray observations (Z greater or equal 70) are compared with r-process models. A detailed cosmic ray propagation calculation is used to transform the calculated source distributions to those observed at the earth. The r-process production abundances are calculated using different mass formulae and beta-rate formulae; an empirical estimate based on the observed solar system abundances is used also. There is the continued strong indication of an r-process dominance in the extreme ultra-heavy cosmic rays. However it is shown that the observed high actinide/Pt ratio in the cosmic rays cannot be fit with the same r-process calculation which also fits the solar system material. This result suggests that the cosmic rays probably undergo some preferential acceleration in addition to the apparent general enrichment in heavy (r-process) material. As estimate also is made of the expected relative abundance of superheavy elements in the cosmic rays if the anomalous heavy xenon in carbonaceous chondrites is due to a fissioning superheavy element.

The responses of three kinds of passive dosimeters to secondary cosmic rays in the lower atmosphere.

PubMed

Yang, Zhen; Chen, Bo; Zhuo, Weihai; Fan, Dunhuang; Zhao, Chao; Zhang, Yu

2015-12-01

For accurate measurements of the secondary cosmic rays by using passive dosimeters, the relative responses of the thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter, and radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) were studied. The cosmic-ray shower generator was used to simulate the secondary cosmic rays at the sea level. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to calculate the air kerma and absorbed doses in each kind of dosimeter. The results showed that compared with their responses to gamma rays of (137)Cs, the relative responses of the TLD, OSL, and RPLGD were 0.786, 0.707, and 0.735 to the hard component of cosmic rays, respectively, and the values were 0.904, 0.838, and 0.857 to the soft component of cosmic rays, respectively. To verify the simulations results, an in situ measurement with the three kinds of dosimeters was performed at the same place. The results indicated that the secondary cosmic rays monitored with the three kinds of dosimeters were well consistent with each other provided their relative responses were taken into account.

The responses of three kinds of passive dosimeters to secondary cosmic rays in the lower atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhen; Chen, Bo; Zhuo, Weihai; Fan, Dunhuang; Zhao, Chao; Zhang, Yu

2015-12-01

For accurate measurements of the secondary cosmic rays by using passive dosimeters, the relative responses of the thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter, and radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) were studied. The cosmic-ray shower generator was used to simulate the secondary cosmic rays at the sea level. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to calculate the air kerma and absorbed doses in each kind of dosimeter. The results showed that compared with their responses to gamma rays of 137Cs, the relative responses of the TLD, OSL, and RPLGD were 0.786, 0.707, and 0.735 to the hard component of cosmic rays, respectively, and the values were 0.904, 0.838, and 0.857 to the soft component of cosmic rays, respectively. To verify the simulations results, an in situ measurement with the three kinds of dosimeters was performed at the same place. The results indicated that the secondary cosmic rays monitored with the three kinds of dosimeters were well consistent with each other provided their relative responses were taken into account.

Diffuse Galactic gamma rays from shock-accelerated cosmic rays.

PubMed

Dermer, Charles D

2012-08-31

A shock-accelerated particle flux is proportional to p(-s), where p is the particle momentum, follows from simple theoretical considerations of cosmic-ray acceleration at nonrelativistic shocks followed by rigidity-dependent escape into the Galactic halo. A flux of shock-accelerated cosmic-ray protons with s≈2.8 provides an adequate fit to the Fermi Large Area Telescope γ-ray emission spectra of high-latitude and molecular cloud gas when uncertainties in nuclear production models are considered. A break in the spectrum of cosmic-ray protons claimed by Neronov, Semikoz, and Taylor [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 051105 (2012)] when fitting the γ-ray spectra of high-latitude molecular clouds is a consequence of using a cosmic-ray proton flux described by a power law in kinetic energy.

Evaluation of Galactic Cosmic Ray Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, James H., Jr.; Heiblim, Samuel; Malott, Christopher

2009-01-01

Models of the galactic cosmic ray spectra have been tested by comparing their predictions to an evaluated database containing more than 380 measured cosmic ray spectra extending from 1960 to the present.

The isotopic composition of cosmic-ray calcium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiedenbeck, M. E.; George, J. S.; Binns, W. R.; Christian, E. R.; Cummings, A. C.; Davis, A. J.; Israel, M. H.; Leske, R. A.; Mewaldt, R. A.; Stone, E. C.;

Research in particles and fields. [cosmic rays, gamma rays, and cosmic plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, E. C.; Buffington, A.; Davis, L., Jr.; Prince, T. A.; Vogt, R. E.

1984-01-01

Research activities in cosmic rays, gamma rays, and astrophysical plasmas are reviewed. Energetic particle and photon detector systems flown on spacecraft and balloons were used to carry out the investigations. Specific instruments mentioned are: the high energy isotope spectrometer telescope, the electron/isotope spectrometer, the heavy isotope spectrometer telescope, and magnetometers. Solar flares, planetary magnetospheres, element abundance, the isotopic composition of low energy cosmic rays, and heavy nuclei are among the topics receiving research attention.

Development and Testing of the AMEGO Silicon Tracker System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, Sean; Amego Team

2018-01-01

The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory (AMEGO) is a probe-class mission in consideration for the 2020 decadal review designed to operate at energies from ˜ 200 keV to > 10 GeV. Operating a detector in this energy regime is challenging due to the crossover in the interaction cross-section for Compton scattering and pair production. AMEGO is made of four major subsystems: a plastic anticoincidence detector for rejecting cosmic-ray events, a silicon tracker for measuring the energies of Compton scattered electrons and pair-production products, a CZT calorimeter for measuring the energy and location of Compton scattered photons, and a CsI calorimeter for measuring the energy of the pair-production products at high energies. The tracker comprises layers of dual-sided silicon strip detectors which provide energy and localization information for Compton scattering and pair-production events. A prototype tracker system is under development at GSFC; in this contribution we provide details on the verification, packaging, and testing of the prototype tracker, as well as present plans for the development of the front-end electronics, beam tests, and a balloon flight.

Observation of a large-scale anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays above 8 × 1018 eV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierre Auger Collaboration; Aab, A.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Samarai, I. Al; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Allekotte, I.; Almela, A.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Anastasi, G. A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andrada, B.; Andringa, S.; Aramo, C.; Arqueros, F.; Arsene, N.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Aublin, J.; Avila, G.; Badescu, A. M.; Balaceanu, A.; Barbato, F.; Barreira Luz, R. J.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, K. H.; Bellido, J. A.; Berat, C.; Bertaina, M. E.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Biteau, J.; Blaess, S. G.; Blanco, A.; Blazek, J.; Bleve, C.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Borodai, N.; Botti, A. M.; Brack, J.; Brancus, I.; Bretz, T.; Bridgeman, A.; Briechle, F. L.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Buitink, S.; Buscemi, M.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caccianiga, L.; Cancio, A.; Canfora, F.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Chavez, A. G.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chudoba, J.; Clay, R. W.; Cobos, A.; Colalillo, R.; Coleman, A.; Collica, L.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Consolati, G.; Contreras, F.; Cooper, M. J.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Cronin, J.; D'Amico, S.; Daniel, B.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; de Jong, S. J.; De Mauro, G.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Oliveira, J.; de Souza, V.; Debatin, J.; Deligny, O.; Di Giulio, C.; Di Matteo, A.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Diogo, F.; Dobrigkeit, C.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dorosti, Q.; dos Anjos, R. C.; Dova, M. T.; Dundovic, A.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Erdmann, M.; Erfani, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Espadanal, J.; Etchegoyen, A.; Falcke, H.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Fenu, F.; Fick, B.; Figueira, J. M.; Filipčič, A.; Fratu, O.; Freire, M. M.; Fujii, T.; Fuster, A.; Gaior, R.; García, B.; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Gaté, F.; Gemmeke, H.; Gherghel-Lascu, A.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giammarchi, M.; Giller, M.; Głas, D.; Glaser, C.; Golup, G.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gómez Vitale, P. F.; González, N.; Gorgi, A.; Gorham, P.; Grillo, A. F.; Grubb, T. D.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Hampel, M. R.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harrison, T. A.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Heimann, P.; Herve, A. E.; Hill, G. C.; Hojvat, C.; Holt, E.; Homola, P.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horvath, P.; Hrabovský, M.; Huege, T.; Hulsman, J.; Insolia, A.; Isar, P. G.; Jandt, I.; Jansen, S.; Johnsen, J. A.; Josebachuili, M.; Jurysek, J.; Kääpä, A.; Kambeitz, O.; Kampert, K. H.; Katkov, I.; Keilhauer, B.; Kemmerich, N.; Kemp, E.; Kemp, J.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Krause, R.; Krohm, N.; Kuempel, D.; Kukec Mezek, G.; Kunka, N.; Kuotb Awad, A.; LaHurd, D.; Lauscher, M.; Legumina, R.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Link, K.; Lo Presti, D.; Lopes, L.; López, R.; López Casado, A.; Luce, Q.; Lucero, A.; Malacari, M.; Mallamaci, M.; Mandat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Mariş, I. C.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martinez, H.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Masías Meza, J. J.; Mathes, H. J.; Mathys, S.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Mayotte, E.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina, C.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Melo, D.; Menshikov, A.; Merenda, K.-D.; Michal, S.; Micheletti, M. I.; Middendorf, L.; Miramonti, L.; Mitrica, B.; Mockler, D.; Mollerach, S.; Montanet, F.; Morello, C.; Mostafá, M.; Müller, A. L.; Müller, G.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, S.; Mussa, R.; Naranjo, I.; Nellen, L.; Nguyen, P. H.; Niculescu-Oglinzanu, M.; Niechciol, M.; Niemietz, L.; Niggemann, T.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Novotny, V.; Nožka, L.; Núñez, L. A.; Ochilo, L.; Oikonomou, F.; Olinto, A.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Papenbreer, P.; Parente, G.; Parra, A.; Paul, T.; Pech, M.; Pedreira, F.; Pkala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Peña-Rodriguez, J.; Pereira, L. A. S.; Perlín, M.; Perrone, L.; Peters, C.; Petrera, S.; Phuntsok, J.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pieroni, P.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Plum, M.; Porowski, C.; Prado, R. R.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Quel, E. J.; Querchfeld, S.; Quinn, S.; Ramos-Pollan, R.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravignani, D.; Revenu, B.; Ridky, J.; Riehn, F.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rizi, V.; Rodrigues de Carvalho, W.; Rodriguez Fernandez, G.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Rogozin, D.; Roncoroni, M. J.; Roth, M.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Ruehl, P.; Saffi, S. J.; Saftoiu, A.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Saleh, A.; Salesa Greus, F.; Salina, G.; Sánchez, F.; Sanchez-Lucas, P.; Santos, E. M.; Santos, E.; Sarazin, F.; Sarmento, R.; Sarmiento, C. A.; Sato, R.; Schauer, M.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schimp, M.; Schmidt, D.; Scholten, O.; Schovánek, P.; Schröder, F. G.; Schulz, A.; Schumacher, J.; Sciutto, S. J.; Segreto, A.; Settimo, M.; Shadkam, A.; Shellard, R. C.; Sigl, G.; Silli, G.; Sima, O.; Śmiałkowski, A.; Šmída, R.; Snow, G. R.; Sommers, P.; Sonntag, S.; Sorokin, J.; Squartini, R.; Stanca, D.; Stanič, S.; Stasielak, J.; Stassi, P.; Strafella, F.; Suarez, F.; Suarez Durán, M.; Sudholz, T.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Šupík, J.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Taboada, A.; Taborda, O. A.; Tapia, A.; Theodoro, V. M.; Timmermans, C.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Tomankova, L.; Tomé, B.; Torralba Elipe, G.; Travnicek, P.; Trini, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van Aar, G.; van Bodegom, P.; van den Berg, A. M.; van Vliet, A.; Varela, E.; Vargas Cárdenas, B.; Varner, G.; Vázquez, R. A.; Veberič, D.; Ventura, C.; Vergara Quispe, I. D.; Verzi, V.; Vicha, J.; Villaseñor, L.; Vorobiov, S.; Wahlberg, H.; Wainberg, O.; Walz, D.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weindl, A.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyński, H.; Wirtz, M.; Wittkowski, D.; Wundheiler, B.; Yang, L.; Yushkov, A.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zepeda, A.; Zimmermann, B.; Ziolkowski, M.; Zong, Z.; Zuccarello, F.

2017-09-01

Cosmic rays are high-energy particles arriving from space; some have energies far beyond those that human-made particle accelerators can achieve. The sources of higher-energy cosmic rays remain under debate, although we know that lower-energy cosmic rays come from the solar wind. The Pierre Auger Collaboration reports the observation of thousands of cosmic rays with ultrahigh energies of several exa–electron volts (about a Joule per particle), arriving in a slightly dipolar distribution (see the Perspective by Gallagher and Halzen). The direction of the rays indicates that the particles originated in other galaxies and not from nearby sources within our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Cosmic Ray Propagation through the Magnetic Fields of the Galaxy with Extended Halo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Ming

2005-01-01

In this project we perform theoretical studies of 3-dimensional cosmic ray propagation in magnetic field configurations of the Galaxy with an extended halo. We employ our newly developed Markov stochastic process methods to solve the diffusive cosmic ray transport equation. We seek to understand observations of cosmic ray spectra, composition under the constraints of the observations of diffuse gamma ray and radio emission from the Galaxy. The model parameters are directly are related to properties of our Galaxy, such as the size of the Galactic halo, particle transport in Galactic magnetic fields, distribution of interstellar gas, primary cosmic ray source distribution and their confinement in the Galaxy. The core of this investigation is the development of software for cosmic ray propagation models with the Markov stochastic process approach. Values of important model parameters for the halo diffusion model are examined in comparison with observations of cosmic ray spectra, composition and the diffuse gamma-ray background. This report summarizes our achievement in the grant period at the Florida Institute of Technology. Work at the co-investigator's institution, the University of New Hampshire, under a companion grant, will be covered in detail by a separate report.

Measurement of cosmic-ray muons with the Distributed Electronic Cosmic-ray Observatory, a network of smartphones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandenbroucke, J.; BenZvi, S.; Bravo, S.; Jensen, K.; Karn, P.; Meehan, M.; Peacock, J.; Plewa, M.; Ruggles, T.; Santander, M.; Schultz, D.; Simons, A. L.; Tosi, D.

2016-04-01

Solid-state camera image sensors can be used to detect ionizing radiation in addition to optical photons. We describe the Distributed Electronic Cosmic-ray Observatory (DECO), an app and associated public database that enables a network of consumer devices to detect cosmic rays and other ionizing radiation. In addition to terrestrial background radiation, cosmic-ray muon candidate events are detected as long, straight tracks passing through multiple pixels. The distribution of track lengths can be related to the thickness of the active (depleted) region of the camera image sensor through the known angular distribution of muons at sea level. We use a sample of candidate muon events detected by DECO to measure the thickness of the depletion region of the camera image sensor in a particular consumer smartphone model, the HTC Wildfire S. The track length distribution is fit better by a cosmic-ray muon angular distribution than an isotropic distribution, demonstrating that DECO can detect and identify cosmic-ray muons despite a background of other particle detections. Using the cosmic-ray distribution, we measure the depletion thickness to be 26.3 ± 1.4 μm. With additional data, the same method can be applied to additional models of image sensor. Once measured, the thickness can be used to convert track length to incident polar angle on a per-event basis. Combined with a determination of the incident azimuthal angle directly from the track orientation in the sensor plane, this enables direction reconstruction of individual cosmic-ray events using a single consumer device. The results simultaneously validate the use of cell phone camera image sensors as cosmic-ray muon detectors and provide a measurement of a parameter of camera image sensor performance which is not otherwise publicly available.

Cosmic ray impact on extrasolar earth-like planets in close-in habitable zones.

PubMed

Griessmeier, J-M; Stadelmann, A; Motschmann, U; Belisheva, N K; Lammer, H; Biernat, H K

2005-10-01

Because of their different origins, cosmic rays can be subdivided into galactic cosmic rays and solar/stellar cosmic rays. The flux of cosmic rays to planetary surfaces is mainly determined by two planetary parameters: the atmospheric density and the strength of the internal magnetic moment. If a planet exhibits an extended magnetosphere, its surface will be protected from high-energy cosmic ray particles. We show that close-in extrasolar planets in the habitable zone of M stars are synchronously rotating with their host star because of the tidal interaction. For gravitationally locked planets the rotation period is equal to the orbital period, which is much longer than the rotation period expected for planets not subject to tidal locking. This results in a relatively small magnetic moment. We found that an Earth-like extrasolar planet, tidally locked in an orbit of 0.2 AU around an M star of 0.5 solar masses, has a rotation rate of 2% of that of the Earth. This results in a magnetic moment of less than 15% of the Earth's current magnetic moment. Therefore, close-in extrasolar planets seem not to be protected by extended Earth-like magnetospheres, and cosmic rays can reach almost the whole surface area of the upper atmosphere. Primary cosmic ray particles that interact with the atmosphere generate secondary energetic particles, a so-called cosmic ray shower. Some of the secondary particles can reach the surface of terrestrial planets when the surface pressure of the atmosphere is on the order of 1 bar or less. We propose that, depending on atmospheric pressure, biological systems on the surface of Earth-like extrasolar planets at close-in orbital distances can be strongly influenced by secondary cosmic rays.

On the origin of cosmic rays. [gamma rays and supernova remnants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1975-01-01

Using Recent surveys of molecular clouds and gamma rays in the galaxy, it is possible to determine the distribution of 1 to 10 GeV cosmic-ray nucleons in the galaxy. This distribution appears to be identical to the supernova remnant distribution to within experimental error and provides strong support for the hypothesis that supernovae produce most of the observed cosmic rays. This distribution resembles that of OB associations of average age approximately 30 million years suggesting that cosmic rays are produced by population objects about 30 million years after their birth.

Nineteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Papers submitted for presentation at the 19th International Cosmic Ray Conference are compiled. This volume addresses cosmic ray sources and acceleration, interstellar propagation and nuclear interactions, and detection techniques and instrumentation.

Cosmic ray interactions with lunar materials - Nature and composition of species formed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukherjee, N. R.

1976-01-01

The paper discusses the effect of cosmic-ray proton interactions with lunar material, the nature and composition of the species resulting from these interactions, and the contribution of these species to the lunar atmosphere. It is shown that hydrogen atoms resulting from cosmic-ray proton neutralization escape into the atmosphere mostly as H2, that only a small fraction of the very small amount of OH and H2O produced by cosmic-ray protons escapes into the atmosphere, and that cosmic-ray protons play a very minor role, as compared with solar-wind protons, in producing lunar atmospheric hydrogen and hydrogenated species. It is concluded that the atmospheric contributions of H2, H, OH, and H2O produced by cosmic-ray protons are about three orders of magnitude less than those due to solar-wind protons.

Nuclear Physics Meets the Sources of the Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays.

PubMed

Boncioli, Denise; Fedynitch, Anatoli; Winter, Walter

2017-07-07

The determination of the injection composition of cosmic ray nuclei within astrophysical sources requires sufficiently accurate descriptions of the source physics and the propagation - apart from controlling astrophysical uncertainties. We therefore study the implications of nuclear data and models for cosmic ray astrophysics, which involves the photo-disintegration of nuclei up to iron in astrophysical environments. We demonstrate that the impact of nuclear model uncertainties is potentially larger in environments with non-thermal radiation fields than in the cosmic microwave background. We also study the impact of nuclear models on the nuclear cascade in a gamma-ray burst radiation field, simulated at a level of complexity comparable to the most precise cosmic ray propagation code. We conclude with an isotope chart describing which information is in principle necessary to describe nuclear interactions in cosmic ray sources and propagation.

THE COSMIC-RAY INTENSITY NEAR THE ARCHEAN EARTH

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cohen, O.; Drake, J. J.; Kota, J.

2012-11-20

We employ three-dimensional state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic models of the early solar wind and heliosphere and a two-dimensional model for cosmic-ray transport to investigate the cosmic-ray spectrum and flux near the Archean Earth. We assess how sensitive the cosmic-ray spectrum is to changes in the sunspot placement and magnetic field strength, the large-scale dipole magnetic field strength, the wind ram pressure, and the Sun's rotation period. Overall, our results confirm earlier work that suggested the Archean Earth would have experienced a greatly reduced cosmic-ray flux than is the case today. The cosmic-ray reduction for the early Sun is mainly due to themore » shorter solar rotation period and tighter winding of the Parker spiral, and to the different surface distribution of the more active solar magnetic field. These effects lead to a global reduction of the cosmic-ray flux at 1 AU by up to two orders of magnitude or more. Variations in the sunspot magnetic field have more effect on the flux than variations in the dipole field component. The wind ram pressure affects the cosmic-ray flux through its influence on the size of the heliosphere via the pressure balance with the ambient interstellar medium. Variations in the interstellar medium pressure experienced by the solar system in orbit through the Galaxy could lead to order of magnitude changes in the cosmic-ray flux at Earth on timescales of a few million years.« less

Understanding the spectral hardenings and radial distribution of Galactic cosmic rays and Fermi diffuse γ rays with spatially-dependent propagation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yi-Qing; Yuan, Qiang

2018-03-01

Recent direct measurements of Galactic cosmic ray spectra by balloon/space-borne detectors reveal spectral hardenings of all major nucleus species at rigidities of a few hundred GV. The all-sky diffuse γ -ray emissions measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope also show spatial variations of the intensities and spectral indices of cosmic rays. These new observations challenge the traditional simple acceleration and/or propagation scenario of Galactic cosmic rays. In this work, we propose a spatially dependent diffusion scenario to explain all these phenomena. The diffusion coefficient is assumed to be anticorrelated with the source distribution, which is a natural expectation from the charged particle transportation in a turbulent magnetic field. The spatially dependent diffusion model also gives a lower level of anisotropies of cosmic rays, which are consistent with observations by underground muons and air shower experiments. The spectral variations of cosmic rays across the Galaxy can be properly reproduced by this model.

The relationship between the galactic matter distribution, cosmic ray dynamics, and gamma ray production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kniffen, D. A.; Fichtel, C. E.; Thompson, D. J.

1976-01-01

Theoretical considerations and analysis of the results of gamma ray astronomy suggest that the galactic cosmic rays are dynamically coupled to the interstellar matter through the magnetic fields, and hence the cosmic ray density should be enhanced where the matter density is greatest on the scale of galactic arms. This concept has been explored in a galactic model using recent 21 cm radio observations of the neutral hydrogen and 2.6 mm observations of carbon monoxide, which is considered to be a tracer of molecular hydrogen. The model assumes: (1) cosmic rays are galactic and not universal; (2) on the scale of galactic arms, the cosmic ray column (surface) density is proportional to the total interstellar gas column density; (3) the cosmic ray scale height is significantly larger than the scale height of the matter; and (4) ours is a spiral galaxy characterized by an arm to interarm density ratio of about 3:1.

A local recent supernova - Evidence from X-rays, Al-26 radioactivity and cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clayton, Donald D.; Cox, Donald P.; Michel, Curtis F.

1986-01-01

Possible ways in which cosmic rays could have been contaminated by a local recent supernova are discussed, and ways in which this contamination may be affecting interpretation of Al-26 gamma radiation and locally observed cosmic rays as samples of the average Galactic distribution are considered. Mass spectra of cosmic rays are examined to see whether there is enrichment by a population arising from supernova preacceleration. The reinterpretation of the anomalous component in terms of a local supernova model is addressed.

Fermi-LAT observations of the diffuse γ-ray emission: Implications for cosmic rays and the interstellar medium

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; ...

2012-04-09

The γ-ray sky >100 MeV is dominated by the diffuse emissions from interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields of the Milky Way. Our observations of these diffuse emissions provide a tool to study cosmic-ray origin and propagation, and the interstellar medium. We present measurements from the first 21 months of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) mission and compare with models of the diffuse γ-ray emission generated using the GALPROP code. The models are fitted to cosmic-ray data and incorporate astrophysical input for the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, interstellar gas, and radiation fields. In ordermore » to assess uncertainties associated with the astrophysical input, a grid of models is created by varying within observational limits the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, the size of the cosmic-ray confinement volume (halo), and the distribution of interstellar gas. An all-sky maximum-likelihood fit is used to determine the X CO factor, the ratio between integrated CO-line intensity and H2 column density, the fluxes and spectra of the γ-ray point sources from the first Fermi-LAT catalog, and the intensity and spectrum of the isotropic background including residual cosmic rays that were misclassified as γ-rays, all of which have some dependency on the assumed diffuse emission model. The models are compared on the basis of their maximum-likelihood ratios as well as spectra, longitude, and latitude profiles. Here, we provide residual maps for the data following subtraction of the diffuse emission models. The models are consistent with the data at high and intermediate latitudes but underpredict the data in the inner Galaxy for energies above a few GeV. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed, including the contribution by undetected point-source populations and spectral variations of cosmic rays throughout the Galaxy. In the outer Galaxy, we find that the data prefer models with a flatter distribution of cosmic-ray sources, a larger cosmic-ray halo, or greater gas density than is usually assumed. Our results in the outer Galaxy are consistent with other Fermi-LAT studies of this region that used different analysis methods than employed in this paper.« less

Fermi-LAT Observations of the Diffuse γ-Ray Emission: Implications for Cosmic Rays and the Interstellar Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Berenji, B.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.; Bonamente, E.; Borgland, A. W.; Brandt, T. J.; Bregeon, J.; Brigida, M.; Bruel, P.; Buehler, R.; Buson, S.; Caliandro, G. A.; Cameron, R. A.; Caraveo, P. A.; Cavazzuti, E.; Cecchi, C.; Charles, E.; Chekhtman, A.; Chiang, J.; Ciprini, S.; Claus, R.; Cohen-Tanugi, J.; Conrad, J.; Cutini, S.; de Angelis, A.; de Palma, F.; Dermer, C. D.; Digel, S. W.; Silva, E. do Couto e.; Drell, P. S.; Drlica-Wagner, A.; Falletti, L.; Favuzzi, C.; Fegan, S. J.; Ferrara, E. C.; Focke, W. B.; Fortin, P.; Fukazawa, Y.; Funk, S.; Fusco, P.; Gaggero, D.; Gargano, F.; Germani, S.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Giroletti, M.; Glanzman, T.; Godfrey, G.; Grove, J. E.; Guiriec, S.; Gustafsson, M.; Hadasch, D.; Hanabata, Y.; Harding, A. K.; Hayashida, M.; Hays, E.; Horan, D.; Hou, X.; Hughes, R. E.; Jóhannesson, G.; Johnson, A. S.; Johnson, R. P.; Kamae, T.; Katagiri, H.; Kataoka, J.; Knödlseder, J.; Kuss, M.; Lande, J.; Latronico, L.; Lee, S.-H.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Longo, F.; Loparco, F.; Lott, B.; Lovellette, M. N.; Lubrano, P.; Mazziotta, M. N.; McEnery, J. E.; Michelson, P. F.; Mitthumsiri, W.; Mizuno, T.; Monte, C.; Monzani, M. E.; Morselli, A.; Moskalenko, I. V.; Murgia, S.; Naumann-Godo, M.; Norris, J. P.; Nuss, E.; Ohsugi, T.; Okumura, A.; Omodei, N.; Orlando, E.; Ormes, J. F.; Paneque, D.; Panetta, J. H.; Parent, D.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Pierbattista, M.; Piron, F.; Pivato, G.; Porter, T. A.; Rainò, S.; Rando, R.; Razzano, M.; Razzaque, S.; Reimer, A.; Reimer, O.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Sgrò, C.; Siskind, E. J.; Spandre, G.; Spinelli, P.; Strong, A. W.; Suson, D. J.; Takahashi, H.; Tanaka, T.; Thayer, J. G.; Thayer, J. B.; Thompson, D. J.; Tibaldo, L.; Tinivella, M.; Torres, D. F.; Tosti, G.; Troja, E.; Usher, T. L.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Vasileiou, V.; Vianello, G.; Vitale, V.; Waite, A. P.; Wang, P.; Winer, B. L.; Wood, K. S.; Wood, M.; Yang, Z.; Ziegler, M.; Zimmer, S.

2012-05-01

The γ-ray sky >100 MeV is dominated by the diffuse emissions from interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields of the Milky Way. Observations of these diffuse emissions provide a tool to study cosmic-ray origin and propagation, and the interstellar medium. We present measurements from the first 21 months of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) mission and compare with models of the diffuse γ-ray emission generated using the GALPROP code. The models are fitted to cosmic-ray data and incorporate astrophysical input for the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, interstellar gas, and radiation fields. To assess uncertainties associated with the astrophysical input, a grid of models is created by varying within observational limits the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, the size of the cosmic-ray confinement volume (halo), and the distribution of interstellar gas. An all-sky maximum-likelihood fit is used to determine the X CO factor, the ratio between integrated CO-line intensity and H2 column density, the fluxes and spectra of the γ-ray point sources from the first Fermi-LAT catalog, and the intensity and spectrum of the isotropic background including residual cosmic rays that were misclassified as γ-rays, all of which have some dependency on the assumed diffuse emission model. The models are compared on the basis of their maximum-likelihood ratios as well as spectra, longitude, and latitude profiles. We also provide residual maps for the data following subtraction of the diffuse emission models. The models are consistent with the data at high and intermediate latitudes but underpredict the data in the inner Galaxy for energies above a few GeV. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed, including the contribution by undetected point-source populations and spectral variations of cosmic rays throughout the Galaxy. In the outer Galaxy, we find that the data prefer models with a flatter distribution of cosmic-ray sources, a larger cosmic-ray halo, or greater gas density than is usually assumed. Our results in the outer Galaxy are consistent with other Fermi-LAT studies of this region that used different analysis methods than employed in this paper.

FERMI-LAT OBSERVATIONS OF THE DIFFUSE {gamma}-RAY EMISSION: IMPLICATIONS FOR COSMIC RAYS AND THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Bechtol, K.

The {gamma}-ray sky >100 MeV is dominated by the diffuse emissions from interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields of the Milky Way. Observations of these diffuse emissions provide a tool to study cosmic-ray origin and propagation, and the interstellar medium. We present measurements from the first 21 months of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) mission and compare with models of the diffuse {gamma}-ray emission generated using the GALPROP code. The models are fitted to cosmic-ray data and incorporate astrophysical input for the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, interstellar gas, and radiation fields. To assess uncertaintiesmore » associated with the astrophysical input, a grid of models is created by varying within observational limits the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, the size of the cosmic-ray confinement volume (halo), and the distribution of interstellar gas. An all-sky maximum-likelihood fit is used to determine the X{sub CO} factor, the ratio between integrated CO-line intensity and H{sub 2} column density, the fluxes and spectra of the {gamma}-ray point sources from the first Fermi-LAT catalog, and the intensity and spectrum of the isotropic background including residual cosmic rays that were misclassified as {gamma}-rays, all of which have some dependency on the assumed diffuse emission model. The models are compared on the basis of their maximum-likelihood ratios as well as spectra, longitude, and latitude profiles. We also provide residual maps for the data following subtraction of the diffuse emission models. The models are consistent with the data at high and intermediate latitudes but underpredict the data in the inner Galaxy for energies above a few GeV. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed, including the contribution by undetected point-source populations and spectral variations of cosmic rays throughout the Galaxy. In the outer Galaxy, we find that the data prefer models with a flatter distribution of cosmic-ray sources, a larger cosmic-ray halo, or greater gas density than is usually assumed. Our results in the outer Galaxy are consistent with other Fermi-LAT studies of this region that used different analysis methods than employed in this paper.« less

Fermi-LAT observations of the diffuse γ-ray emission: Implications for cosmic rays and the interstellar medium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.

The γ-ray sky >100 MeV is dominated by the diffuse emissions from interactions of cosmic rays with the interstellar gas and radiation fields of the Milky Way. Our observations of these diffuse emissions provide a tool to study cosmic-ray origin and propagation, and the interstellar medium. We present measurements from the first 21 months of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (Fermi-LAT) mission and compare with models of the diffuse γ-ray emission generated using the GALPROP code. The models are fitted to cosmic-ray data and incorporate astrophysical input for the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, interstellar gas, and radiation fields. In ordermore » to assess uncertainties associated with the astrophysical input, a grid of models is created by varying within observational limits the distribution of cosmic-ray sources, the size of the cosmic-ray confinement volume (halo), and the distribution of interstellar gas. An all-sky maximum-likelihood fit is used to determine the X CO factor, the ratio between integrated CO-line intensity and H2 column density, the fluxes and spectra of the γ-ray point sources from the first Fermi-LAT catalog, and the intensity and spectrum of the isotropic background including residual cosmic rays that were misclassified as γ-rays, all of which have some dependency on the assumed diffuse emission model. The models are compared on the basis of their maximum-likelihood ratios as well as spectra, longitude, and latitude profiles. Here, we provide residual maps for the data following subtraction of the diffuse emission models. The models are consistent with the data at high and intermediate latitudes but underpredict the data in the inner Galaxy for energies above a few GeV. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed, including the contribution by undetected point-source populations and spectral variations of cosmic rays throughout the Galaxy. In the outer Galaxy, we find that the data prefer models with a flatter distribution of cosmic-ray sources, a larger cosmic-ray halo, or greater gas density than is usually assumed. Our results in the outer Galaxy are consistent with other Fermi-LAT studies of this region that used different analysis methods than employed in this paper.« less

Long-Term Solar and Cosmic Radiation Data Bases

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

determine the magnitude of the variations in the cosmic ray intensity caused by solar activity. Neutron monitors, with their much lower energy threshold...expression that neutron monitors are sensors on spacecraft EARTH. Here we will consider cosmic ray detectors to measure two components of cosmic ...A comparison with the solar cycle as illustrated by the sunspot number in Fig. 1. shows that the maximum cosmic ray intensity occurs near sunspot

Underground measurements on secondary cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, C. W.; Fenton, A. G.; Fenton, K. B.

1985-01-01

Measurements made at the Poatina cosmic ray station (41.8 S 149.9 E, 347 m.w.e.) from August 1983 to July 1984 are summarized. The cosmic ray primary particles responsible for events detected at the station have a median primary energy of 1.2 TeV. The motivation for part of this work came from the reported detection of narrow angle anisotropies in the arrival direction of cosmic rays.

Cosmic Ray Observation at Mount Chacaltaya for beyond the Knee Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsunesada, Y.; Kakimoto, F.; Furuhata, F.; Matsumoto, H.; Sugawara, T.; Wakamatsu, H.; Gotoh, E.; Nakatani, H.; Nishi, K.; Tajima, N.; Yamada, Y.; Shimoda, S.; Yoshii, H.; Kaneko, T.; Ogio, S.; Matsubara, Y.; Kadota, K.; Tokuno, H.; Mizumoto, Y.; Shirasaki, Y.; Toyoda, Y.; Burgoa, O.; Flores, V.; Miranda, P.; Salinas, J.; Velarde, A.

We have installed a new air shower array at Mount Chacaltaya (5,200m above sea level) to observe primary cosmic rays with energies greater than 1015 eV. In our previous experiments, we measured energy spectrum and nuclear composition of primary cosmic rays around the knee region. Above all, we obtained the cosmic ray composition with three independent techniques, namely from the equi-intensity cuts, the arrival time distributions of Cherenkov lights associated with air showers, and the lateral distributions of Cherenkov photons around the shower axis. All the results from these experiments are in agreement and show that the average mass of cosmic ray nuclei increases with energies below and above the knee, and dominated by heavier nuclei as iron at 1016 eV. This result is consistent with the confinement and rigidity dependent acceleration models, and suggests that the cosmic ray origins are supernova remnants of massive population as Wolf-Rayet stars. It is of quite interest whether the mass of cosmic ray nuclei continues to increase with energies, or decreases by contributions of lighter components expected from the extra-galactic cosmic ray models. In this paper, we describe the characteristics of the new array and preliminary results from the first observation.

Testing cosmic ray acceleration with radio relics: a high-resolution study using MHD and tracers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wittor, D.; Vazza, F.; Brüggen, M.

2017-02-01

Weak shocks in the intracluster medium may accelerate cosmic-ray protons and cosmic-ray electrons differently depending on the angle between the upstream magnetic field and the shock normal. In this work, we investigate how shock obliquity affects the production of cosmic rays in high-resolution simulations of galaxy clusters. For this purpose, we performed a magnetohydrodynamical simulation of a galaxy cluster using the mesh refinement code ENZO. We use Lagrangian tracers to follow the properties of the thermal gas, the cosmic rays and the magnetic fields over time. We tested a number of different acceleration scenarios by varying the obliquity-dependent acceleration efficiencies of protons and electrons, and by examining the resulting hadronic γ-ray and radio emission. We find that the radio emission does not change significantly if only quasi-perpendicular shocks are able to accelerate cosmic-ray electrons. Our analysis suggests that radio-emitting electrons found in relics have been typically shocked many times before z = 0. On the other hand, the hadronic γ-ray emission from clusters is found to decrease significantly if only quasi-parallel shocks are allowed to accelerate cosmic ray protons. This might reduce the tension with the low upper limits on γ-ray emission from clusters set by the Fermi satellite.

A cosmic-ray-mediated shock in the solar system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichler, D.

1981-01-01

It is pointed out that the flare-induced blast wave of Aug. 4, 1972, the most violent disturbance in the solar wind on record, produced cosmic rays with an efficiency of about 50%. Such a high efficiency is predicted by the self-regulating production model of cosmic-ray origin in shocks. Most interplanetary shocks, according to simple theoretical analysis, are not strong enough to produce cosmic rays efficiently. However, if shock strength is the key parameter governing efficiency, as present interplanetary data suggest, then shocks from supernova blasts, quasar outbursts, and other violent astrophysical phenomena should be extremely efficient sources of cosmic rays.

Study of cosmic rays reveals secrets of solar-terrestrial science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokipii, J. R.

For many years cosmic rays provided the most important source of energetic particles for studies of subatomic physics. Today, cosmic rays are being studied as a natural phenomenon that can tell us much about both the Earth's environment in space and distant astrophysical processes. Cosmic rays are naturally occurring energetic particles—mainly ions—with kinetic energies extending from just above thermal energies to more than 1020 electron volts (eV). They constantly bombard the Earth from all directions, with more than 1018 particles having energies >1 MeV striking the top of the Earth's atmosphere each second. Figure 1 illustrates the continuous cosmic ray energy spectrum.

The influence of cosmic rays on the stability and large-scale dynamics of the interstellar medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsov, V. D.

1986-06-01

The diffusion-convection formulation is used to study the influence of galactic cosmic rays on the stability and dynamics of the interstellar medium which is supposedly kept in equilibrium by the gravitational field of stars. It is shown that the influence of cosmic rays on the growth rate of MHD instability depends largely on a dimensionless parameter expressing the ratio of the characteristic acoustic time scale to the cosmic-ray diffusion time. If this parameter is small, the cosmic rays will decelerate the build-up of instabilities, thereby stabilizing the system; in contrast, if the parameter is large, the system will be destabilized.

Propagation of cosmic rays in the galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daniel, R. R.; Stephens, S. A.

1974-01-01

The characteristics of a model for analyzing the propagation of cosmic rays are discussed. The requirements for analyzing the relevant observational data on cosmic rays are defines as: (1) the chemical and isotopic composition of cosmic rays as a function of energy, (2) the flux and energy spectrum of the individual nucleonic components, (3) the flux and energy spectrum of the electronic component, (4) the cosmic ray prehistory, and (5) the degree of isotropy in their arrival directions as a function of energy. It is stated that the model which has been able to bring to pass the greatest measure of success is the galactic confinement model.

Cosmic Ray Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.

2000-01-01

The cosmic ray division participation in the cooperative agreement was activated in the second year. The scientific goals will be analysis of cosmic ray data from the Japanese-American Cooperative Emulsion Experiments (JACEE). Measurements of primary cosmic rays in the JACEE emulsion chambers will be made to derive for each detected particle the deposited energy in the chamber and the primary charge (atomic number). The data will be corrected to the primary flux above the atmosphere, and the composition and energy spectra will be derived. The spectra of the individual elements will be interpreted in context with the supernova shock and other models of cosmic ray acceleration. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

A high-resolution study of ultra-heavy cosmic-ray nuclei (A0178)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osullivan, D.; Thompson, A.; Oceallaigh, C.; Domingo, V.; Wenzel, K. P.

1984-01-01

The main objective of the experiment is a detailed study of the charge spectra of ultraheavy cosmic-ray nuclei from zinc (Z = 30) to uranium (Z = 92) and beyond using solid-state track detectors. Special emphasis will be placed on the relative abundances in the region Z or - 65, which is thought to be dominated by r-process nucleosynthesis. Subsidiary objectives include the study of the cosmic-ray transiron spectrum a search for the postulated long-lived superheavy (SH) nuclei (Z or = 110), such as (110) SH294, in the contemporary cosmic radiation. The motivation behind the search for super-heavy nuclei is based on predicted half-lives that are short compared to the age of the Earth but long compared to the age of cosmic rays. The detection of such nuclei would have far-reaching consequences for nuclear structure theory. The sample of ultraheavy nuclei obtained in this experiment will provide unique opportunities for many tests concerning element nucleosynthesis, cosmic-ray acceleration, and cosmic-ray propagation.

Cosmic-ray anisotropy studies with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNally, Frank

2014-03-01

The IceCube neutrino observatory detects tens of billions of energetic muons per year produced by cosmic-ray interactions with the atmosphere. The size of this sample has allowed IceCube to observe a significant anisotropy in arrival direction for cosmic rays with median energies between 20 and 400 TeV. This anisotropy is characterized by a large scale structure of per-mille amplitude accompanied by structures with smaller amplitudes and with typical angular sizes between 10° and 20°. IceTop, the surface component of IceCube, has observed a similar anisotropy in the arrival direction distribution of cosmic rays, extending the study to PeV energies. The better energy resolution of IceTop allows for additional studies of the anisotropy, for example a comparison of the energy spectrum in regions of a cosmic-ray excess or deficit to the rest of the sky. We present an update on the cosmic-ray anisotropy observed with IceCube and IceTop and the results of first studies of the energy spectrum at locations of cosmic-ray excess or deficit.

SPECTRAL INTENSITIES OF ANTIPROTONS AND THE NESTED LEAKY-BOX MODEL FOR COSMIC RAYS IN THE GALAXY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cowsik, R.; Madziwa-Nussinov, T., E-mail: cowsik@physics.wustl.edu

2016-08-20

In this paper we note that the spectral intensities of antiprotons observed in Galactic cosmic rays in the energy range ∼1–300 GeV by BESS, PAMELA, and AMS instruments display nearly the same spectral shape as that generated by primary cosmic rays through their interaction with matter in the interstellar medium, without any significant modifications. More importantly, a constant residence time of ∼2.3 ± 0.7 million years in the Galactic volume, independent of the energy of cosmic rays, matches the observed intensities. A small additional component of secondary antiprotons in the energy range below 10 GeV, generated in cocoon-like regions surroundingmore » the cosmic-ray sources, seems to be present. We discuss this result in the context of observations of other secondary components such as positrons and boron, and the bounds on anisotropy of cosmic rays. In the nested leaky-box model the spectral intensities of antiprotons and positrons can be interpreted as secondary products of cosmic-ray interactions.« less

A predictive analytic model for the solar modulation of cosmic rays

DOE PAGES

Cholis, Ilias; Hooper, Dan; Linden, Tim

2016-02-23

An important factor limiting our ability to understand the production and propagation of cosmic rays pertains to the effects of heliospheric forces, commonly known as solar modulation. The solar wind is capable of generating time- and charge-dependent effects on the spectrum and intensity of low-energy (≲10 GeV) cosmic rays reaching Earth. Previous analytic treatments of solar modulation have utilized the force-field approximation, in which a simple potential is adopted whose amplitude is selected to best fit the cosmic-ray data taken over a given period of time. Making use of recently available cosmic-ray data from the Voyager 1 spacecraft, along withmore » measurements of the heliospheric magnetic field and solar wind, we construct a time-, charge- and rigidity-dependent model of solar modulation that can be directly compared to data from a variety of cosmic-ray experiments. Here, we provide a simple analytic formula that can be easily utilized in a variety of applications, allowing us to better predict the effects of solar modulation and reduce the number of free parameters involved in cosmic-ray propagation models.« less

Galactic cosmic-ray mediation of a spherical solar wind flow. 1: The steady state cold gas hydrodynamical approximation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Le Roux, J. A.; Ptuskin, V. S.

1995-01-01

Realistic models of the outer heliosphere should consider that the interstellar cosmic-ray pressure becomes comparable to pressures in the solar wind at distances more than 100 AU from the Sun. The cosmic-ray pressure dynamically affects solar wind flow through deceleration. This effect, which occurs over a scale length of the order of the effective diffusion length at large radial distances, has important implications for cosmic-ray modulation and acceleration. As a first step toward solution of this nonlinear problem, a steady state numerical model was developed for a relatively cold spherical solar wind flow which encounters the confining isotropic pressure of the surrounding Galactic medium. This pressure is assumed to be dominated by energetic particles (Galactic cosmic rays). The system of equations, which are solved self-consistently, includes the relevant hydrodynamical equations for the solar wind flow and the spherical cosmic-ray transport equation. To avoid the closure parameter problem of the two-fluid model, the latter equation is solved for the energy-dependent cosmic-ray distribution function.

Constraining the p¯/p ratio in TeV cosmic rays with observations of the Moon shadow by HAWC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abeysekara, A. U.; Albert, A.; Alfaro, R.; Alvarez, C.; Álvarez, J. D.; Arceo, R.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Avila Rojas, D.; Ayala Solares, H. A.; Belmont-Moreno, E.; BenZvi, S. Y.; Braun, J.; Brisbois, C.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Capistrán, T.; Carramiñana, A.; Casanova, S.; Castillo, M.; Cotti, U.; Cotzomi, J.; Coutiño de León, S.; De León, C.; De la Fuente, E.; Diaz Hernandez, R.; Dichiara, S.; Dingus, B. L.; DuVernois, M. A.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engel, K.; Enríquez-Rivera, O.; Fleischhack, H.; Fraija, N.; Galván-Gámez, A.; García-González, J. A.; González Muñoz, A.; González, M. M.; Hampel-Arias, Z.; Harding, J. P.; Hernandez, S.; Hona, B.; Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, F.; Hui, C. M.; Hüntemeyer, P.; Iriarte, A.; Jardin-Blicq, A.; Joshi, V.; Kaufmann, S.; Lara, A.; Lee, W. H.; León Vargas, H.; Linnemann, J. T.; Longinotti, A. L.; Luis-Raya, G.; Luna-García, R.; López-Coto, R.; Malone, K.; Marinelli, S. S.; Martinez, O.; Martinez-Castellanos, I.; Martínez-Castro, J.; Martínez-Huerta, H.; Matthews, J. A.; Miranda-Romagnoli, P.; Moreno, E.; Mostafá, M.; Nellen, L.; Newbold, M.; Nisa, M. U.; Noriega-Papaqui, R.; Pelayo, R.; Pretz, J.; Pérez-Pérez, E. G.; Ren, Z.; Rho, C. D.; Rivière, C.; Rosa-González, D.; Rosenberg, M.; Ruiz-Velasco, E.; Salesa Greus, F.; Sandoval, A.; Schneider, M.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Seglar Arroyo, M.; Sinnis, G.; Smith, A. J.; Springer, R. W.; Surajbali, P.; Taboada, I.; Tibolla, O.; Torres, I.; Villaseñor, L.; Weisgarber, T.; Westerhoff, S.; Wood, J.; Yapici, T.; Yodh, G. B.; Zepeda, A.; Zhou, H.; HAWC Collaboration

2018-05-01

An indirect measurement of the antiproton flux in cosmic rays is possible as the particles undergo deflection by the geomagnetic field. This effect can be measured by studying the deficit in the flux, or shadow, created by the Moon as it absorbs cosmic rays that are headed toward the Earth. The shadow is displaced from the actual position of the Moon due to geomagnetic deflection, which is a function of the energy and charge of the cosmic rays. The displacement provides a natural tool for momentum/charge discrimination that can be used to study the composition of cosmic rays. Using 33 months of data comprising more than 80 billion cosmic rays measured by the High Altitude Water Cherenkov observatory, we have analyzed the Moon shadow to search for TeV antiprotons in cosmic rays. We present our first upper limits on the p ¯/p fraction, which in the absence of any direct measurements provide the tightest available constraints of ˜1 % on the antiproton fraction for energies between 1 and 10 TeV.

Linear growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability with an adiabatic cosmic-ray gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suzuki, Akihiro; Takahashi, Hiroyuki R.; Kudoh, Takahiro

2014-06-01

We investigate effects of cosmic rays on the linear growth of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Cosmic rays are treated as an adiabatic gas and allowed to diffuse along magnetic field lines. We calculated the dispersion relation of the instability for various sets of two free parameters, the ratio of the cosmic-ray pressure to the thermal gas pressure, and the diffusion coefficient. Including cosmic-ray effects, a shear layer is more destabilized and the growth rates can be enhanced in comparison with the ideal magnetohydrodynamical case. Whether the growth rate is effectively enhanced or not depends on the diffusion coefficient of cosmic rays.more » We obtain the criterion for effective enhancement by comparing the growing timescale of the instability with the diffusion timescale of cosmic rays. These results can be applied to various astrophysical phenomena where a velocity shear is present, such as outflows from star-forming galaxies, active galactic nucleus jet, channel flows resulting from the nonlinear development of the magnetorotational instability, and galactic disks.« less

The wide-aperture gamma-ray telescope TAIGA-HiSCORE in the Tunka Valley: Design, composition and commissioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gress, O.; Astapov, I.; Budnev, N.; Bezyazeekov, P.; Bogdanov, A.; Boreyko, V.; Brückner, M.; Chiavassa, A.; Chvalaev, O.; Dyachok, A.; Gress, T.; Epimakhov, S.; Fedoseev, E.; Gafarov, A.; Gorbunov, N.; Grebenyuk, V.; Grinuk, A.; Grishin, O.; Horns, D.; Ivanova, A.; Kalinin, A.; Karpov, N.; Kalmykov, N.; Kazarina, Yu.; Kirichkov, N.; Kiryuhin, S.; Kokoulin, R.; Komponiest, K.; Korosteleva, E.; Kozhin, V.; Kunnas, M.; Kuzmichev, L.; Lenok, V.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lubsandorzhiev, N.; Mirgazov, R.; Mirzoyan, R.; Monkhoev, R.; Nachtigall, R.; Pakhorukov, A.; Panasyuk, M.; Pankov, L.; Petrukhin, A.; Platonov, V.; Poleschuk, V.; Popova, E.; Porelli, A.; Prosin, V.; Rubtsov, G.; Pushnin, A.; Samoliga, V.; Saunkin, A.; Semeney, Yu.; Shaibonov(ju), B.; Silaev, A.; Silaev(ju), A.; Skurikhin, A.; Slucka, V.; Spiering, C.; Sveshnikova, L.; Tabolenko, V.; Tarashchansky, B.; Tkachenko, A.; Tkachev, L.; Tluczykont, M.; Voronin, D.; Wischnewski, R.; Zagorodnikov, A.; Zurbanov, V.; Yashin, I.

2017-02-01

The new TAIGA-HiSCORE non-imaging Cherenkov array aims to detect air showers induced by gamma rays above 30 TeV and to study cosmic rays above 100 TeV. TAIGA-HiSCORE is made of integrating air Cherenkov detector stations with a wide field of view (0.6 sr), placed at a distance of about 100 m. They cover an area of initially ∼0.25 km2 (prototype array), and of ∼5 km2 at the final phase of the experiment. Each station includes 4 PMTs with 20 or 25 cm diameter, equipped with light guides shaped as Winstone cones. We describe the design, specifications of the read-out, DAQ and control and monitoring systems of the array. The present 28 detector stations of the TAIGA-HiSCORE engineering setup are in operation since September 2015.

Extrapolating cosmic ray variations and impacts on life: Morlet wavelet analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarrouk, N.; Bennaceur, R.

2009-07-01

Exposure to cosmic rays may have both a direct and indirect effect on Earth's organisms. The radiation may lead to higher rates of genetic mutations in organisms, or interfere with their ability to repair DNA damage, potentially leading to diseases such as cancer. Increased cloud cover, which may cool the planet by blocking out more of the Sun's rays, is also associated with cosmic rays. They also interact with molecules in the atmosphere to create nitrogen oxide, a gas that eats away at our planet's ozone layer, which protects us from the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. On the ground, humans are protected from cosmic particles by the planet's atmosphere. In this paper we give estimated results of wavelet analysis from solar modulation and cosmic ray data incorporated in time-dependent cosmic ray variation. Since solar activity can be described as a non-linear chaotic dynamic system, methods such as neural networks and wavelet methods should be very suitable analytical tools. Thus we have computed our results using Morlet wavelets. Many have used wavelet techniques for studying solar activity. Here we have analysed and reconstructed cosmic ray variation, and we have better depicted periods or harmonics other than the 11-year solar modulation cycles.

X-ray Observations of Cosmic Ray Acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petre, Robert

2012-01-01

Since the discovery of cosmic rays, detection of their sources has remained elusive. A major breakthrough has come through the identification of synchrotron X-rays from the shocks of supernova remnants through imaging and spectroscopic observations by the most recent generation of X-ray observatories. This radiation is most likely produced by electrons accelerated to relativistic energy, and thus has offered the first, albeit indirect, observational evidence that diffusive shock acceleration in supernova remnants produces cosmic rays to TeV energies, possibly as high as the "knee" in the cosmic ray spectrum. X-ray observations have provided information about the maximum energy to which these shOCks accelerate electrons, as well as indirect evidence of proton acceleration. Shock morphologies measured in X-rays have indicated that a substantial fraction of the shock energy can be diverted into particle acceleration. This presentation will summarize what we have learned about cosmic ray acceleration from X-ray observations of supernova remnants over the past two decades.

Cosmic-Ray Source Composition Determined from ACE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiedenbeck, M.

2000-01-01

The cosmic rays arriving at Earth comprise a mix of material produced by stellar sources and ejected into the interstellar medium (primary cosmic rays) and particles produced by fragmentation of heavier nuclei during transport through the Galaxy.

Compact cosmic ray detector for unattended atmospheric ionization monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aplin, K. L.; Harrison, R. G.

2010-12-01

Two vertical cosmic ray telescopes for atmospheric cosmic ray ionization event detection are compared. Counter A, designed for low power remote use, was deployed in the Welsh mountains; its event rate increased with altitude as expected from atmospheric cosmic ray absorption. Independently, Counter B's event rate was found to vary with incoming particle acceptance angle. Simultaneous co-located comparison of both telescopes exposed to atmospheric ionization showed a linear relationship between their event rates.

Definition of parameters of daily anisotropy of cosmic rays according to the world network of neutron monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoryev, V. G.; Starodubtsev, S. A.; Potapova, V. D.

2013-02-01

In our previous works we have created the method of determination of parameters of cosmic ray daily anisotropy in the interplanetary environment based on the data provided by only single station - cosmic ray spectrograph named after A.I.Kuzmin. This method allows to predict the ingress of the Earth into large-scale solar wind disturbances with a probability of more than 70% and in advance time of about from several hours up to 2 days. Now it became possible to use the data of the neutron monitor networks, which can be seen in the neutron monitor database (NMDB) in real time. In this case the well-known method of global survey is applied for determination of cosmic ray anisotropy. Usage of the data of the cosmic ray station network allows to determine parameters of daily cosmic ray anisotropy with a greater accuracy.

Muon and neutron observations in connection with the corotating interaction regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva, M. R.; Dal Lago, A.; Echer, E.; de Lucas, A.; Gonzalez, W. D.; Schuch, N. J.; Munakata, K.; Vieira, L. E. A.; Guarnieri, F. L.

Ground cosmic ray observations are used for studying several kinds of interplanetary structures. The cosmic ray data has different responses to each kind of interplanetary structure. This article has as objective to study cosmic ray muon and neutron signatures due to the passage of corotating interaction region (CIR) in the interplanetary medium, and identify the signatures in the cosmic ray data due to these events. The cosmic ray muon data used in this work are recorded by the multidirectional muon detector installed at INPE’s Observatório Espacial do Sul OES/CRSPE/INPE-MCT, in São Martinho da Serra, RS (Brazil) and the neutron data was recorded by the neutron monitor installed in Newark (USA). The CIR events were selected in the period from 2001 to 2004. CIRs clearly affect cosmic ray density in the interplanetary medium in the Earth’s vicinity, where the magnetic field plays an important role.

THE COSMIC RAY EQUATOR AND THE GEOMAGNETISM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sakurai, K.

1960-01-01

It was formerly thought that the disagreement of the position of geomagnetic dipole equator with that of the cosmic ray equator was caused by 45 deg westward shifting of the latter. Referring to the theory of geomagnetic effect on cosmic rays, it was determined whether such westward shifting could be existent or not. It was found that the deviation of the cosmic ray equator from the geomagnetic dipole equator is negligible even if the magnetic cavity is present around the earth's outer atmosphere. Taking into account such results, the origin of the cosmic ray equator was investigated. It was foundmore » that this equater could be produced by the higher harmonic components combined with the dipole component of geomagnetism. The relation of the origin of the cosmic ray equater to the eccentric dipoles, near the outer pant of the earth's core, contributing to the secular variation of geomagnetism was considered. (auth)« less

Progress in high-energy cosmic ray physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mollerach, S.; Roulet, E.

2018-01-01

We review some of the recent progress in our knowledge about high-energy cosmic rays, with an emphasis on the interpretation of the different observational results. We discuss the effects that are relevant to shape the cosmic ray spectrum and the explanations proposed to account for its features and for the observed changes in composition. The physics of air-showers is summarized and we also present the results obtained on the proton-air cross section and on the muon content of the showers. We discuss the cosmic ray propagation through magnetic fields, the effects of diffusion and of magnetic lensing, the cosmic ray interactions with background radiation fields and the production of secondary neutrinos and photons. We also consider the cosmic ray anisotropies, both at large and small angular scales, presenting the results obtained from the TeV up to the highest energies and discuss the models proposed to explain their origin.

Expectations for high energy diffuse galactic neutrinos for different cosmic ray distributions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pagliaroli, Giulia; Evoli, Carmelo; Villante, Francesco Lorenzo, E-mail: giulia.pagliaroli@gssi.infn.it, E-mail: carmelo.evoli@gssi.infn.it, E-mail: francesco.villante@lngs.infn.it

2016-11-01

The interaction of cosmic rays with the gas contained in our Galaxy is a guaranteed source of diffuse high energy neutrinos. We provide expectations for this component by considering different assumptions for the cosmic ray distribution in the Galaxy which are intended to cover the large uncertainty in cosmic ray propagation models. We calculate the angular dependence of the diffuse galactic neutrino flux and the corresponding rate of High Energy Starting Events in IceCube by including the effect of detector angular resolution. Moreover we discuss the possibility to discriminate the galactic component from an isotropic astrophysical flux. We show thatmore » a statistically significant excess of events from the galactic plane in present IceCube data would disfavour models in which the cosmic ray density is uniform , thus bringing relevant information on the cosmic ray radial distribution.« less

Scintillator tiles read out with silicon photomultipliers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pooth, O.; Radermacher, T.; Weingarten, S.; Weinstock, L.

2015-10-01

A detector prototype based on a fast plastic scintillator read out with silicon photomultipliers is presented. All studies have been done with cosmic muons and focus on parameter optimization such as coupling the SiPM to the scintillator or wrapping the scintillator with reflective material. The prototype shows excellent results regarding the light-yield and offers a detection efficiency of 99.5% with a signal purity of 99.9% for cosmic muons.

A binned clustering algorithm to detect high-Z material using cosmic muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomay, C.; Velthuis, J. J.; Baesso, P.; Cussans, D.; Morris, P. A. W.; Steer, C.; Burns, J.; Quillin, S.; Stapleton, M.

2013-10-01

We present a novel approach to the detection of special nuclear material using cosmic rays. Muon Scattering Tomography (MST) is a method for using cosmic muons to scan cargo containers and vehicles for special nuclear material. Cosmic muons are abundant, highly penetrating, not harmful for organic tissue, cannot be screened against, and can easily be detected, which makes them highly suited to the use of cargo scanning. Muons undergo multiple Coulomb scattering when passing through material, and the amount of scattering is roughly proportional to the square of the atomic number Z of the material. By reconstructing incoming and outgoing tracks, we can obtain variables to identify high-Z material. In a real life application, this has to happen on a timescale of 1 min and thus with small numbers of muons. We have built a detector system using resistive plate chambers (RPCs): 12 layers of RPCs allow for the readout of 6 x and 6 y positions, by which we can reconstruct incoming and outgoing tracks. In this work we detail the performance of an algorithm by which we separate high-Z targets from low-Z background, both for real data from our prototype setup and for MC simulation of a cargo container-sized setup. (c) British Crown Owned Copyright 2013/AWE

Space-atmospheric interactions of energetic cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isar, Paula Gina

2015-02-01

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays are the most energetic particles in the Universe of which origin still remain a mystery since a century from their descovery. They are unique messengers coming from far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy, which provides insights into the fundamental matter, energy, space and time. As subatomic particles flying through space to nearly light speed, the ultra-high energy cosmic rays are so rare that they strike the Earth's atmosphere at a rate of up to only one particle per square kilometer per year or century. While the atmosphere is used as a giant calorimeter where cosmic rays induced air showers are initiated and the medium through which Cherenkov or fluorescence light or radio waves propagate, all cosmic ray measurements (performed either from space or ground) rely on an accurate atmospheric monitoring and understanding of atmospheric effects. The interdisciplinary link between Astroparticle Physics and Atmospheric Environment through the ultra-high energy comic rays space - atmospheric interactions, based on the present ground- and future space-based cosmic ray observatories, will be presented.

Supernova Remnant Kes 17: An Efficient Cosmic Ray Accelerator inside a Molecular Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfand, Joseph D.; Castro, Daniel; Slane, Patrick O.; Temim, Tea; Hughes, John P.; Rakowski, Cara

2013-11-01

The supernova remnant Kes 17 (SNR G304.6+0.1) is one of a few but growing number of remnants detected across the electromagnetic spectrum. In this paper, we analyze recent radio, X-ray, and γ-ray observations of this object, determining that efficient cosmic ray acceleration is required to explain its broadband non-thermal spectrum. These observations also suggest that Kes 17 is expanding inside a molecular cloud, though our determination of its age depends on whether thermal conduction or clump evaporation is primarily responsible for its center-filled thermal X-ray morphology. Evidence for efficient cosmic ray acceleration in Kes 17 supports recent theoretical work concluding that the strong magnetic field, turbulence, and clumpy nature of molecular clouds enhance cosmic ray production in supernova remnants. While additional observations are needed to confirm this interpretation, further study of Kes 17 is important for understanding how cosmic rays are accelerated in supernova remnants.

An absence of neutrinos associated with cosmic-ray acceleration in γ-ray bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Bell, M.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; Benzvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brayeur, L.; Brown, A. M.; Buitink, S.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carson, M.; Casier, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; Cruz Silva, A. H.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; de Clercq, C.; Degner, T.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; Deyoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Flis, S.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Heereman, D.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, B.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülβ, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kunnen, J.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de Los Heros, C.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Rizzo, A.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schmidt, T.; Schöneberg, S.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schulte, L.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Smith, M. W. E.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Stüer, M.; Sullivan, G. W.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Wasserman, R.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Zoll, M.; IceCube Collaboration

2012-04-01

Very energetic astrophysical events are required to accelerate cosmic rays to above 1018electronvolts. GRBs (γ-ray bursts) have been proposed as possible candidate sources. In the GRB `fireball' model, cosmic-ray acceleration should be accompanied by neutrinos produced in the decay of charged pions created in interactions between the high-energy cosmic-ray protons and γ-rays. Previous searches for such neutrinos found none, but the constraints were weak because the sensitivity was at best approximately equal to the predicted flux. Here we report an upper limit on the flux of energetic neutrinos associated with GRBs that is at least a factor of 3.7 below the predictions. This implies either that GRBs are not the only sources of cosmic rays with energies exceeding 1018electronvolts or that the efficiency of neutrino production is much lower than has been predicted.

Charge 4/3 leptons in cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wada, T.; Yamashita, Y.; Imaeda, K.; Yamamoto, I.

1985-01-01

A cosmic ray counter telescope has been operated at zenith angles of 0, 40, 44, and 60 degs in order to look for charge 4/3 particles. A few million clean single cosmic rays of each zenith angle are analyzed.

Calocube-A highly segmented calorimeter for a space based experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D`Alessandro, R.; Adriani, O.; Agnesi, A.; Albergo, S.; Auditore, L.; Basti, A.; Berti, E.; Bigongiari, G.; Bonechi, L.; Bonechi, S.; Bongi, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Bottai, S.; Brogi, P.; Carotenuto, G.; Castellini, G.; Cattaneo, P. W.; Cauz, D.; Chiari, M.; Daddi, N.; Detti, S.; Fasoli, M.; Finetti, N.; Gregorio, A.; Lenzi, P.; Maestro, P.; Marrocchesi, P. S.; Miritello, M.; Mori, N.; Pacini, L.; Papini, P.; Pauletta, G.; Pirzio, F.; Rappazzo, G. F.; Rappoldi, A.; Ricciarini, S.; Santi, L. G.; Spillantini, P.; Starodubtsev, O.; Suh, J. E.; Sulaj, A.; Tiberio, A.; Tricomi, A.; Trifiro, A.; Trimarchi, M.; Vannuccini, E.; Vedda, A.; Zampa, G.; Zampa, N.; Zerbo, B.

2016-07-01

Future research in High Energy Cosmic Ray Physics concerns fundamental questions on their origin, acceleration mechanism, and composition. Unambiguous measurements of the energy spectra and of the composition of cosmic rays at the "knee" region could provide some of the answers to the above questions. Only ground based observations, which rely on sophisticated models describing high energy interactions in the earth's atmosphere, have been possible so far due to the extremely low particle rates at these energies. A calorimeter based space experiment can provide not only flux measurements but also energy spectra and particle identification, especially when coupled to a dE/dx measuring detector, and thus overcome some of the limitations plaguing ground based experiments. For this to be possible very large acceptances are needed if enough statistic is to be collected in a reasonable time. This contrasts with the lightness and compactness requirements for space based experiments. A novel idea in calorimetry is discussed here which addresses these issues while limiting the mass and volume of the detector. In fact a small prototype is currently being built and tested with ions. In this paper the results obtained will be presented in light of the simulations performed.

Propagation of Galactic cosmic rays: the influence of anisotropic diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

AL-Zetoun, A.; Achterberg, A.

2018-06-01

We consider the anisotropic diffusion of cosmic rays in the large-scale Galactic magnetic field, where diffusion along the field and diffusion across the field proceeds at different rates. To calculate this diffusion, we use stochastic differential equations to describe the cosmic ray propagation, solving these numerically. The Galactic magnetic field is described using the Jansson-Farrar model for the Galactic magnetic field. In this paper, we study the influence of perpendicular diffusion on the residence time of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. This provides an estimate for the influence of anisotropic diffusion on the residence time and the amount of matter (grammage) that a typical cosmic ray traverses during its residence in the Galaxy.

A Novel Study Connecting Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays, Neutrinos, and Gamma-Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coenders, Stefan; Resconi, Elisa; Padovani, Paolo; Giommi, Paolo; Caccianiga, Lorenzo

We present a novel study connecting ultra-high energy cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gamma-rays with the objective to identify common counterparts of the three astrophysical messengers. In the test presented here, we first identify potential hadronic sources by filtering gamma-ray emitters that are in spatial coincidence with IceCube neutrinos. Subsequently, these objects are correlated against ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array, scanning in gamma-ray flux and angular separation between sources and cosmic rays. A maximal excess of 80 cosmic rays (41.9 expected) is observed for the second catalog of hard Fermi-LAT objects of blazars of the high synchrotron peak type. This corresponds to a deviation from the null-hypothesis of 2.94σ . No excess is observed for objects not in spatial connection with neutrinos. The gamma-ray sources that make up the excess are blazars of the high synchrotron peak type.

Spectrum measurement with the Telescope Array Low Energy Extension (TALE) fluorescence detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zundel, Zachary James

The Telescope Array (TA) experiment is the largest Ultra High Energy cosmic ray observatory in the northern hemisphere and is designed to be sensitive to cosmic ray air showers above 1018eV. Despite the substantial measurements made by TA and AUGER (the largest cosmic ray observatory in the southern hemisphere), there remains uncertainty about whether the highest energy cosmic rays are galactic or extragalactic in origin. Locating features in the cosmic ray energy spectrum below 1018eV that indicate a transition from galactic to extragalactic sources would clarify the interpretation of measurements made at the highest energies. The Telescope Array Low Energy Extension (TALE) is designed to extend the energy threshold of the TA observatory down to 1016.5eV in order to make such measurements. This dissertation details the construction, calibration, and operation of the TALE flu- orescence detector. A measurement of the flux of cosmic rays in the energy range of 1016.5 -- 1018.5eV is made using the monocular data set taken between September 2013 and January 2014. The TALE fluorescence detector observes evidence for a softening of the cosmic spectrum at 1017.25+/-0.5eV. The evidence of a change in the spectrum motivates continued study of 1016.5 -- 1018.5eV cosmic rays.

Toward a descriptive model of galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mewaldt, R. A.; Cummings, A. C.; Adams, James H., Jr.; Evenson, Paul; Fillius, W.; Jokipii, J. R.; Mckibben, R. B.; Robinson, Paul A., Jr.

1988-01-01

Researchers review the elements that enter into phenomenological models of the composition, energy spectra, and the spatial and temporal variations of galactic cosmic rays, including the so-called anomalous cosmic ray component. Starting from an existing model, designed to describe the behavior of cosmic rays in the near-Earth environment, researchers suggest possible updates and improvements to this model, and then propose a quantitative approach for extending such a model into other regions of the heliosphere.

Feasibility of Cosmic-Ray Muon Intensity Measurements for Tunnel Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

BUR-’TR-3110 TECHNICAL REPORT BRL-TR-3110 mBRL I• FEASIBILITY OF COSMIC - RAY MUON INTENSITY MEASUREMENTS FOR TUNNEL DETECTION AIVARS CELIN. , JUNE...Feasibility of Cosmic - Ray Muon Intensity Measurements f or Tunnel Detection 612786H20001 4.AUTNOR(S) Aivars Celmins 7. PERORMING ORGANIZATION NAMe(S) AND... cosmic - ray muon intensity depends on the amount, of material above the point of reference and is therefore influenced by anomalies in rock density

Real-Time Aircraft Cosmic Ray Radiation Exposure Predictions from the NAIRAS Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertens, C. J.; Tobiska, W.; Kress, B. T.; Xu, X.

2012-12-01

The Nowcast of Atmospheric Ionizing Radiation for Aviation Safety (NAIRAS) is a prototype operational model for predicting commercial aircraft radiation exposure from galactic and solar cosmic rays. NAIRAS predictions are currently streaming live from the project's public website, and the exposure rate nowcast is also available on the SpaceWx smartphone app for iPhone, IPad, and Android. Cosmic rays are the primary source of human exposure to high linear energy transfer radiation at aircraft altitudes, which increases the risk of cancer and other adverse health effects. Thus, the NAIRAS model addresses an important national need with broad societal, public health and economic benefits. There is also interest in extending NAIRAS to the LEO environment to address radiation hazard issues for the emerging commercial spaceflight industry. The processes responsible for the variability in the solar wind, interplanetary magnetic field, solar energetic particle spectrum, and the dynamical response of the magnetosphere to these space environment inputs, strongly influence the composition and energy distribution of the atmospheric ionizing radiation field. Real-time observations are required at a variety of locations within the geospace environment. The NAIRAS model is driven by real-time input data from ground-, atmospheric-, and space-based platforms. During the development of the NAIRAS model, new science questions and observational data gaps were identified that must be addressed in order to obtain a more reliable and robust operational model of atmospheric radiation exposure. The focus of this talk is to present the current capabilities of the NAIRAS model, discuss future developments in aviation radiation modeling and instrumentation, and propose strategies and methodologies of bridging known gaps in current modeling and observational capabilities.

Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays: Old Physics or New Physics?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

2004-01-01

We consider the advantages of and the problems associated with hypotheses to explain the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays (UHECR: E greater than 10 EeV) and the "trans-GZK" cosmic rays (TGZK: E greater than 100 EeV) both through "old physics" (acceleration in cosmic sources) and "new physics" (new particles, topological defects, fat neutrino cross sections, Lorentz invariance violation).

The responses of three kinds of passive dosimeters to secondary cosmic rays in the lower atmosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Zhen; Chen, Bo, E-mail: bochenfys@fudan.edu.cn; Zhuo, Weihai

For accurate measurements of the secondary cosmic rays by using passive dosimeters, the relative responses of the thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter, and radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter (RPLGD) were studied. The cosmic-ray shower generator was used to simulate the secondary cosmic rays at the sea level. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to calculate the air kerma and absorbed doses in each kind of dosimeter. The results showed that compared with their responses to gamma rays of {sup 137}Cs, the relative responses of the TLD, OSL, and RPLGD were 0.786, 0.707, and 0.735 to the hard component of cosmicmore » rays, respectively, and the values were 0.904, 0.838, and 0.857 to the soft component of cosmic rays, respectively. To verify the simulations results, an in situ measurement with the three kinds of dosimeters was performed at the same place. The results indicated that the secondary cosmic rays monitored with the three kinds of dosimeters were well consistent with each other provided their relative responses were taken into account.« less

Efficient cold outflows driven by cosmic rays in high-redshift galaxies and their global effects on the IGM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samui, Saumyadip; Subramanian, Kandaswamy; Srianand, Raghunathan

2018-05-01

We present semi-analytical models of galactic outflows in high-redshift galaxies driven by both hot thermal gas and non-thermal cosmic rays. Thermal pressure alone may not sustain a large-scale outflow in low-mass galaxies (i.e. M ˜ 108 M⊙), in the presence of supernovae feedback with large mass loading. We show that inclusion of cosmic ray pressure allows outflow solutions even in these galaxies. In massive galaxies for the same energy efficiency, cosmic ray-driven winds can propagate to larger distances compared to pure thermally driven winds. On an average gas in the cosmic ray-driven winds has a lower temperature which could aid detecting it through absorption lines in the spectra of background sources. Using our constrained semi-analytical models of galaxy formation (that explains the observed ultraviolet luminosity functions of galaxies), we study the influence of cosmic ray-driven winds on the properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at different redshifts. In particular, we study the volume filling factor, average metallicity, cosmic ray and magnetic field energy densities for models invoking atomic cooled and molecular cooled haloes. We show that the cosmic rays in the IGM could have enough energy that can be transferred to the thermal gas in presence of magnetic fields to influence the thermal history of the IGM. The significant volume filling and resulting strength of IGM magnetic fields can also account for recent γ-ray observations of blazars.

Time-dependent evolution of cosmic-ray-modified shock structure: Transition to steady state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donohue, D. J.; Zank, G. P.; Webb, G. M.

1994-03-01

Steady state solutions to the two-fluid equations of cosmic-ray-modified shock structure were investigated first by Drury and Volk (1981). Their analysis revealed, among other properties, that there exist regions of upstream parameter space where the equations possess three different downstream solutions for a given upstream state. In this paper we investigate whether or not all these solutions can occur as time-asymptotic states in a physically realistic evolution. To do this, we investigate the time-dependent evolution of the two-fluid cosmic-ray equations in going from a specified initial condition to a steady state. Our results indicate that the time-asymptotic solution is strictly single-valued, and it undergoes a transition from weakly to strongly cosmic-ray-modified at a critical value of the upstream cosmic ray energy density. The expansion of supernova remnant shocks is considered as an example, and it is shown that the strong to weak transition is in fact more likely. The third intermediate solution is shown to influence the time-dependent evolution of the shock, but it is not found to be a stable time-asymptotic state. Timescales for convergence to these states and their implications for the efficiency of shock acceleration are considered. We also investigate the effects of a recently introduced model for the injection of seed particles into the shock accelerated cosmic-ray population. The injection is found to result in a more strongly cosmic-ray-dominated shock, which supports our conclusion that for most classes of intermediate and strong cosmic-ray-modified shocks, the downstream cosmic-ray pressure component is at least as large as the thermal gas pressure, independent of the upstream state. As a result, cosmic rays almost always play a significant role in determining the shock structure and dissipation and they cannot be regarded as test particles.

Time-dependent evolution of cosmic-ray-modified shock structure: Transition to steady state

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donohue, D. J.; Zank, G. P.; Webb, G. M.

1994-01-01

Steady state solutions to the two-fluid equations of cosmic-ray-modified shock structure were investigated first by Drury and Volk (1981). Their analysis revealed, among other properties, that there exist regions of upstream parameter space where the equations possess three different downstream solutions for a given upstream state. In this paper we investigate whether or not all these solutions can occur as time-asymptotic states in a physically realistic evolution. To do this, we investigate the time-dependent evolution of the two-fluid cosmic-ray equations in going from a specified initial condition to a steady state. Our results indicate that the time-asymptotic solution is strictly single-valued, and it undergoes a transition from weakly to strongly cosmic-ray-modified at a critical value of the upstream cosmic ray energy density. The expansion of supernova remnant shocks is considered as an example, and it is shown that the strong to weak transition is in fact more likely. The third intermediate solution is shown to influence the time-dependent evolution of the shock, but it is not found to be a stable time-asymptotic state. Timescales for convergence to these states and their implications for the efficiency of shock acceleration are considered. We also investigate the effects of a recently introduced model for the injection of seed particles into the shock accelerated cosmic-ray population. The injection is found to result in a more strongly cosmic-ray-dominated shock, which supports our conclusion that for most classes of intermediate and strong cosmic-ray-modified shocks, the downstream cosmic-ray pressure component is at least as large as the thermal gas pressure, independent of the upstream state. As a result, cosmic rays almost always play a significant role in determining the shock structure and dissipation and they cannot be regarded as test particles.

A Study of Heavy Trans-Iron Primary Cosmic Rays (Z More than or Equal to 55) with a Fast Film Cerenkov Detector. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinsky, L. S.

1972-01-01

The detection and measurement of the cosmic ray charge spectrum for nuclei heavier than iron (Fe, Z = 26) are discussed. These trans-iron nuclei are of great interest for several reasons. They promise to be one of the more sensitive clocks for use in determining the age of cosmic rays. The discovery of radioactive nuclides and their decay products in the primary flux, will allow an estimation of the elapsed time since these cosmic rays were synthesized. In addition, the relatively short interaction length of the very heavy trans-iron particles makes their relative abundance a source of information regarding the amount of interstellar matter that they had to traverse to reach the earth. A study of the trans-iron cosmic rays may provide clues as to the very processes of nucleosyntheses by which the bulk of the trans-iron nuclei in the universe are produced. This in turn may shed light on the mechanics of the supernova, which is postulated to be the major source of all cosmic rays. Finally, trans-iron cosmic ray experiments may demonstrate the existence of the recently postulated super-heavy nuclei.

Evidence for the Stochastic Acceleration of Secondary Antiprotons by Supernova Remnants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cholis, Ilias; Hooper, Dan; Linden, Tim

2017-01-16

The antiproton-to-proton ratio in the cosmic-ray spectrum is a sensitive probe of new physics. Using recent measurements of the cosmic-ray antiproton and proton fluxes in the energy range of 1-1000 GeV, we study the contribution to themore » $$\\bar{p}/p$$ ratio from secondary antiprotons that are produced and subsequently accelerated within individual supernova remnants. We consider several well-motivated models for cosmic-ray propagation in the interstellar medium and marginalize our results over the uncertainties related to the antiproton production cross section and the time-, charge-, and energy-dependent effects of solar modulation. We find that the increase in the $$\\bar{p}/p$$ ratio observed at rigidities above $$\\sim$$ 100 GV cannot be accounted for within the context of conventional cosmic-ray propagation models, but is consistent with scenarios in which cosmic-ray antiprotons are produced and subsequently accelerated by shocks within a given supernova remnant. In light of this, the acceleration of secondary cosmic rays in supernova remnants is predicted to substantially contribute to the cosmic-ray positron spectrum, accounting for a significant fraction of the observed positron excess.« less

Constraints on cosmic ray and PeV neutrino production in blazars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, B. Theodore; Li, Zhuo, E-mail: zhangbing91@pku.edu.cn, E-mail: zhuo.li@pku.edu.cn

2017-03-01

IceCube has detected a cumulative flux of PeV neutrinos, which origin is unknown. Blazars, active galactic nuclei with relativistic jets pointing to us, are long and widely expected to be one of the strong candidates of high energy neutrino sources. The neutrino production depends strongly on the cosmic ray power of blazar jets, which is largely unknown. The recent null results in stacking searches of neutrinos for several blazar samples by IceCube put upper limits on the neutrino fluxes from these blazars. Here we compute the cosmic ray power and PeV neutrino flux of Fermi-LAT blazars, and find that themore » upper limits for known blazar sources give stringent constraint on the cosmic ray loading factor of blazar jets (i.e., the ratio of the cosmic ray to bolometric radiation luminosity of blazar jets), ξ{sub cr} ∼< (2–10)ζ{sup −1} (with ζ ∼< 1 the remained fraction of cosmic ray energy when propagate into the blazar broad line region) for flat cosmic ray spectrum, and that the cumulative PeV neutrino flux contributed by all-sky blazars is a fraction ∼< (10–50)% of the IceCube detected flux.« less

Galactic Cosmic Rays: From Earth to Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandt, Theresa J.

2012-01-01

For nearly 100 years we have known that cosmic rays come from outer space, yet proof of their origin, as well as a comprehensive understanding of their acceleration, remains elusive. Direct detection of high energy (up to 10(exp 15)eV), charged nuclei with experiments such as the balloon-born, antarctic Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (TIGER) have provided insight into these mysteries through measurements of cosmic ray abundances. The abundance of these rare elements with respect to certain intrinsic properties suggests that cosmic rays include a component of massive star ejecta. Supernovae and their remnants (SNe & SNRs), often occurring at the end of a massive star's life or in an environment including massive star material, are one of the most likely candidates for sources accelerating galactic comic ray nuclei up to the requisite high energies. The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Large Area Detector (Fermi LAT) has improved our understanding of such sources by widening the window of observable energies and thus into potential sources' energetic processes. In combination with multiwavelength observations, we are now better able to constrain particle populations (often hadron-dominated at GeV energies) and environmental conditions, such as the magnetic field strength. The SNR CTB 37A is one such source which could contribute to the observed galactic cosmic rays. By assembling populations of SNRs, we will be able to more definitively define their contribution to the observed galactic cosmic rays, as well as better understand SNRs themselves. Such multimessenger studies will thus illuminate the long-standing cosmic ray mysteries, shedding light on potential sources, acceleration mechanisms, and cosmic ray propagation.

DAMPE prototype and its beam test results at CERN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jian; Hu, Yiming; Chang, Jin

The first Chinese high energy cosmic particle detector(DAMPE) aims to detect electron/gamma at the range between 5GeV and 10TeV in space. A prototype of this detector is made and tested using both cosmic muons and test beam at CERN. Energy and space resolution as well as strong separation power for electron and proton are shown in the results. The detector structure is illustrated as well.

Blazar Jet Physics in the Age of Fermi

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-23

in colliding shells, and whether blazars are sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays . Keywords. galaxies: jets, gamma rays : observations, gamma rays ...colliding shells ejected from the central supermassive black hole are made. The likelihood that blazars accelerate ultra-high energy cosmic rays is...colliding shells, and whether blazars are sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays . 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF

Research in cosmic and gamma ray astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, E. C.; Davis, L., Jr.; Mewaldt, R. A.; Prince, T. A.

1989-01-01

Research activities in cosmic rays, gamma rays, and astrophysical plasmas are covered. The activities are divided into sections and described, followed by a bibliography. The astrophysical aspects of cosmic rays, gamma rays, and of the radiation and electromagnetic field environment of the Earth and other planets are investigated. These investigations are performed by means of energetic particle and photon detector systems flown on spacecraft and balloons.

Cosmic-ray detectors on the Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Linsley, John

1988-01-01

The state of cosmic ray physics is reviewed. It is concluded that the nonexistent lunar magnetic field, the low lunar radiation background, and the lack of an atmosphere on the Moon provide an excellent environment for the study of high energy primary cosmic rays.

Balloon test project: Cosmic Ray Antimatter Calorimeter (CRAC)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christy, J. C.; Dhenain, G.; Goret, P.; Jorand, J.; Masse, P.; Mestreau, P.; Petrou, N.; Robin, A.

1984-01-01

Cosmic ray observations from balloon flights are discussed. The cosmic ray antimatter calorimeter (CRAC) experiment attempts to measure the flux of antimatter in the 200-600 Mev/m energy range and the isotopes of light elements between 600 and 1,000 Mev/m.

Nineteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. SH Sessions, Volume 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Papers submitted for presentation at the 19th International Cosmic Ray Conference are compiled. This volume contains papers addressing cosmic ray gradients in the heliosphere; siderial, diurnal, and long term modulations; geomagnetic and atmospheric effects; cosmogenic nuclides; solar neutrinos; and detection techniques.

Ninteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Contributed papers addressing cosmic ray origin and galactic phenomena are compiled. Topic areas include the composition, spectra, and anisotropy of cosmic ray nuclei with energies and 1 TeV, isotopes, antiprotons and related subjects, and electrons, positrons, and measurements of synchrotron radiation.

Signatures of cosmic-ray interactions on the solar surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seckel, D.; Stanev, Todor; Gaisser, T. K.

1991-01-01

The fluxes of neutrinos, gamma rays, antiprotons, neutrons, and antineutrons that result from collisions of high-energy Galactic cosmic rays with the solar atmosphere are estimated. The results are sensitive to assumptions about cosmic-ray transport in the magnetic fields of the inner solar system. The high-energy photon flux should be observable by the Gamma Ray Observatory. The neutrino flux should produce less than one event per year in the next generation of neutrino telescopes. The antiproton flux is unobservable against the Galactic background. The neutron and antineutron fluxes are detectable only if neutrons produced in terrestrial cosmic-ray events may be discriminated against.

The distribution of cosmic rays in the galaxy and their dynamics as deduced from recent gamma ray observations. [noting maximum in toroidal region between 4 and 5 kpc from galactic center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puget, J. L.; Stecker, F. W.

1974-01-01

Data from SAS-2 on the galactic gamma ray line flux as a function of longitude is examined. It is shown that the gamma ray emissivity varies with galactocentric distance and is about an order of magnitude higher than the local value in a toroidal region between 4 and 5 kpc from the galactic center. This enhancement is accounted for in part by first-order Fermi acceleration, compression, and trapping of cosmic rays consistent with present ideas of galactic dynamics and galactic structure theory. Calculations indicate that cosmic rays in the 4 to 5 kpc region are trapped and accelerated over a mean time of the order of a few million years or about 2 to 4 times the assumed trapping time in the solar region of the galaxy on the assumption that only an increased cosmic ray flux is responsible for the observed emission. Cosmic ray nucleons, cosmic ray electrons, and ionized hydrogen gas were found to have a strikingly similar distribution in the galaxy according to both the observational data and the theoretical model discussed.

Steady state and dynamical structure of a cosmic-ray-modified termination shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Donohue, D. J.; Zank, G. P.

1993-01-01

A hydrodynamic model is developed for the structure of a cosmic-ray-modified termination shock. The model is based on the two-fluid equations of diffuse shock acceleration (Drury and Volk, 1981). Both the steady state structure of the shock and its interaction with outer heliospheric disturbances are considered. Under the assumption that the solar wind is decelerated by diffusing interstellar cosmic rates, it is shown that the natural state of the termination shock is a gradual deceleration and compression, followed by a discontinuous jump to a downstream state which is dominated by the pressure contribution of the cosmic rays. A representative model is calculated for the steady state which incorporates both interstellar cosmic ray mediation and diffusively accelerated anomalous ions through a proposed thermal leakage mechanism. The interaction of large-scale disturbances with the equilibrium termination shock model is shown to result in some unusual downstream structure, including transmitted shocks and cosmic-ray-modified contact discontinuities. The structure observed may be connected to the 2-kHz outer heliospheric radio emission (Cairns et al., 1992a, b). The time-dependent simulations also demonstrate that interaction with solar wind compressible turbulence (e.g., traveling interplanetary shocks, etc.) could induce the termination shock to continually fluctuate between cosmic-ray-dominated and gas-dynamic states. This fluctuation may represent a partial explanation of the galactic cosmic ray modulation effect and illustrates that the Pioneer and Voyager satellites will encounter an evolving shock whose structure and dynamic properties are strongly influence by the mediation of interstellar and anomalous cosmic rays.

Steady state and dynamical structure of a cosmic-ray-modified termination shock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donohue, D. J.; Zank, G. P.

1993-11-01

A hydrodynamic model is developed for the structure of a cosmic-ray-modified termination shock. The model is based on the two-fluid equations of diffuse shock acceleration (Drury and Volk, 1981). Both the steady state structure of the shock and its interaction with outer heliospheric disturbances are considered. Under the assumption that the solar wind is decelerated by diffusing interstellar cosmic rates, it is shown that the natural state of the termination shock is a gradual deceleration and compression, followed by a discontinuous jump to a downstream state which is dominated by the pressure contribution of the cosmic rays. A representative model is calculated for the steady state which incorporates both interstellar cosmic ray mediation and diffusively accelerated anomalous ions through a proposed thermal leakage mechanism. The interaction of large-scale disturbances with the equilibrium termination shock model is shown to result in some unusual downstream structure, including transmitted shocks and cosmic-ray-modified contact discontinuities. The structure observed may be connected to the 2-kHz outer heliospheric radio emission (Cairns et al., 1992a, b). The time-dependent simulations also demonstrate that interaction with solar wind compressible turbulence (e.g., traveling interplanetary shocks, etc.) could induce the termination shock to continually fluctuate between cosmic-ray-dominated and gas-dynamic states. This fluctuation may represent a partial explanation of the galactic cosmic ray modulation effect and illustrates that the Pioneer and Voyager satellites will encounter an evolving shock whose structure and dynamic properties are strongly influence by the mediation of interstellar and anomalous cosmic rays.

Heliospheric influence on the anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Ming; Zuo, Pingbing; Pogorelov, Nikolai

2014-06-26

This article provides a theory of using Liouville's theorem to map the anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays seen at Earth using the particle distribution function in the local interstellar medium (LISM). The ultimate source of cosmic ray anisotropy is the energy, pitch angle, and spatial dependence of the cosmic ray distribution function in the LISM. Because young nearby cosmic ray sources can make a special contribution to the cosmic ray anisotropy, the anisotropy depends on the source age, distance and magnetic connection, and particle diffusion of these cosmic rays, all of which make the anisotropy sensitive to the particle energy.more » When mapped through the magnetic and electric field of a magnetohydrodynamic model heliosphere, the large-scale dipolar and bidirectional interstellar anisotropy patterns become distorted if they are seen from Earth, resulting in many small structures in the observations. Best fits to cosmic ray anisotropy measurements have allowed us to estimate the particle density gradient and pitch angle anisotropies in the LISM. It is found that the heliotail, hydrogen deflection plane, and the plane perpendicular to the LISM magnetic field play a special role in distorting cosmic ray anisotropy. These features can lead to an accurate determination of the LISM magnetic field direction and polarity. The effects of solar cycle variation, the Sun's coronal magnetic field, and turbulence in the LISM and heliospheric magnetic fields are minor but clearly visible at a level roughly equal to a fraction of the overall anisotropy amplitude. Lastly, the heliospheric influence becomes stronger at lower energies. Below 1 TeV, the anisotropy is dominated by small-scale patterns produced by disturbances in the heliosphere.« less

Heliospheric influence on the anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Ming; Zuo, Pingbing; Pogorelov, Nikolai, E-mail: mzhang@fit.edu

2014-07-20

This paper provides a theory of using Liouville's theorem to map the anisotropy of TeV cosmic rays seen at Earth using the particle distribution function in the local interstellar medium (LISM). The ultimate source of cosmic ray anisotropy is the energy, pitch angle, and spatial dependence of the cosmic ray distribution function in the LISM. Because young nearby cosmic ray sources can make a special contribution to the cosmic ray anisotropy, the anisotropy depends on the source age, distance and magnetic connection, and particle diffusion of these cosmic rays, all of which make the anisotropy sensitive to the particle energy.more » When mapped through the magnetic and electric field of a magnetohydrodynamic model heliosphere, the large-scale dipolar and bidirectional interstellar anisotropy patterns become distorted if they are seen from Earth, resulting in many small structures in the observations. Best fits to cosmic ray anisotropy measurements have allowed us to estimate the particle density gradient and pitch angle anisotropies in the LISM. It is found that the heliotail, hydrogen deflection plane, and the plane perpendicular to the LISM magnetic field play a special role in distorting cosmic ray anisotropy. These features can lead to an accurate determination of the LISM magnetic field direction and polarity. The effects of solar cycle variation, the Sun's coronal magnetic field, and turbulence in the LISM and heliospheric magnetic fields are minor but clearly visible at a level roughly equal to a fraction of the overall anisotropy amplitude. The heliospheric influence becomes stronger at lower energies. Below 1 TeV, the anisotropy is dominated by small-scale patterns produced by disturbances in the heliosphere.« less

Cosmic Rays in Intermittent Magnetic Fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shukurov, Anvar; Seta, Amit; Bushby, Paul J.

The propagation of cosmic rays in turbulent magnetic fields is a diffusive process driven by the scattering of the charged particles by random magnetic fluctuations. Such fields are usually highly intermittent, consisting of intense magnetic filaments and ribbons surrounded by weaker, unstructured fluctuations. Studies of cosmic-ray propagation have largely overlooked intermittency, instead adopting Gaussian random magnetic fields. Using test particle simulations, we calculate cosmic-ray diffusivity in intermittent, dynamo-generated magnetic fields. The results are compared with those obtained from non-intermittent magnetic fields having identical power spectra. The presence of magnetic intermittency significantly enhances cosmic-ray diffusion over a wide range of particlemore » energies. We demonstrate that the results can be interpreted in terms of a correlated random walk.« less

Apollo-Soyuz pamphlet no. 6: Cosmic ray dosage. [experimental designiradiation hazards and dosage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Page, L. W.; From, T. P.

1977-01-01

The radiation hazard inside spacecraft is discussed with emphasis on its effects on the crew, biological specimens, and spacecraft instruments. The problem of light flash sensations in the eyes of astronauts is addressed and experiment MA-106 is described. In this experiment, light flashes seen by blindfolded astronauts were counted and high energy cosmic ray intensity in the command module cabin were measured. The damage caused by cosmic ray hits on small living organisms was investigated in the Biostack 3 experiment (MA-107). Individual cosmic rays were tracked through layers of bacterial spores, small seeds, and eggs interleaved with layers of AgCl-crystal wafers, special plastic, and special photographic film that registered each cosmic ray particle passed.

The STScI STIS Pipeline V: Cosmic Ray Rejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baum, Stefi; Hsu, J. C.; Hodge, Phil; Ferguson, Harry

1996-07-01

In this ISR we describe calstis-2, the calstis calibration module which combines CRSPLIT exposures to produce a single cosmic ray rejected image. Cosmic ray rejection in the STIS pipeline will follow the same basic philosophy as does the STSDAS task crrej - a series of separate CRSPLIT exposures are combined to produce a single summed image, where discrepant (different by some number of sigma from the guess value) are discarded in forming the output image. The calstis pipeline is able to perform this cosmic ray rejection because the individually commanded exposures are associated together into a single dataset by TRANS and generic conversion. The crrej will also exist as a task in STSDAS to allow users to reperform the cosmic ray rejection, altering the input parameters.

Cosmic ray antimatter and baryon symmetric cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Protheroe, R. J.; Kazanas, D.

1982-01-01

The relative merits and difficulties of the primary and secondary origin hypotheses for the observed cosmic-ray antiprotons, including the new low-energy measurement of Buffington, et al. We conclude that the cosmic-ray antiproton data may be evidence for antimatter galaxies and baryon symmetric cosmology. The present bar P data are consistent with a primary extragalactic component having /p=/equiv 1+/- 3.2/0.7x10 = to the -4 independent of energy. We propose that the primary extragalactic cosmic ray antiprotons are most likely from active galaxies and that expected disintegration of bar alpha/alpha ban alpha/alpha. We further predict a value for ban alpha/alpha =/equiv 10 to the -5, within range of future cosmic ray detectors.

Measurement of the flux of ultra high energy cosmic rays by the stereo technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

High Resolution Fly'S Eye Collaboration; Abbasi, R. U.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Al-Seady, M.; Allen, M.; Amann, J. F.; Archbold, G.; Belov, K.; Belz, J. W.; Bergman, D. R.; Blake, S. A.; Brusova, O. A.; Burt, G. W.; Cannon, C.; Cao, Z.; Deng, W.; Fedorova, Y.; Findlay, J.; Finley, C. B.; Gray, R. C.; Hanlon, W. F.; Hoffman, C. M.; Holzscheiter, M. H.; Hughes, G.; Hüntemeyer, P.; Ivanov, D.; Jones, B. F.; Jui, C. C. H.; Kim, K.; Kirn, M. A.; Loh, E. C.; Maestas, M. M.; Manago, N.; Marek, L. J.; Martens, K.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthews, J. N.; Moore, S. A.; O'Neill, A.; Painter, C. A.; Perera, L.; Reil, K.; Riehle, R.; Roberts, M. D.; Rodriguez, D.; Sasaki, M.; Schnetzer, S. R.; Scott, L. M.; Sinnis, G.; Smith, J. D.; Snow, R.; Sokolsky, P.; Springer, R. W.; Stokes, B. T.; Stratton, S. R.; Thomas, J. R.; Thomas, S. B.; Thomson, G. B.; Tupa, D.; Wiencke, L. R.; Zech, A.; Zhang, B. K.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; High Resolution Fly's Eye Collaboration

2009-08-01

The High Resolution Fly’s Eye (HiRes) experiment has measured the flux of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays using the stereoscopic air fluorescence technique. The HiRes experiment consists of two detectors that observe cosmic ray showers via the fluorescence light they emit. HiRes data can be analyzed in monocular mode, where each detector is treated separately, or in stereoscopic mode where they are considered together. Using the monocular mode the HiRes collaboration measured the cosmic ray spectrum and made the first observation of the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff. In this paper we present the cosmic ray spectrum measured by the stereoscopic technique. Good agreement is found with the monocular spectrum in all details.

Elemental composition and energy spectra of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mewaldt, R. A.

1988-01-01

A brief review is presented of the major features of the elemental composition and energy spectra of galactic cosmic rays. The requirements for phenomenological models of cosmic ray composition and energy spectra are discussed, and possible improvements to an existing model are suggested.

An investigation of techniques for the measurement and interpretation of cosmic ray isotopic abundances. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiedenbeck, M. E.

1977-01-01

An instrument, the Caltech High Energy Isotope Spectrometer Telescope was developed to measure isotopic abundances of cosmic ray nuclei by employing an energy loss - residual energy technique. A detailed analysis was made of the mass resolution capabilities of this instrument. A formalism, based on the leaky box model of cosmic ray propagation, was developed for obtaining isotopic abundance ratios at the cosmic ray sources from abundances measured in local interstellar space for elements having three or more stable isotopes, one of which is believed to be absent at the cosmic ray sources. It was shown that the dominant sources of uncertainty in the derived source ratios are uncorrelated errors in the fragmentation cross sections and statistical uncertainties in measuring local interstellar abundances. These results were applied to estimate the extent to which uncertainties must be reduced in order to distinguish between cosmic ray production in a solar-like environment and in various environments with greater neutron enrichments.

The Need for Direct High-Energy Cosmic-Ray Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Frank C.; Streitmatter, Robert

2004-01-01

Measuring the chemical composition of the cosmic rays in the energy region of greater than or equal to 10(exp 12)eV would be highly useful in settling several nagging questions concerning the propagation of cosmic rays in the galaxy. In particular an accurate measurement of secondary to primary ratios such as Boron to Carbon would gibe clear evidence as to whether the propagation of cosmic rays is determined by a diffusion coefficient that varies with the particle's energy as E(sup 0.5) or E(sup 0.3). This would go a long ways in helping us to understand the anistropy (or lack thereof) of the highest energy cosmic rays and the power requirements for producing those particles at approximately equal to 10(exp 18) eV which are believed to be highest energy particles produced in the Galaxy. This would be only one of the benefits of a mission such as ACCESS to perform direct particle measurements on very high energy cosmic rays.

Relative distribution of cosmic rays and magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seta, Amit; Shukurov, Anvar; Wood, Toby S.; Bushby, Paul J.; Snodin, Andrew P.

2018-02-01

Synchrotron radiation from cosmic rays is a key observational probe of the galactic magnetic field. Interpreting synchrotron emission data requires knowledge of the cosmic ray number density, which is often assumed to be in energy equipartition (or otherwise tightly correlated) with the magnetic field energy. However, there is no compelling observational or theoretical reason to expect such a tight correlation to hold across all scales. We use test particle simulations, tracing the propagation of charged particles (protons) through a random magnetic field, to study the cosmic ray distribution at scales comparable to the correlation scale of the turbulent flow in the interstellar medium (≃100 pc in spiral galaxies). In these simulations, we find that there is no spatial correlation between the cosmic ray number density and the magnetic field energy density. In fact, their distributions are approximately statistically independent. We find that low-energy cosmic rays can become trapped between magnetic mirrors, whose location depends more on the structure of the field lines than on the field strength.

Experimental Summary: Very High Energy Cosmic Rays and their Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kampert, Karl-Heinz

2013-06-01

The XVII International Symposium on Very High Energy Cosmic Ray Interactions, held in August of 2012 in Berlin, was the first one in the history of the Symposium,where a plethora of high precision LHC data with relevance for cosmic ray physics was presented. This report aims at giving a brief summary of those measurements andit discusses their relevance for observations of high energy cosmic rays. Enormous progress has been made also in air shower observations and in direct measurements of cosmic rays, exhibiting many more structure in the cosmic ray energy spectrum than just a simple power law with a knee and an ankle. At the highest energy, the flux suppression may not be dominated by the GZK-effect but by the limiting energy of a nearby source or source population. New projects and application of new technologies promise further advances also in the near future. We shall discuss the experimental and theoretical progress in the field and its prospects for coming years.

A demonstration device for cosmic rays telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esposito, Salvatore

2018-01-01

We describe a hands-on accurate demonstrator for cosmic rays realized by six high school students. The main aim is to show the relevance and the functioning of the principal parts of a cosmic ray telescope (muon detector), with the help of two large sized wooden artefacts. The first one points out how cosmic rays can be tracked in a muon telescope, while the other one shows the key avalanche process of electronic ionization that effectively allows muon detection through a photomultiplier. Incoming cosmic rays are visualized in terms of laser beams, whose 3D trajectory is highlighted by turning on LEDs on two orthogonal matrices. Instead the avalanche ionization process is demonstrated through the avalanche falling off glass marbles on an inclined plane, finally turning on a LED. A pictured poster accompanying the demonstrator is as effective in assisting cosmic ray demonstration and its detection. The success of the demonstrator has been fully proven by the general public during a science festival, in which the corresponding project won the Honorable Mention in a dedicated competition.

UH cosmic rays and solar system material - The elements just beyond iron

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wefel, J. P.; Schramm, D. N.; Blake, J. B.

1977-01-01

The nucleosynthesis of cosmic-ray elements between the iron peak and the rare-earth region is examined, and compositional changes introduced by propagation in interstellar space are calculated. Theories on the origin of elements heavier than iron are reviewed, a supernova model of explosive nucleosynthesis is adopted for the ultraheavy (UH) cosmic rays, and computational results for different source distributions are compared with experimental data. It is shown that both the cosmic-ray data and the nucleosynthesis calculations are not yet of sufficient precision to pinpoint the processes occurring in cosmic-ray source regions, that the available data do provide boundary conditions for cosmic-ray nucleosynthesis, and that these limits may apply to the origin of elements in the solar system. Specifically, it is concluded that solar-system abundances appear to be consistent with a superposition of the massive-star core-helium-burning s-process plus explosive-carbon-burning synthesis for the elements from Cu to As and are explained adequately by the s- and r-processes for heavier elements.

The KASCADE-Grande observatory and the composition of very high-energy cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Apel, W. D.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; Di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Fuchs, B.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Klages, H. O.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Milke, J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Palmieri, N.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Zabierowski, J.

2015-11-01

KASCADE-Grande is an air-shower observatory devoted to the detection of cosmic rays with energies in the range of 1016 to 1018 eV. This energy region is of particular interest for the cosmic ray astrophysics, since it is the place where some models predict the existence of a transition from galactic to extragalactic origin of cosmic rays and the presence of a break in the flux of its heavy component. The detection of these features requires detailed and simultaneous measurements of the energy and composition of cosmic rays with sufficient statistics. These kinds of studies are possible for the first time in KASCADE-Grande due to the accurate measurements of several air-shower observables, i.e., the number of charged particles, electrons and muons in the shower, using the different detector systems of the observatory. In this contribution, a detailed look into the composition of 1016 — 1018 eV cosmic rays with KASCADE-Grande is presented.

Cosmic ray composition and energy spectrum from 1-30 PeV using the 40-string configuration of IceTop and IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

IceCube Collaboration; Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Bell, M.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brayeur, L.; Brown, A. M.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Buitink, S.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carson, M.; Casey, J.; Casier, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Cowen, D. F.; Silva, A. H. Cruz; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eagan, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Flis, S.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Frantzen, K.; Fuchs, T.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Ismail, A. Haj; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Heereman, D.; Heimann, P.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, R.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Jlelati, O.; Johansson, H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Kläs, J.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, C.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kunnen, J.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lesiak-Bzdak, M.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; McNally, F.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Mohrmann, L.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Naumann, U.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Obertacke, A.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pepper, J. A.; de los Heros, C. Pérez; Pieloth, D.; Pirk, N.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rädel, L.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Salameh, T.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Saba, S. M.; Schatto, K.; Scheel, M.; Scheriau, F.; Schmidt, T.; Schmitz, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schöneberg, S.; Schönherr, L.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schulte, L.; Schulz, O.; Seckel, D.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Smith, M. W. E.; Soiron, M.; Soldin, D.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stasik, A.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Sullivan, G. W.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Usner, M.; van Eijndhoven, N.; van der Drift, D.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Wasserman, R.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Ziemann, J.; Zilles, A.; Zoll, M.

2013-02-01

The mass composition of high energy cosmic rays depends on their production, acceleration, and propagation. The study of cosmic ray composition can therefore reveal hints of the origin of these particles. At the South Pole, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory is capable of measuring two components of cosmic ray air showers in coincidence: the electromagnetic component at high altitude (2835 m) using the IceTop surface array, and the muonic component above ˜1 TeV using the IceCube array. This unique detector arrangement provides an opportunity for precision measurements of the cosmic ray energy spectrum and composition in the region of the knee and beyond. We present the results of a neural network analysis technique to study the cosmic ray composition and the energy spectrum from 1 PeV to 30 PeV using data recorded using the 40-string/40-station configuration of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.

The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project: Results of a Summer High-School Student, Teacher, University Scientist Partnership Using a Capstone Research Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shell, Duane F.; Snow, Gregory R.; Claes, Daniel R.

2011-04-01

This paper reports results from evaluation of the Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP), a student, teacher, scientist partnership to engage high-school students and teachers in school based cosmic ray research. Specifically, this study examined whether an intensive summer workshop experience could effectively prepare teacher—student teams to engage in cutting edge high-energy physics research. Results showed that teachers and students could acquire enough knowledge about cosmic ray physics and self-efficacy for conducting cosmic ray research during a summer workshop to be full participants in an SSP conducting research in their schools, and a capstone anchoring approach using an authentic research activity was effective for motivating student engagement in didactic classroom learning. CROP demonstrated "proof of concept" that setting up cosmic ray detector arrays in schools run by teachers and students was feasible, but found that set-up and operation in a high-school was technically difficult.

A measurement of the cosmic ray elements C to Fe in the two energy intervals 0.5-2.0 GeV/n and 20-60 GeV/n

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derrickson, J. H.; Parnell, T. A.; Watts, J. W.; Gregory, J. C.

1985-01-01

The study of the cosmic ray abundances beyond 20 GeV/n provides additional information on the propagation and containment of the cosmic rays in the galaxy. Since the average amount of interstellar material traversed by cosmic rays decreases as its energy increases, the source composition undergoes less distortion in this higher energy region. However, data over a wide energy range is necessary to study propagation parameters. Some measurements of some of the primary cosmic ray abundance ratios at both low (near 2 GeV/n) and high (above 20 GeV/n) energy are given and compared to the predictions of the leaky box mode. In particular, the integrated values (above 23.7 GeV/n) for the more abundant cosmic ray elements in the interval C through Fe and the differential flux for carbon, oxygen, and the Ne, Mg, Si group are presented. Limited statistics prevented the inclusion of the odd Z elements.

Lateral distribution of muons in IceCube cosmic ray events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Baum, V.; Bay, R.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker Tjus, J.; Becker, K.-H.; Bell, M.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brayeur, L.; Brown, A. M.; Bruijn, R.; Brunner, J.; Buitink, S.; Carson, M.; Casey, J.; Casier, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Cowen, D. F.; Cruz Silva, A. H.; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eagan, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Flis, S.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Frantzen, K.; Fuchs, T.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Hanson, K.; Heereman, D.; Heimann, P.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, R.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Jlelati, O.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Kläs, J.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, C.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kunnen, J.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lesiak-Bzdak, M.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; McNally, F.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Mohrmann, L.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Naumann, U.; Nowicki, S. C.; Nygren, D. R.; Obertacke, A.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pepper, J. A.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Pieloth, D.; Pirk, N.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rädel, L.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Riedel, B.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Saba, S. M.; Salameh, T.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Scheel, M.; Scheriau, F.; Schmidt, T.; Schmitz, M.; Schoenen, S.; Schöneberg, S.; Schönherr, L.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schulte, L.; Schulz, O.; Seckel, D.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Smith, M. W. E.; Soiron, M.; Soldin, D.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stasik, A.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Sullivan, G. W.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Usner, M.; van der Drift, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Wasserman, R.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Ziemann, J.; Zilles, A.; Zoll, M.

2013-01-01

In cosmic ray air showers, the muon lateral separation from the center of the shower is a measure of the transverse momentum that the muon parent acquired in the cosmic ray interaction. IceCube has observed cosmic ray interactions that produce muons laterally separated by up to 400 m from the shower core, a factor of 6 larger distance than previous measurements. These muons originate in high pT (>2GeV/c) interactions from the incident cosmic ray, or high-energy secondary interactions. The separation distribution shows a transition to a power law at large values, indicating the presence of a hard pT component that can be described by perturbative quantum chromodynamics. However, the rates and the zenith angle distributions of these events are not well reproduced with the cosmic ray models tested here, even those that include charm interactions. This discrepancy may be explained by a larger fraction of kaons and charmed particles than is currently incorporated in the simulations.

An estimation of Canadian population exposure to cosmic rays.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Timmins, Rachel; Verdecchia, Kyle; Sato, Tatsuhiko

2009-08-01

The worldwide average exposure to cosmic rays contributes to about 16% of the annual effective dose from natural radiation sources. At ground level, doses from cosmic ray exposure depend strongly on altitude, and weakly on geographical location and solar activity. With the analytical model PARMA developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, annual effective doses due to cosmic ray exposure at ground level were calculated for more than 1,500 communities across Canada which cover more than 85% of the Canadian population. The annual effective doses from cosmic ray exposure in the year 2000 during solar maximum ranged from 0.27 to 0.72 mSv with the population-weighted national average of 0.30 mSv. For the year 2006 during solar minimum, the doses varied between 0.30 and 0.84 mSv, and the population-weighted national average was 0.33 mSv. Averaged over solar activity, the Canadian population-weighted average annual effective dose due to cosmic ray exposure at ground level is estimated to be 0.31 mSv.

High energy physics in cosmic rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, Lawrence W.

2013-02-07

In the first half-century of cosmic ray physics, the primary research focus was on elementary particles; the positron, pi-mesons, mu-mesons, and hyperons were discovered in cosmic rays. Much of this research was carried out at mountain elevations; Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees, Mt. Chacaltaya in Bolivia, and Mt. Evans/Echo Lake in Colorado, among other sites. In the 1960s, claims of the observation of free quarks, and satellite measurements of a significant rise in p-p cross sections, plus the delay in initiating accelerator construction programs for energies above 100 GeV, motivated the Michigan-Wisconsin group to undertake a serious cosmic raymore » program at Echo Lake. Subsequently, with the succession of higher energy accelerators and colliders at CERN and Fermilab, cosmic ray research has increasingly focused on cosmology and astrophysics, although some groups continue to study cosmic ray particle interactions in emulsion chambers.« less

Ninteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. OG Sessions, Volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Contributed papers addressing cosmic ray origin and galactic phenomena are compiled. The topic areas covered in this volume include gamma ray bursts, gamma rays from point sources, and diffuse gamma ray emission.

Gamma rays from Centaurus A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gupta, Nayantara, E-mail: nayan@phy.iitb.ac.in

2008-06-15

Centaurus A, the cosmic ray accelerator a few Mpc away from us, is possibly one of the nearest sources of extremely high energy cosmic rays. We investigate whether the gamma ray data currently available from Centaurus A in the GeV-TeV energy band can be explained with only proton-proton interactions. We show that for a single power law proton spectrum, mechanisms of {gamma}-ray production other than proton-proton interactions are needed inside this radio-galaxy to explain the gamma ray flux observed by EGRET, upper limits from HESS/CANGAROO-III and the correlated extremely energetic cosmic ray events observed by the Pierre Auger experiment. Inmore » future, with better {gamma}-ray data, and simultaneous observation with {gamma}-ray and cosmic ray detectors, it will be possible to carry out such studies on different sources in more detail.« less

Do cosmic ray air showers initiate lightning?: A statistical analysis of cosmic ray air showers and lightning mapping array data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hare, B. M.; Dwyer, J. R.; Winner, L. H.; Uman, M. A.; Jordan, D. M.; Kotovsky, D. A.; Caicedo, J. A.; Wilkes, R. A.; Carvalho, F. L.; Pilkey, J. T.; Ngin, T. K.; Gamerota, W. R.; Rassoul, H. K.

2017-08-01

It has been argued in the technical literature, and widely reported in the popular press, that cosmic ray air showers (CRASs) can initiate lightning via a mechanism known as relativistic runaway electron avalanche (RREA), where large numbers of high-energy and low-energy electrons can, somehow, cause the local atmosphere in a thundercloud to transition to a conducting state. In response to this claim, other researchers have published simulations showing that the electron density produced by RREA is far too small to be able to affect the conductivity in the cloud sufficiently to initiate lightning. In this paper, we compare 74 days of cosmic ray air shower data collected in north central Florida during 2013-2015, the recorded CRASs having primary energies on the order of 1016 eV to 1018 eV and zenith angles less than 38°, with Lightning Mapping Array (LMA) data, and we show that there is no evidence that the detected cosmic ray air showers initiated lightning. Furthermore, we show that the average probability of any of our detected cosmic ray air showers to initiate a lightning flash can be no more than 5%. If all lightning flashes were initiated by cosmic ray air showers, then about 1.6% of detected CRASs would initiate lightning; therefore, we do not have enough data to exclude the possibility that lightning flashes could be initiated by cosmic ray air showers.

Numerical Model for Cosmic Rays Species Production and Propagation in the Galaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farahat, Ashraf; Zhang, Ming; Rassoul, Hamid; Connell, J. J.

2005-01-01

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in studying the propagation and origin of cosmic rays, as new and more accurate data have become available. Many models have been developed to study cosmic ray interactions and propagation showed flexibility in resembling various astrophysical conditions and good agreement with observational data. However, some astrophysical problems cannot be addressed using these models, such as the stochastic nature of the cosmic rays source, small-scale structures and inhomogeneities in the interstellar gas that can affect radioactive secondary abundance in cosmic rays. We have developed a new model and a corresponding computer code that can address some of these limitations. The model depends on the expansion of the backward stochastic solution of the general diffusion transport equation (Zhang 1999) starting from an observer position to solve a group of diffusion transport equations each of which represents a particular element or isotope of cosmic ray nuclei. In this paper we are focusing on key abundance ratios such as B/C, sub-Fe/Fe, (10)Be/(9)Be, (26)Al/(27)Al, (36)Cl/(37)Cl and (54)Mn/(55)Mn, which all have well established cross sections, to evaluate our model. The effect of inhomogeneity in the interstellar medium is investigated. The contribution of certain cosmic ray nuclei to the production of other nuclei is addressed. The contribution of various galactic locations to the production of cosmic ray nuclei observed at solar system is also investigated.

Modulation of Cosmic Ray Precipitation Related to Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feynman, J.; Ruzmaikin, A.

1998-01-01

High energy cosmic rays may influence the formation of clouds, and thus can have an impact on weather and climate. Cosmic rays in the solar wind are incident on the magnetosphere boundary and are then transmitted through the magnetosphere and atmosphere to reach the upper troposphere.

Investigation of the properties of galactic cosmic rays with the KASCADE-Grande experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hörandel, J. R.; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Badea, F.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Brüggemann, M.; Buchholz, P.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Finger, M.; Fuhrmann, D.; Ghia, P. L.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Kickelbick, D.; Klages, H. O.; Łuczak, P.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Navarra, G.; Nehls, S.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Over, S.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schröder, F.; Sima, O.; Stümpert, M.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.

2011-02-01

The properties of galactic cosmic rays are investigated with the KASCADE-Grande experiment in the energy range between 1014 and 1018 eV. Recent results are discussed. They concern mainly the all-particle energy spectrum and the elemental composition of cosmic rays.

Significance of medium energy gamma ray astronomy in the study of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fichtel, C. E.; Kniffen, D. A.; Thompson, D. J.; Bignami, G. F.; Cheung, C. Y.

1975-01-01

Medium energy (about 10 to 30 MeV) gamma ray astronomy provides information on the product of the galactic electron cosmic ray intensity and the galactic matter to which the electrons are dynamically coupled by the magnetic field. Because high energy (greater than 100 MeV) gamma ray astronomy provides analogous information for the nucleonic cosmic rays and the relevant matter, a comparison between high energy and medium energy gamma ray intensities provides a direct ratio of the cosmic ray electrons and nucleons throughout the galaxy. A calculation of gamma ray production by electron bremsstrahlung shows that: bremsstrahlung energy loss is probably not negligible over the lifetime of the electrons in the galaxy; and the approximate bremsstrahlung calculation often used previously overestimates the gamma ray intensity by about a factor of two. As a specific example, expected medium energy gamma ray intensities are calculated for the speral arm model.

Selected Theoretical Studies Group contributions to the 14th International Cosmic Ray conference. [including studies on galactic molecular hydrogen, interstellar reddening, and on the origin of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The galactic distribution of H2 was studied through gamma radiation and through X-ray, optical, and infrared absorption measurements from SAS-2 and other sources. A comparison of the latitude distribution of gamma-ray intensity with reddening data shows reddening data to give the best estimate of interstellar gas in the solar vicinity. The distribution of galactic cosmic ray nucleons was determined and appears to be identical to the supernova remnant distribution. Interactions between ultrahigh energy cosmic-ray nuclei and intergalactic photon radiation fields were calculated, using the Monte Carlo method.

Development of a high-resolution liquid xenon detector for gamma-ray astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Reshmi

It has been shown here that liquid xenon is one of the most promising detector media for future gamma-ray detectors, owing to an excellent combination of physical properties. The feasibility of the construction of a high resolution liquid xenon detector as a gamma-ray detector for astrophysics has been demonstrated. Up to 3.5 liters of liquid xenon has been successfully purified and using both small and large volume prototypes, the charge and the energy resolution response of such detectors to gamma-rays, internal conversion electrons and alpha particles have been measured. The best energy resolution measured was 4.5 percent FWHM at 1 MeV. Cosmic ray tracks have been imaged using a 2-dimensional liquid xenon multiwire imaging chamber. The spatial resolution along the direction of the drifting electrons was 180 microns rms. Experiments have been performed to study the scintillation light in liquid xenon, as the prompt scintillation signal in the liquid is an electron-ion pair in liquid krypton was measured for the first time with a pulsed ionization chamber to be 18.4 plus or minus 0.3 eV.

Contributions to the 19th International Cosmic Ray Conference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Various aspects of cosmic radiation, its measurements and their patterns are presented. Measurement techniques and variations in solar cosmic ray patterns and calculations of elemental abundances are reviewed.

Ninteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. SH Sessions, Volume 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Papers submitted for presentation at the 19th International Cosmic Ray Conference are compiled. This volume covers solar and heliospheric phenomena, specifically, particle acceleration; cosmic ray compsotion, spectra, and anisotropy; propagation of solar and interplanetary energetic particles; solar-cycle modulation; and propagation of galactic particles in the heliosphere.

Cosmic ray modulation by high-speed solar wind fluxes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorman, L. I.; Kaminer, N. S.; Kuzmicheva, A. E.; Mymrina, N. V.

1985-01-01

Cosmic ray intensity variations connected with recurrent high-speed fluxes (HSF) of solar wind are investigated. The increase of intensity before the Earth gets into a HSF, north-south anisotropy and diurnal variation of cosmic rays inside a HSF as well as the characteristics of Forbush decreases are considered.

Elemental composition, isotopes, electrons and positrons in cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubrahmanyan, V. K.

1979-01-01

Papers presented at the 16th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Kyoto, Japan, dealing with the composition of cosmic rays are reviewed. Particular interest is given to data having bearing on nucleosynthesis sites, supernovae, gamma-process, comparison with solar system composition, multiplicity of sources, and the energy dependence of composition.

Badhwar-O'Neil 2007 Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) Model Using Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Measurements for Solar Cycle 23

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ONeill, P. M.

2007-01-01

Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) satellite measurements of the galactic cosmic ray flux and correlation with the Climax Neutron Monitor count over Solar Cycle 23 are used to update the Badhwar O'Neill Galactic Cosmic Ray (GCR) model.

Testing Galactic Cosmic Ray Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, James H., Jr.

2009-01-01

Models of the Galactic Cosmic Ray Environment are used for designing and planning space missions. The existing models will be reviewed. Spectral representations from these models will be compared with measurements of galactic cosmic ray spectra made on balloon flights and satellite flights over a period of more than 50 years.

Testing Galactic Cosmic Ray Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Adams, James H., Jr.

2010-01-01

Models of the Galactic Cosmic Ray Environment are used for designing and planning space missions. The exising models will be reviewed. Spectral representations from these models will be compared with measurements of galactic cosmic ray spectra made on balloon flights and satellite flights over a period of more than 50 years.

Rossi and high-energy astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, George W.

2012-03-01

The contributions of Bruno Rossi to high-energy astronomy began in Italy in the 1930s with investigations concerning the nature of cosmic rays in theory and in hands-on experiments at the universities of Florence and Padua. Recent discoveries had cast doubt on Robert Millikan's idea that the primary cosmic rays are gamma rays created in the production of the elements by fusion of hydrogen atoms in interstellar space. Rossi entered the field with a prediction published in 1930 of a difference between the intensity of cosmic rays from the east and the west that would occur if the primary cosmic rays were charged particles of one sign. In the same year he invented the first practical electronic coincidence circuit, which he used in a series of fundamental particle experiments and in an unsuccessful attempt to detect an east-west effect at Florence. Expecting by theory that the effect would be greater at high altitude near the equator, he took his experiment to Eritrea in 1934 where his measurements demonstrated that the primary cosmic rays are predominantly positive particles. In the report of his expedition he also described his discovery of extensive cosmic-ray air showers. After WWII and his work at Los Alamos, Rossi resumed his cosmic-ray research, now at MIT, in a new style best described in his own words: ``Now I had the responsibility of an entire group, and what mattered was no longer my own work, but the work of the group.'' He suggested the new methods of ``density sampling'' and ``fast timing'' for air shower studies, and promoted their application in numerous experiments on the nature and origins of the highest energy cosmic rays. In 1959 he initiated and participated as a consultant in the work of Riccardo Giacconi that led to the discovery of the first x-ray star, Sco X-1, and the development of the first imaging x-ray telescopes. At MIT, members of the Rossi Cosmic Ray Group took the early steps in gamma-ray astronomy, first with balloon experiments that set lower and lower limits on the intensity of primary gamma rays, and then with the satellite experiments led by William Kraushaar that discovered the galactic and extra-galactic components of cosmic gamma rays. After Sco X-1, Rossi focused his efforts on exploring the solar wind and the interplanetary plasma while leaving his younger colleagues to pursue the new field of extra-solar x-ray astronomy with balloon, rocket, and satellite experiments.

Cosmic-ray electrons and galactic radio emission - A conflict

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Badhwar, G. D.; Daniel, R. R.; Stephens, S. A.

1977-01-01

An analysis which takes into account the observed energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons above 5 GeV and calculated mean magnetic field data shows that the observed spectral index of the radio continuum in the Galaxy is in conflict with some of the cosmic-ray electron measurements. It is found that the absolute intensities of cosmic-ray electrons measured by some of the experimenters are so low that they cannot be reconciled either with the interstellar magnetic field limits or with the extent of the galactic disk toward the anticenter.

11- and 22-year variations of the cosmic ray density and of the solar wind speed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chirkov, N. P.

1985-01-01

Cosmic ray density variations for 17-21 solar activity cycles and the solar wind speed for 20-21 events are investigated. The 22-year solar wind speed recurrence was found in even and odd cycles. The 22-year variations of cosmic ray density were found to be opposite that of solar wind speed and solar activity. The account of solar wind speed in 11-year variations significantly decreases the modulation region of cosmic rays when E = 10-20 GeV.

Cosmic rays in the heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webber, William R.

1987-01-01

The different types of cosmic ray particles and their role in the heliosphere are briefly described. The rates of various energetic particles were examined as a function of time and used to derive various differential energy gradients. The Pioneer and Voyager cosmic ray observations throughout the heliosphere are indeed giving a perspective on the three-dimensional character and size of the heliosphere. Most clearly the observations are emphasizing the role that transient variations in the outer heliosphere, and most likely the heliospheric boundary shock, play in the 11 year solar cycle modulation of cosmic rays.

The effect of the neutral sheet structure of the interplanetary magnetic field on cosmic ray distribution in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alania, M. V.; Aslamazashvili, R. G.; Bochorishvili, T.; Djapiashvili, T. V.; Tkemaladze, V. S.

1985-01-01

Results of the numerical solution of the anistoropic diffusion equation are presented. The modulation depth of galactic cosmic rays is defined by the degree of curvature of the neutral current sheet in the heliosphere. The effect of the regular interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on cosmic ray anisotropy in the period of solar activity minimum (in 1976) is analyzed by the data of the neutron super-monitors of the world network, and the heliolatitudinal gradient and cosmic ray diffusion coefficient are defined.

Viscosity and inertia in cosmic-ray transport - Effects of an average magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, L. L.; Jokipii, J. R.

1991-01-01

A generalized transport equation is introduced which describes the transport and propagation of cosmic rays in a magnetized, collisionless medium. The equation is valid if the cosmic-ray distribution function is nearly isotropic in momentum, if the ratio of fluid speed to fluid-flow particle speed is small, and if the ratio of collision time to time for change in the macroscopic flow is small. Five independent cosmic-ray viscosity coefficients are found, and the ralationship of this viscosity to particle orbits in a magnetic field is presented.

Cosmic ray spectrum, composition, and anisotropy measured with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamburro, Alessio

2014-04-01

Analysis of cosmic ray surface data collected with the IceTop array of Cherenkov detectors at the South Pole provides an accurate measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum and its features in the "knee" region up to energies of about 1 EeV. IceTop is part of the IceCube Observatory that includes a deep-ice cubic kilometer detector that registers signals of penetrating muons and other particles. Surface and in-ice signals detected in coincidence provide clear insights into the nuclear composition of cosmic rays. IceCube already measured an increase of the average primary mass as a function of energy. We present preliminary results on both IceTop-only and coincident events analysis. Furthermore, we review the recent measurement of the cosmic ray anisotropy with IceCube.

Cosmic Rays - A Word-Wide Student Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Mark

2017-01-01

The QuarkNet program has distributed hundreds of cosmic ray detectors for use in high schools and research facilities throughout the world over the last decade. Data collected by those students has been uploaded to a central server where web-based analysis tools enable users to characterize and to analyze everyone's cosmic ray data. Since muons rain down on everyone in the world, all students can participate in this free, high energy particle environment. Through self-directed inquiry students have designed their own experiments: exploring cosmic ray rates and air shower structure; and using muons to measure their speed, time dilation, lifetime, and affects on biological systems. We also plan to expand our annual International Muon Week project to create a large student-led collaboration where similar cosmic ray measurements are performed simultaneously throughout the world.

Cosmic Rays and Their Radiative Processes in Numerical Cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryu, Dongsu; Miniati, Francesco; Jones, Tom W.; Kang, Hyesung

2000-01-01

A cosmological hydrodynamic code is described, which includes a routine to compute cosmic ray acceleration and transport in a simplified way. The routine was designed to follow explicitly diffusive, acceleration at shocks, and second-order Fermi acceleration and adiabatic loss in smooth flows. Synchrotron cooling of the electron population can also be followed. The updated code is intended to be used to study the properties of nonthermal synchrotron emission and inverse Compton scattering from electron cosmic rays in clusters of galaxies, in addition to the properties of thermal bremsstrahlung emission from hot gas. The results of a test simulation using a grid of 128 (exp 3) cells are presented, where cosmic rays and magnetic field have been treated passively and synchrotron cooling of cosmic ray electrons has not been included.

Cosmic Rays and Their Radiative Processes in Numerical Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryu, D.; Miniati, F.; Jones, T. W.; Kang, H.

2000-05-01

A cosmological hydrodynamic code is described, which includes a routine to compute cosmic ray acceleration and transport in a simplified way. The routine was designed to follow explicitly diffusive acceleration at shocks, and second-order Fermi acceleration and adiabatic loss in smooth flows. Synchrotron cooling of the electron population can also be followed. The updated code is intended to be used to study the properties of nonthermal synchrotron emission and inverse Compton scattering from electron cosmic rays in clusters of galaxies, in addition to the properties of thermal bremsstrahlung emission from hot gas. The results of a test simulation using a grid of 1283 cells are presented, where cosmic rays and magnetic field have been treated passively and synchrotron cooling of cosmic ray electrons has not been included.

The shape of the extragalactic cosmic ray spectrum from galaxy clusters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harari, Diego; Mollerach, Silvia; Roulet, Esteban, E-mail: harari@cab.cnea.gov.ar, E-mail: mollerach@cab.cnea.gov.ar, E-mail: roulet@cab.cnea.gov.ar

2016-08-01

We study the diffusive escape of cosmic rays from a central source inside a galaxy cluster to obtain the suppression in the outgoing flux appearing when the confinement times get comparable or larger than the age of the sources. We also discuss the attenuation of the flux due to the interactions of the cosmic rays with the cluster medium, which can be sizeable for heavy nuclei. The overall suppression in the total cosmic ray flux expected on Earth is important to understand the shape of the extragalactic contribution to the cosmic ray spectrum for E / Z < 1 EeVmore » . This suppression can also be relevant to interpret the results of fits to composition-sensitive observables measured at ultra-high energies.« less

Cosmic ray modulation and radiation dose of aircrews during the solar cycle 24/25

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyake, Shoko; Kataoka, Ryuho; Sato, Tatsuhiko

2017-04-01

Weak solar activity and high cosmic ray flux during the coming solar cycle are qualitatively anticipated by the recent observations that show the decline in the solar activity levels. We predict the cosmic ray modulation and resultant radiation exposure at flight altitude by using the time-dependent and three-dimensional model of the cosmic ray modulation. Our galactic cosmic ray (GCR) model is based on the variations of the solar wind speed, the strength of the heliospheric magnetic field, and the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet. We reproduce the 22 year variation of the cosmic ray modulation from 1980 to 2015 taking into account the gradient-curvature drift motion of GCRs. The energy spectra of GCR protons obtained by our model show good agreement with the observations by the Balloon-borne Experiment with a Superconducting magnetic rigidity Spectrometer (BESS) and the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) except for a discrepancy at the solar maximum. Five-year annual radiation dose around the solar minimum at the solar cycle 24/25 will be approximately 19% higher than that in the last cycle. This is caused by the charge sign dependence of the cosmic ray modulation, such as the flattop profiles in a positive polarity.

Models of Cosmic-Ray Origin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shapiro, M. M.

2001-08-01

Two models of cosmic-ray genesis are compared: (a) the author s red-dwarf hypothesis requiring the injection of seed particles from coronal mass ejections (CME) prior to shock acceleration, and (b) the direct acceleration of thermal ions and of grains in the ISM, proposed by Meyer, Drury and Ellison. Both models agree that shocks in the expanding envelopes of supernova remnants are principally responsible for acceleration to cosmic-ray energies. Both are designed to overcome the mismatch between the source composition of the Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the composition of the thermal ISM gas. Model (a) utilizes the prolific emissions of energetic particles from active dMe and dKe stars via their CME as the agents of seed-particle injection into the ISM. The composition of these seed particles is governed by the FIP (first-ionization potential) selection mechanism that operates for both Galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles. Hence it is consistent with the cosmic-ray source composition. Model (b) relies on the sputtering and acceleration of grains in the ISM (along with acceleration of thermal ions) to provide the known source composition. This model considers the FIP ordering of GCR abundances as purely coincidental, and it attributes the relative source abundances to selection according to volatility. Recent cosmic-ray observations in favor of each model are cited.

Spaced-based Cosmic Ray Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Eun-Suk

2016-03-01

The bulk of cosmic ray data has been obtained with great success by balloon-borne instruments, particularly with NASA's long duration flights over Antarctica. More recently, PAMELA on a Russian Satellite and AMS-02 on the International Space Station (ISS) started providing exciting measurements of particles and anti-particles with unprecedented precision upto TeV energies. In order to address open questions in cosmic ray astrophysics, future missions require spaceflight exposures for rare species, such as isotopes, ultra-heavy elements, and high (the ``knee'' and above) energies. Isotopic composition measurements up to about 10 GeV/nucleon that are critical for understanding interstellar propagation and origin of the elements are still to be accomplished. The cosmic ray composition in the knee (PeV) region holds a key to understanding the origin of cosmic rays. Just last year, the JAXA-led CALET ISS mission, and the DAMPE Chinese Satellite were launched. NASA's ISS-CREAM completed its final verification at GSFC, and was delivered to KSC to await launch on SpaceX. In addition, a EUSO-like mission for ultrahigh energy cosmic rays and an HNX-like mission for ultraheavy nuclei could accomplish a vision for a cosmic ray observatory in space. Strong support of NASA's Explorer Program category of payloads would be needed for completion of these missions over the next decade.

Cosmic-Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory: a global cosmic ray detection framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sushchov, O.; Homola, P.; Dhital, N.; Bratek, Ł.; Poznański, P.; Wibig, T.; Zamora-Saa, J.; Almeida Cheminant, K.; Alvarez Castillo, D.; Góra, D.; Jagoda, P.; Jałocha, J.; Jarvis, J. F.; Kasztelan, M.; Kopański, K.; Krupiński, M.; Michałek, M.; Nazari, V.; Smelcerz, K.; Smolek, K.; Stasielak, J.; Sułek, M.

2017-12-01

The main objective of the Cosmic-Ray Extremely Distributed Observatory (CREDO) is the detection and analysis of extended cosmic ray phenomena, so-called super-preshowers (SPS), using existing as well as new infrastructure (cosmic-ray observatories, educational detectors, single detectors etc.). The search for ensembles of cosmic ray events initiated by SPS is yet an untouched ground, in contrast to the current state-of-the-art analysis, which is focused on the detection of single cosmic ray events. Theoretical explanation of SPS could be given either within classical (e.g., photon-photon interaction) or exotic (e.g., Super Heavy Dark Matter decay or annihilation) scenarios, thus detection of SPS would provide a better understanding of particle physics, high energy astrophysics and cosmology. The ensembles of cosmic rays can be classified based on the spatial and temporal extent of particles constituting the ensemble. Some classes of SPS are predicted to have huge spatial distribution, a unique signature detectable only with a facility of the global size. Since development and commissioning of a completely new facility with such requirements is economically unwarranted and time-consuming, the global analysis goals are achievable when all types of existing detectors are merged into a worldwide network. The idea to use the instruments in operation is based on a novel trigger algorithm: in parallel to looking for neighbour surface detectors receiving the signal simultaneously, one should also look for spatially isolated stations clustered in a small time window. On the other hand, CREDO strategy is also aimed at an active engagement of a large number of participants, who will contribute to the project by using common electronic devices (e.g., smartphones), capable of detecting cosmic rays. It will help not only in expanding the geographical spread of CREDO, but also in managing a large manpower necessary for a more efficient crowd-sourced pattern recognition scheme to identify and classify SPS. A worldwide network of cosmic-ray detectors could not only become a unique tool to study fundamental physics, it will also provide a number of other opportunities, including space-weather or geophysics studies. Among the latter one has to list the potential to predict earthquakes by monitoring the rate of low energy cosmic-ray events. The diversity of goals motivates us to advertise this concept across the astroparticle physics community.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This schematic details the third High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3. The HEAO-3's mission was to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit.

Solar induced long- and short-term variations of the cosmic ray intensity in the past, and predictions and opportunities for the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCracken, K. G.; McDonald, F. B.; Beer, J.

2009-12-01

The cosmogenic radionuclide data from the past 10,000 years, and the instrumental cosmic ray data since 1936 provide detailed information on the possible consequences of the present long and deep solar minimum. Furthermore, the cosmic ray transport equation has been used to estimate the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) throughout the past 10,000 years. This paper presents a series of figures that document the behavior of both the cosmic radiation and the IMF at Earth in the past. In particular, the 11-year cycles in both quantities for the past 600 years are displayed; and estimates given of the cosmic ray spectrum at Earth for situations that history tells us may occur in the near future. Over the longer term, a minimum of the Hallstatt cycle (2200 yr periodicity) of solar activity occurred ~500 years ago and the Sun is now on a steadily rising plane of activity. The historic record shows that the cosmic ray intensity has decreased extremely rapidly after earlier prolonged deep minima and this suggests rapid and large changes in the heliospheric conditions that we may see replicated. The paper will also display data from the deep, isolated solar minimum of 1956 that exhibited unusual low energy cosmic ray fluxes, and a highly anomalous cosmic ray gradient in the inner heliosphere. Paleo-cosmic ray evidence will also be displayed of an episode of intense solar energetic particle (SEP) events in the interval of reduced solar activity, 1892-1900, that may possibly be repeated. If the present long, deep solar minimum is a precursor to a “Grand Minimum” such as the Dalton minimum, it will provide a much improved insight into the spectrum of the cosmic radiation in interstellar space, and to the cosmic ray modulation process in the heliosphere. With this in mind, the paper suggests key measurements, and speculates on experimental conditions that may be markedly different from those encountered in the instrumental era.

Constraints on the Galactic Halo Dark Matter from Fermi-LAT Diffuse Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; Baldini, L.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bechtol, K.; Bellazzini, R.; Blandford, R. D.; Bloom, E. D.;

Influence of Sun and Other Cosmic Factors on Environment of the Earth

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-07

of the secondary cosmic rays (mostly muons , electrons, neutrons and gammas) can provide highly cost-effective information on the key characteristics...Coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun the impact on the Galactic Cosmic rays (GCR) will be observed. Particle detector is vital for measuring the...modulation effects the sun poses on the ambient population of the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR). The known agents of these modulation effects are Solar Flares

Cosmic x ray physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccammon, Dan; Cox, D. P.; Kraushaar, W. L.; Sanders, W. T.

1990-01-01

The annual progress report on Cosmic X Ray Physics is presented. Topics studied include: the soft x ray background, proportional counter and filter calibrations, the new sounding rocket payload: X Ray Calorimeter, and theoretical studies.

The Heavy Nuclei eXplorer (HNX) Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krizmanic, John; Mitchell, John; Binns, W. Robert; Hams, Thomas; Israel, Martin; Link, Jason; Rauch, Brian; Sakai, Kenichi; Sasaki, Makoto; Westphal, Andrew; Wiedenbeck, Mark; Heavy Nuclei eXplorer Collaboration

2016-03-01

The Heavy Nuclei eXplorer (HNX) will use two large high-precision instruments, the Extremely-heavy Cosmic-ray Composition Observer (ECCO) and the Cosmic-ray Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (CosmicTIGER), designed to fly in a SpaceX DragonLab Capsule, to measure the cosmic-ray abundance of every individual element in the periodic table from carbon through curium, providing the first measurement of many of these elements. These measurements provide an investigation on the nature of the source material of cosmic rays, the processes that inject them into cosmic accelerators, and the acceleration mechanisms. HNX will measure several thousand ultra-heavy galactic cosmic ray (UHGCR) nuclei with Z >= 30 , including about 50 actinides (Z >= 79). These data allow for a measurement of the mix of new and old material that is accelerated to GCRs, determine their age, measure the mix of nucleosynthesis processes responsible for the UHGCRs, determine how UHGCR elements are selected for acceleration, and measure the mean integrated pathlength traversed by UHGCRs before observation. The scientific motivation and instrumentation of HNX will be discussed as well as recent beam test results.

A Multi-Variate Fit to the Chemical Composition of the Cosmic-Ray Spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisch, Jonathan

Since the discovery of cosmic rays over a century ago, evidence of their origins has remained elusive. Deflected by galactic magnetic fields, the only direct evidence of their origin and propagation remain encoded in their energy distribution and chemical composition. Current models of galactic cosmic rays predict variations of the energy distribution of individual elements in an energy region around 3x1015 eV known as the knee. This work presents a method to measure the energy distribution of individual elemental groups in the knee region and its application to a year of data from the IceCube detector. The method uses cosmic rays detected by both IceTop, the surface-array component, and the deep-ice component of IceCube during the 2009-2010 operation of the IC-59 detector. IceTop is used to measure the energy and the relative likelihood of the mass composition using the signal from the cosmic-ray induced extensive air shower reaching the surface. IceCube, 1.5 km below the surface, measures the energy of the high-energy bundle of muons created in the very first interactions after the cosmic ray enters the atmosphere. These event distributions are fit by a constrained model derived from detailed simulations of cosmic rays representing five chemical elements. The results of this analysis are evaluated in terms of the theoretical uncertainties in cosmic-ray interactions and seasonal variations in the atmosphere. The improvements in high-energy cosmic ray hadronic-interaction models informed by this analysis, combined with increased data from subsequent operation of the IceCube detector, could provide crucial limits on the origin of cosmic rays and their propagation through the galaxy. In the course of developing this method, a number of analysis and statistical techniques were developed to deal with the difficulties inherent in this type of measurement. These include a composition-sensitive air shower reconstruction technique, a method to model simulated event distributions with limited statistics, and a method to optimize and estimate the error on a regularized fit.

The potential of detecting intermediate-scale biomass and canopy interception in a coniferous forest using cosmic-ray neutron intensity measurements and neutron transport modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreasen, M.; Looms, M. C.; Bogena, H. R.; Desilets, D.; Zreda, M. G.; Sonnenborg, T. O.; Jensen, K. H.

2014-12-01

The water stored in the various compartments of the terrestrial ecosystem (in snow, canopy interception, soil and litter) controls the exchange of the water and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere. Therefore, measurements of the water stored within these pools are critical for the prediction of e.g. evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. The detection of cosmic-ray neutron intensity is a novel non-invasive method for the quantification of continuous intermediate-scale soil moisture. The footprint of the cosmic-ray neutron probe is a hemisphere of a few hectometers and subsurface depths of 10-70 cm depending on wetness. The cosmic-ray neutron method offers measurements at a scale between the point-scale measurements and large-scale satellite retrievals. The cosmic-ray neutron intensity is inversely correlated to the hydrogen stored within the footprint. Overall soil moisture represents the largest pool of hydrogen and changes in the soil moisture clearly affect the cosmic-ray neutron signal. However, the neutron intensity is also sensitive to variations of hydrogen in snow, canopy interception and biomass offering the potential to determine water content in such pools from the signal. In this study we tested the potential of determining canopy interception and biomass using cosmic-ray neutron intensity measurements within the framework of the Danish Hydrologic Observatory (HOBE) and the Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO). Continuous measurements at the ground and the canopy level, along with profile measurements were conducted at towers at forest field sites. Field experiments, including shielding the cosmic-ray neutron probes with cadmium foil (to remove lower-energy neutrons) and measuring reference intensity rates at complete water saturated conditions (on the sea close to the HOBE site), were further conducted to obtain an increased understanding of the physics controlling the cosmic-ray neutron transport and the equipment used. Additionally, neutron transport modeling, using the extended version of the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code, was conducted. The responses of the reference condition, different amounts of biomass, soil moisture and canopy interception on the cosmic-ray neutron intensity were simulated and compared to the measurements.

Ionization Processes in the Atmosphere of Titan (Research Note). III. Ionization by High-Z Nuclei Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gronoff, G.; Mertens, C.; Lilensten, J.; Desorgher, L.; Fluckiger, E.; Velinov, P.

2011-01-01

Context. The Cassini-Huygens mission has revealed the importance of particle precipitation in the atmosphere of Titan thanks to in-situ measurements. These ionizing particles (electrons, protons, and cosmic rays) have a strong impact on the chemistry, hence must be modeled. Aims. We revisit our computation of ionization in the atmosphere of Titan by cosmic rays. The high-energy high-mass ions are taken into account to improve the precision of the calculation of the ion production profile. Methods. The Badhwahr and O Neill model for cosmic ray spectrum was adapted for the Titan model. We used the TransTitan model coupled with the Planetocosmics model to compute the ion production by cosmic rays. We compared the results with the NAIRAS/HZETRN ionization model used for the first time for a body that differs from the Earth. Results. The cosmic ray ionization is computed for five groups of cosmic rays, depending on their charge and mass: protons, alpha, Z = 8 (oxygen), Z = 14 (silicon), and Z = 26 (iron) nucleus. Protons and alpha particles ionize mainly at 65 km altitude, while the higher mass nucleons ionize at higher altitudes. Nevertheless, the ionization at higher altitude is insufficient to obscure the impact of Saturn s magnetosphere protons at a 500 km altitude. The ionization rate at the peak (altitude: 65 km, for all the different conditions) lies between 30 and 40/cu cm/s. Conclusions. These new computations show for the first time the importance of high Z cosmic rays on the ionization of the Titan atmosphere. The updated full ionization profile shape does not differ significantly from that found in our previous calculations (Paper I: Gronoff et al. 2009, 506, 955) but undergoes a strong increase in intensity below an altitude of 400 km, especially between 200 and 400 km altitude where alpha and heavier particles (in the cosmic ray spectrum) are responsible for 40% of the ionization. The comparison of several models of ionization and cosmic ray spectra (in intensity and composition) reassures us about the stability of the altitude of the ionization peak (65 km altitude) with respect to the solar activity.

PeV neutrinos from intergalactic interactions of cosmic rays emitted by active galactic nuclei.

PubMed

Kalashev, Oleg E; Kusenko, Alexander; Essey, Warren

2013-07-26

The observed very high energy spectra of distant blazars are well described by secondary gamma rays produced in line-of-sight interactions of cosmic rays with background photons. In the absence of the cosmic-ray contribution, one would not expect to observe very hard spectra from distant sources, but the cosmic ray interactions generate very high energy gamma rays relatively close to the observer, and they are not attenuated significantly. The same interactions of cosmic rays are expected to produce a flux of neutrinos with energies peaked around 1 PeV. We show that the diffuse isotropic neutrino background from many distant sources can be consistent with the neutrino events recently detected by the IceCube experiment. We also find that the flux from any individual nearby source is insufficient to account for these events. The narrow spectrum around 1 PeV implies that some active galactic nuclei can accelerate protons to EeV energies.

Cosmic x ray physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccammon, Dan; Cox, D. P.; Kraushaar, W. L.; Sanders, W. T.

1991-01-01

The annual progress report on Cosmic X Ray Physics for the period 1 Jan. to 31 Dec. 1990 is presented. Topics studied include: soft x ray background, new sounding rocket payload: x ray calorimeter, and theoretical studies.

PLASMA EFFECTS ON EXTRAGALACTIC ULTRAHIGH-ENERGY COSMIC-RAY HADRON BEAMS IN COSMIC VOIDS. II. KINETIC INSTABILITY OF PARALLEL ELECTROSTATIC WAVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krakau, S.; Schlickeiser, R., E-mail: steffen.krakau@rub.de, E-mail: rsch@tp4.rub.de

2016-02-20

The linear instability of an ultrarelativistic hadron beam in the unmagnetized intergalactic medium (IGM) is investigated with respect to the excitation of parallel electrostatic and electromagnetic fluctuations. This analysis is important for the propagation of extragalactic ultrarelativistic cosmic rays from their distant sources to Earth. As opposed to the previous paper, we calculate the minimum instability growth time for Lorentz-distributed cosmic rays which traverse the hot IGM. The growth times are orders of magnitude higher than the cosmic-ray propagation time in the IGM. Since the backreaction of the generated plasma fluctuations (plateauing) lasts longer than the propagation time, the cosmic-raymore » hadron beam can propagate to the Earth without losing a significant amount of energy to electrostatic turbulence.« less

Cosmic ray albedo gamma rays from the quiet sun

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seckel, D.; Stanev, T.; Gaisser, T. K.

1992-01-01

We estimate the flux of gamma-rays that result from collisions of high energy galactic cosmic rays with the solar atmosphere. An important aspect of our model is the propagation of cosmic rays through the magnetic fields of the inner solar systems. We use diffusion to model propagation down to the bottom of the corona. Below the corona we trace particle orbits through the photospheric fields to determine the location of cosmic ray interactions in the solar atmosphere and evolve the resultant cascades. For our nominal choice of parameters, we predict an integrated flux of gamma rays (at 1 AU) of F(E(sub gamma) greater than 100 MeV) approximately = 5 x 10(exp -8)/sq cm sec. This can be an order of magnitude above the galactic background and should be observable by the Energetic Gamma Ray experiment telescope (EGRET).

Implications of supernova remnant origin model of galactic cosmic rays on gamma rays from young supernova remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banik, Prabir; Bhadra, Arunava

2017-06-01

It is widely believed that Galactic cosmic rays are originated in supernova remnants (SNRs), where they are accelerated by a diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) process in supernova blast waves driven by expanding SNRs. In recent theoretical developments of the DSA theory in SNRs, protons are expected to accelerate in SNRs at least up to the knee energy. If SNRs are the true generators of cosmic rays, they should accelerate not only protons but also heavier nuclei with the right proportions, and the maximum energy of the heavier nuclei should be the atomic number (Z ) times the mass of the proton. In this work, we investigate the implications of the acceleration of heavier nuclei in SNRs on energetic gamma rays produced in the hadronic interaction of cosmic rays with ambient matter. Our findings suggest that the energy conversion efficiency has to be nearly double for the mixed cosmic ray composition compared to that of pure protons to explain observations. In addition, the gamma-ray flux above a few tens of TeV would be significantly higher if cosmic ray particles could attain energies Z times the knee energy in lieu of 200 TeV, as suggested earlier for nonamplified magnetic fields. The two stated maximum energy paradigms will be discriminated in the future by upcoming gamma-ray experiments like the Cherenkov telescope array (CTA).

Implications of HEAO-3 data for the acceleration and propagation of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ormes, J. F.; Protheroe, R. J.

1983-01-01

The energy dependence of the mean escape length of cosmic rays from the galaxy in the light of recent measurements of cosmic ray abundances from the Danish-French experiment on HEAO-3 is re-examined. The energy dependence is found to be steeper than previously thought.

Early history of cosmic rays at Chicago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yodh, Gaurang B.

2013-02-01

Cosmic ray studies at the University of Chicago were started by Arthur Compton during the late 1920s. The high points of cosmic ray studies at Chicago under Compton and Marcel Schein are the focus of this report, which summarizes the research done at Chicago up to the end of World War II.

Cosmic ray modulation and turbulent interaction regions near 11 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Mcdonald, F. B.; Goldstein, M. L.; Lazarus, A. J.

1985-01-01

When Voyager 2 was near 11 AU, the counting rate of nuclei approx 75 MeV/nucleon decreased during the interval from July, 1982 to November, 1982, and it increased thereafter until August, 1983. A decrease in cosmic ray flux was generally associated with the passage of an interaction region in which the magnetic field strength B was higher than that predicted by the spiral field model, B sub p. Several large enhancements in B/B sup p were associated with merged interaction regions which probably resulted from the interaction of two or more distinct flows. During the passage of interaction regions the cosmic ray intensity decreased at a rate proportional to (B/B sup p -1), and during the passage of rarefaction regions (where B/B sup p 1) the cosmic ray intensity increased at a constant rate. The general form of the cosmic ray intensity profile during this approx 13 month minicycle can be described by integrating these relations using the observed B(t). Latitudinal variations of the interaction regions and of the short-term cosmic ray variations were identified.

COMPARISON OF COSMIC-RAY ENVIRONMENTS ON EARTH, MOON, MARS AND IN SPACECARFT USING PHITS.

PubMed

Sato, Tatsuhiko; Nagamatsu, Aiko; Ueno, Haruka; Kataoka, Ryuho; Miyake, Shoko; Takeda, Kazuo; Niita, Koji

2017-09-29

Estimation of cosmic-ray doses is of great importance not only in aircrew and astronaut dosimetry but also in evaluation of background radiation exposure to public. We therefore calculated the cosmic-ray doses on Earth, Moon and Mars as well as inside spacecraft, using Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System PHITS. The same cosmic-ray models and dose conversion coefficients were employed in the calculation to properly compare between the simulation results for different environments. It is quantitatively confirmed that the thickness of physical shielding including the atmosphere and soil of the planets is the most important parameter to determine the cosmic-ray doses and their dominant contributors. The comparison also suggests that higher solar activity significantly reduces the astronaut doses particularly for the interplanetary missions. The information obtained from this study is useful in the designs of the future space missions as well as accelerator-based experiments dedicated to cosmic-ray research. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Observation of Anisotropy in the Galactic Cosmic-Ray Arrival Directions at 400 TeV with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Allen, M. M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bindig, D.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Blumenthal, J.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Bose, D.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Brown, A. M.; Buitink, S.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Carson, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; Cruz Silva, A. H.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Daughhetee, J.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Degner, T.; Demirörs, L.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Dunkman, M.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Fedynitch, A.; Feintzeig, J.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Fischer-Wasels, T.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Góra, D.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Haj Ismail, A.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Heinen, D.; Helbing, K.; Hellauer, R.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Hoffmann, B.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülß, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobi, E.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kappes, A.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Kopper, S.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Kroll, G.; Kurahashi, N.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Larson, M. J.; Lauer, R.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Miarecki, S.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Porrata, R.; Posselt, J.; Price, C. C.; Price, P. B.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Richman, M.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schmidt, T.; Schönwald, A.; Schukraft, A.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stößl, A.; Strahler, E. A.; Ström, R.; Stüer, M.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Vehring, M.; Voge, M.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Wood, T. R.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, D. L.; Xu, X. W.; Yanez, J. P.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; Zoll, M.; IceCube Collaboration

2012-02-01

In this paper we report the first observation in the Southern hemisphere of an energy dependence in the Galactic cosmic-ray anisotropy up to a few hundred TeV. This measurement was performed using cosmic-ray-induced muons recorded by the partially deployed IceCube observatory between 2009 May and 2010 May. The data include a total of 33 × 109 muon events with a median angular resolution of ~3°. A sky map of the relative intensity in arrival direction over the Southern celestial sky is presented for cosmic-ray median energies of 20 and 400 TeV. The same large-scale anisotropy observed at median energies around 20 TeV is not present at 400 TeV. Instead, the high-energy sky map shows a different anisotropy structure including a deficit with a post-trial significance of -6.3σ. This anisotropy reveals a new feature of the Galactic cosmic-ray distribution, which must be incorporated into theories of the origin and propagation of cosmic rays.

Model structure of a cosmic-ray mediated stellar or solar wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, M. A.; Axford, W. I.

1988-01-01

An idealized hydrodynamic model is presented for the mediation of a free-streaming stellar wind by galactic cosmic rays or energetic particles accelerated at the stellar wind termination shock. The spherically-symmetric stellar wind is taken to be cold; the only body force is the cosmic ray pressure gradient. The cosmic rays are treated as a massless fluid with an effective mean diffusion coefficient k proportional to radial distance r. The structure of the governing equations is investigated both analytically and numerically. Solutions for a range of values of k are presented which describe the deceleration of the stellar wind and a transition to nearly incompressible flow and constant cosmic ray pressure at large r. In the limit of small k the transition steepens to a strong stellar wind termination shock. For large k the stellar wind is decelerated gradually with no shock transition. It is argued that the solutions provide a simple model for the mediation of the solar wind by interstellar ions as both pickup ions and the cosmic ray anomalous component which together dominate the pressure of the solar wind at large r.

Modification of the parallel scattering mean free path of cosmic rays in the presence of adiabatic focusing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, H.-Q.; Schlickeiser, R., E-mail: hqhe@mail.iggcas.ac.cn, E-mail: rsch@tp4.rub.de

The cosmic ray mean free path in a large-scale nonuniform guide magnetic field with superposed magnetostatic turbulence is calculated to clarify some conflicting results in the literature. A new, exact integro-differential equation for the cosmic-ray anisotropy is derived from the Fokker-Planck transport equation. A perturbation analysis of this integro-differential equation leads to an analytical expression for the cosmic ray anisotropy and the focused transport equation for the isotropic part of the cosmic ray distribution function. The derived parallel spatial diffusion coefficient and the associated cosmic ray mean free path include the effect of adiabatic focusing and reduce to the standardmore » forms in the limit of a uniform guide magnetic field. For the illustrative case of isotropic pitch angle scattering, the derived mean free path agrees with the earlier expressions of Beeck and Wibberenz, Bieber and Burger, Kota, and Litvinenko, but disagrees with the result of Shalchi. The disagreement with the expression of Shalchi is particularly strong in the limit of strong adiabatic focusing.« less

Anomalous Transport of Cosmic Rays in a Nonlinear Diffusion Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litvinenko, Yuri E.; Fichtner, Horst; Walter, Dominik

2017-05-20

We investigate analytically and numerically the transport of cosmic rays following their escape from a shock or another localized acceleration site. Observed cosmic-ray distributions in the vicinity of heliospheric and astrophysical shocks imply that anomalous, superdiffusive transport plays a role in the evolution of the energetic particles. Several authors have quantitatively described the anomalous diffusion scalings, implied by the data, by solutions of a formal transport equation with fractional derivatives. Yet the physical basis of the fractional diffusion model remains uncertain. We explore an alternative model of the cosmic-ray transport: a nonlinear diffusion equation that follows from a self-consistent treatmentmore » of the resonantly interacting cosmic-ray particles and their self-generated turbulence. The nonlinear model naturally leads to superdiffusive scalings. In the presence of convection, the model yields a power-law dependence of the particle density on the distance upstream of the shock. Although the results do not refute the use of a fractional advection–diffusion equation, they indicate a viable alternative to explain the anomalous diffusion scalings of cosmic-ray particles.« less

Enhancements of energetic particles near the heliospheric termination shock.

PubMed

McDonald, Frank B; Stone, Edward C; Cummings, Alan C; Heikkila, Bryant; Lal, Nand; Webber, William R

2003-11-06

The spacecraft Voyager 1 is at a distance greater than 85 au from the Sun, in the vicinity of the termination shock that marks the abrupt slowing of the supersonic solar wind and the beginning of the extended and unexplored distant heliosphere. This shock is expected to accelerate 'anomalous cosmic rays', as well as to re-accelerate Galactic cosmic rays and low-energy particles from the inner Solar System. Here we report a significant increase in the numbers of energetic ions and electrons that persisted for seven months beginning in mid-2002. This increase differs from any previously observed in that there was a simultaneous increase in Galactic cosmic ray ions and electrons, anomalous cosmic rays and low-energy ions. The low-intensity level and spectral energy distribution of the anomalous cosmic rays, however, indicates that Voyager 1 still has not reached the termination shock. Rather, the observed increase is an expected precursor event. We argue that the radial anisotropy of the cosmic rays is expected to be small in the foreshock region, as is observed.

Observation of Anisotropy in the Galactic Cosmic Ray Arrival Directions at 400 TEV With IceCube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Allen, M. M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.;

Astrophysical Sources of Cosmic Rays and Related Measurements with the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abraham, : J.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.

2009-06-01

These are presentations to be presented at the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, in Lodz, Poland during July 2009. It consists of the following presentations: (1) Correlation of the highest energy cosmic rays with nearby extragalactic objects in Pierre Auger Observatory data; (2) Discriminating potential astrophysical sources of the highest energy cosmic rays with the Pierre Auger Observatory; (3) Intrinsic anisotropy of the UHECR from the Pierre Auger Observatory; (4) Ultra-high energy photon studies with the Pierre Auger Observatory; (5) Limits on the flux of diffuse ultra high energy neutrinos set using the Pierre Auger Observatory; (6) Search for siderealmore » modulation of the arrival directions of events recorded at the Pierre Auger Observatory; (7) Cosmic Ray Solar Modulation Studies in the Pierre Auger Observatory; (8) Investigation of the Displacement Angle of the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays Caused by the Galactic Magnetic Field; (9) Search for coincidences with astrophysical transients in Pierre Auger Observatory data; and (10) An alternative method for determining the energy of hybrid events at the Pierre Auger Observatory.« less

Observation of an Anisotropy in the Galactic Cosmic Ray Arrival Direction at 400 TeV with IceCube

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Ackermann, M.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Allen, M. M.; Altmann, D.; Andeen, K.;

Discovery of very-high-energy gamma-rays from the Galactic Centre ridge.

PubMed

Aharonian, F; Akhperjanian, A G; Bazer-Bachi, A R; Beilicke, M; Benbow, W; Berge, D; Bernlöhr, K; Boisson, C; Bolz, O; Borrel, V; Braun, I; Breitling, F; Brown, A M; Chadwick, P M; Chounet, L-M; Cornils, R; Costamante, L; Degrange, B; Dickinson, H J; Djannati-Ataï, A; Drury, L O'C; Dubus, G; Emmanoulopoulos, D; Espigat, P; Feinstein, F; Fontaine, G; Fuchs, Y; Funk, S; Gallant, Y A; Giebels, B; Gillessen, S; Glicenstein, J F; Goret, P; Hadjichristidis, C; Hauser, D; Hauser, M; Heinzelmann, G; Henri, G; Hermann, G; Hinton, J A; Hofmann, W; Holleran, M; Horns, D; Jacholkowska, A; de Jager, O C; Khélifi, B; Klages, S; Komin, Nu; Konopelko, A; Latham, I J; Le Gallou, R; Lemière, A; Lemoine-Goumard, M; Leroy, N; Lohse, T; Marcowith, A; Martin, J M; Martineau-Huynh, O; Masterson, C; McComb, T J L; de Naurois, M; Nolan, S J; Noutsos, A; Orford, K J; Osborne, J L; Ouchrif, M; Panter, M; Pelletier, G; Pita, S; Pühlhofer, G; Punch, M; Raubenheimer, B C; Raue, M; Raux, J; Rayner, S M; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Ripken, J; Rob, L; Rolland, L; Rowell, G; Sahakian, V; Saugé, L; Schlenker, S; Schlickeiser, R; Schuster, C; Schwanke, U; Siewert, M; Sol, H; Spangler, D; Steenkamp, R; Stegmann, C; Tavernet, J-P; Terrier, R; Théoret, C G; Tluczykont, M; van Eldik, C; Vasileiadis, G; Venter, C; Vincent, P; Völk, H J; Wagner, S J

2006-02-09

The source of Galactic cosmic rays (with energies up to 10(15) eV) remains unclear, although it is widely believed that they originate in the shock waves of expanding supernova remnants. At present the best way to investigate their acceleration and propagation is by observing the gamma-rays produced when cosmic rays interact with interstellar gas. Here we report observations of an extended region of very-high-energy (> 10(11) eV) gamma-ray emission correlated spatially with a complex of giant molecular clouds in the central 200 parsecs of the Milky Way. The hardness of the gamma-ray spectrum and the conditions in those molecular clouds indicate that the cosmic rays giving rise to the gamma-rays are likely to be protons and nuclei rather than electrons. The energy associated with the cosmic rays could have come from a single supernova explosion around 10(4) years ago.

Variation of cosmic rays and solar wind properties with respect to the heliospheric current sheet. II - Rigidity dependence of the latitudinal gradient of cosmic rays at 1 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newkirk, G., Jr.; Asbridge, J.; Lockwood, J. A.; Garcia-Munoz, M.; Simpson, J. A.

1986-01-01

The role which empirical determinations of the latitudinal variation of cosmic rays with respect to the current sheet may have in illuminating the importance of the cross-field drift of particles in the large-scale heliospheric magnetic field is discussed. Using K coronameter observations and measured solar wind speeds, the latitudinal gradients have been determined with respect to the current sheet for cosmic rays in four rigidity ranges. Gradients vary between approximately -2 and -50 pct/AU. The rigidity dependence of the decrease of cosmic ray flux with distance from the current sheet lies between the -0.72 to -0.86 power of the rigidity, with the exact dependence being determined by the definition used for the median rigidity of each monitor.

The local time dependence of the anisotropic solar cosmic ray flux.

PubMed

Smart, D F; Shea, M A

2003-01-01

The distribution of the solar cosmic radiation flux over the earth is not uniform, but the result of complex phenomena involving the interplanetary magnetic field, the geomagnetic field and latitude and longitude of locations on the earth. The latitude effect relates to the geomagnetic shield; the longitude effect relates to local time. For anisotropic solar cosmic ray events the maximum particle flux is always along the interplanetary magnetic field direction, sometimes called the Archimedean spiral path from the sun to the earth. During anisotropic solar cosmic ray event, the locations on the earth viewing "sunward" into the interplanetary magnetic field direction will observe the largest flux (when adjustments are made for the magnetic latitude effect). To relate this phenomena to aircraft routes, for anisotropic solar cosmic ray events that occur during "normal quiescent" conditions, the maximum solar cosmic ray flux (and corresponding solar particle radiation dose) will be observed in the dawn quadrant, ideally at about 06 hours local time. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of COSPAR.

Radio-wave detection of ultra-high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huege, Tim; Besson, Dave

2017-12-01

Radio waves, perhaps because our terrestrial atmosphere and the cosmos beyond are uniquely transparent to them, or perhaps because they are macroscopic, so the basic instruments of detection (antennas) are easily constructible, arguably occupy a privileged position within the electromagnetic spectrum, and, correspondingly, receive disproportionate attention experimentally. Detection of radio-frequency radiation, at macroscopic wavelengths, has blossomed within the last decade as a competitive method for the measurement of cosmic particles, particularly charged cosmic rays and neutrinos. Cosmic-ray detection via radio emission from extensive air showers has been demonstrated to be a reliable technique that has reached a reconstruction quality of the cosmic-ray parameters competitive with more traditional approaches. Radio detection of neutrinos in dense media seems to be the most promising technique to achieve the gigantic detection volumes required to measure neutrinos at energies beyond the PeV-scale flux established by IceCube. In this article, we review radio detection both of cosmic rays in the atmosphere, as well as neutrinos in dense media.

What is your Cosmic Connection to the Elements?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor); Lochner, James; Rohrbach, Gail; Cochrane, Kim

2003-01-01

This information and activity booklet describes the roles of the Big Bang, types of stars, supernovae, cosmic ray interactions, and radioactive decay in the formation of the elements. The booklet includes instructions for the following classroom activities, intended for students in Grades 9-12: Grandma's Apple Pie; Cosmic Shuffle; Nickel-odeon; Kinesthetic Big Bang; Elemental Haiku; Cosmic Ray Collisions; Cosmic Abundances; and What's Out There.

On the Slow time Geomagnetic field Modulation of Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okpala, K. C.; Egbunu, F.

2016-12-01

Cosmic rays of galactic origin are modulated by both heliospheric and geomagnetic conditions. The mutual (and mutually exclusive) contribution of both heliospheric and geomagnetic conditions to galactic cosmic rays (GCR) modulation is still an open question. While the rapid-time association of the galactic cosmic ray variation with different heliophysical and geophysical phenomena has been well studied, not so much attention has been paid to slow-time variations especially with regards to local effects. In this work, we employed monthly means of cosmic ray count rates from two mid latitude (Hermanus and Rome), and two higher latitude (Inuvik and Oulu) neutron monitors (NM), and compared their variability with geomagnetic stations that are in close proximity to the NMs. The data spans 1966 to 2008 and covers four (4) solar cycles. The difference (CRdiff)between the mean count rate of all days and the mean of the five quietest days for each month was compared with the Dst-related disturbance (Hdiff) derived from the nearby geomagnetic stations. Zeroth- and First- correlation between the cosmic ray parameters and geomagnetic parameters was performed to ascertain statistical association and test for spurious association. Our results show that solar activity is generally strongly correlated (>0.75) with mean strength of GCR count rate and geomagnetic field during individual solar cycles. The correlation between mean strength of cosmic ray intensity and Geomagnetic field strength is spurious and is basically moderated by the solar activity. The signature of convection driven disturbances at high latitude geomagnetic stations was evident during the declining phase of the solar cycles close to the solar minimums. The absence of this feature in the slow-time varying cosmic ray count rates in all stations, and in the mid latitude geomagnetic stations suggest that the local geomagnetic disturbance do not play a significant role in modulating the cosmic ray flux.

Cosmic ray variations of solar origin in relation to human physiological state during the December 2006 solar extreme events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papailiou, M.; Mavromichalaki, H.; Vassilaki, A.; Kelesidis, K. M.; Mertzanos, G. A.; Petropoulos, B.

2009-02-01

There is an increasing amount of evidence linking biological effects to solar and geomagnetic disturbances. A series of studies is published referring to the changes in human physiological responses at different levels of geomagnetic activity. In this study, the possible relation between the daily variations of cosmic ray intensity, measured by the Neutron Monitor at the Cosmic Ray Station of the University of Athens (http://cosray.phys.uoa.gr) and the average daily and hourly heart rate variations of persons, with no symptoms or hospital admission, monitored by Holter electrocardiogram, is considered. This work refers to a group of persons admitted to the cardiological clinic of the KAT Hospital in Athens during the time period from 4th to 24th December 2006 that is characterized by extreme solar and geomagnetic activity. A series of Forbush decreases started on 6th December and lasted until the end of the month and a great solar proton event causing a Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) of the cosmic ray intensity on 13th December occurred. A sudden decrease of the cosmic ray intensity on 15th December, when a geomagnetic storm was registered, was also recorded in Athens Neutron Monitor station (cut-off rigidity 8.53 GV) with amplitude of 4%. It is noticed that during geomagnetically quiet days the heart rate and the cosmic ray intensity variations are positively correlated. When intense cosmic ray variations, like Forbush decreases and relativistic proton events produced by strong solar phenomena occur, cosmic ray intensity and heart rate get minimum values and their variations, also, coincide. During these events the correlation coefficient of these two parameters changes and follows the behavior of the cosmic ray intensity variations. This is only a small part of an extended investigation, which has begun using data from the year 2002 and is still in progress.

A large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 10(17)-10(17.5) electronvolts from radio observations.

PubMed

Buitink, S; Corstanje, A; Falcke, H; Hörandel, J R; Huege, T; Nelles, A; Rachen, J P; Rossetto, L; Schellart, P; Scholten, O; ter Veen, S; Thoudam, S; Trinh, T N G; Anderson, J; Asgekar, A; Avruch, I M; Bell, M E; Bentum, M J; Bernardi, G; Best, P; Bonafede, A; Breitling, F; Broderick, J W; Brouw, W N; Brüggen, M; Butcher, H R; Carbone, D; Ciardi, B; Conway, J E; de Gasperin, F; de Geus, E; Deller, A; Dettmar, R-J; van Diepen, G; Duscha, S; Eislöffel, J; Engels, D; Enriquez, J E; Fallows, R A; Fender, R; Ferrari, C; Frieswijk, W; Garrett, M A; Grießmeier, J M; Gunst, A W; van Haarlem, M P; Hassall, T E; Heald, G; Hessels, J W T; Hoeft, M; Horneffer, A; Iacobelli, M; Intema, H; Juette, E; Karastergiou, A; Kondratiev, V I; Kramer, M; Kuniyoshi, M; Kuper, G; van Leeuwen, J; Loose, G M; Maat, P; Mann, G; Markoff, S; McFadden, R; McKay-Bukowski, D; McKean, J P; Mevius, M; Mulcahy, D D; Munk, H; Norden, M J; Orru, E; Paas, H; Pandey-Pommier, M; Pandey, V N; Pietka, M; Pizzo, R; Polatidis, A G; Reich, W; Röttgering, H J A; Scaife, A M M; Schwarz, D J; Serylak, M; Sluman, J; Smirnov, O; Stappers, B W; Steinmetz, M; Stewart, A; Swinbank, J; Tagger, M; Tang, Y; Tasse, C; Toribio, M C; Vermeulen, R; Vocks, C; Vogt, C; van Weeren, R J; Wijers, R A M J; Wijnholds, S J; Wise, M W; Wucknitz, O; Yatawatta, S; Zarka, P; Zensus, J A

2016-03-03

Cosmic rays are the highest-energy particles found in nature. Measurements of the mass composition of cosmic rays with energies of 10(17)-10(18) electronvolts are essential to understanding whether they have galactic or extragalactic sources. It has also been proposed that the astrophysical neutrino signal comes from accelerators capable of producing cosmic rays of these energies. Cosmic rays initiate air showers--cascades of secondary particles in the atmosphere-and their masses can be inferred from measurements of the atmospheric depth of the shower maximum (Xmax; the depth of the air shower when it contains the most particles) or of the composition of shower particles reaching the ground. Current measurements have either high uncertainty, or a low duty cycle and a high energy threshold. Radio detection of cosmic rays is a rapidly developing technique for determining Xmax (refs 10, 11) with a duty cycle of, in principle, nearly 100 per cent. The radiation is generated by the separation of relativistic electrons and positrons in the geomagnetic field and a negative charge excess in the shower front. Here we report radio measurements of Xmax with a mean uncertainty of 16 grams per square centimetre for air showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies of 10(17)-10(17.5) electronvolts. This high resolution in Xmax enables us to determine the mass spectrum of the cosmic rays: we find a mixed composition, with a light-mass fraction (protons and helium nuclei) of about 80 per cent. Unless, contrary to current expectations, the extragalactic component of cosmic rays contributes substantially to the total flux below 10(17.5) electronvolts, our measurements indicate the existence of an additional galactic component, to account for the light composition that we measured in the 10(17)-10(17.5) electronvolt range.

Measurements of Amplified Magnetic Field and Cosmic-Ray Content in Supernova Remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uchiyama, Yasunobu

Supernova explosions drive collisionless shocks in the interstellar (or circumstellar) medium. Such shocks are mediated by plasma waves, resulting in the shock transition on a scale much smaller than the collisional mean free path. Galactic cosmic rays are widely considered to be accelerated at collisionless shocks in supernova remnants via diffusive shock acceleration. New high-energy data coming from the X-ray and gamma-ray satellites and from imaging air Cerenkov telescopes are making possible to study physics of particle acceleration at supernova shocks, such as magnetic field amplification which is considered to be realized as part of shock acceleration process and the energy content of cosmic-ray particles in the supernova shell. In particular, GeV observations with the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope offer the prime means to establish the origin of the gamma-rays, and to measure the cosmic-ray content. Moreover they provide a new opportunity to learn about how particle acceleration responds to environ-mental effects. I will present recent observational results from the Chandra and Suzaku X-ray satellites and new results from the LAT onboard Fermi, and discuss their implications to the origin of galactic cosmic rays.

Field testing for extreme universe space observatory aboard a super pressure balloon (EUSO-SPB): Logistics and first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cummings, Austin

Extreme Universe Space Observatory aboard a Super Pressure Balloon (EUSO-SPB) is a prototype cosmic ray detector that will, for the first time, record cosmic rays from above. It is planned to fly for nearly 100 days at an altitude of 33 km, looking downward onto Earth's atmosphere, and measure the ultraviolet light emitted by ultra-high energy cosmic ray extensive air showers. It is the primary scientific payload aboard the 2017 NASA super pressure balloon flight launched from Wanaka, NZ. It was necessary to perform an end-to-end characterization of the instrument, as post test recovery is not guaranteed. A laser underflight study for EUSO-SPB is planned to occur to evaluate the assembled instrument's response to realistic optical tracks. In case of failure, it was necessary to conduct ground-to-ground testing, where laser test beams at "flight-like" distances through Earth's atmosphere would be provided. The Black Rock Mesa (BRM) Telescope Array (TA) test site in Delta, Utah was chosen as the location for the instrument field testing. The assembled and working EUSO-SPB instrument was transported using a ground loading, weather-sealed, air-suspension trailer and a custom "vibration-proof" dolly. During transportation, the maximum acceleration experienced by the instrument was 1.2 g's. Test beams were provided by a fixed energy, vertical laser at 21 km and by a steerable, variable energy, laser at 24 km. Hundreds of thousands of pulsed, UV laser shots were successfully recorded during the six nights of operation, with various energies, directions, and triggering methods. Energy sweeps were performed with a 45° tilted away laser at 24 km to determine the nominal energy threshold of EUSO-SPB in a balloon simulated geometry for two different lens configurations. First results show that the 2 lens configuration of EUSO-SPB was approximately twice as sensitive as the 3 lens configuration to laser light, with 50% energy thresholds of 1 mj and 2 mj, respectively. Cloud coverage and aerosols were ruled out as potential causes of the lens configuration energy threshold discrepancy. A preliminary conversion to equivalent cosmic ray energy was performed using custom laser and cosmic ray simulations. For EUSO-SPB in flight configuration, the 50% energy threshold was estimated to be 3 * 1018 eV and 7 * 1018 eV for the 2 and 3 lens configurations, respectively, assuming aerosol content of alpha=5*10-5m-1 and Hscale=2 km during the laser data collection. The estimated event rate for EUSO-SPB was updated using the results of this work, and found to be 4.5 events per week.

Cosmic ray propagation in the local superbubble

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steitmatter, R. E.; Balasubrahmanyan, V. K.; Protheroe, R. J.; Ormes, J. F.

1984-01-01

It is suggested that a ring of HI gas lying in the galactic plane is part of a supershell which formed some 3 x to the 7th power years ago. The consequences of a closed magnetic supershell for cosmic ray propagation are examined and it is concluded that there is no evidence which precludes the production and trapping of cosmic rays in such a region. A consequence of superbubble confinement is that the mean age of cosmic rays would be independent of energy. This can be tested by high energy observations of the isotopic composition of Be.

High energy particles and quanta in astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonald, F. B. (Editor); Fichtel, C. E.

1974-01-01

The various subdisciplines of high-energy astrophysics are surveyed in a series of articles which attempt to give an overall view of the subject as a whole by emphasizing the basic physics common to all fields in which high-energy particles and quanta play a role. Successive chapters cover cosmic ray experimental observations, the abundances of nuclei in the cosmic radiation, cosmic electrons, solar modulation, solar particles (observation, relationship to the sun acceleration, interplanetary medium), radio astronomy, galactic X-ray sources, the cosmic X-ray background, and gamma ray astronomy. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Latest AMS Results on elementary particles in cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kounine, Andrei; AMS Collaboration

2017-01-01

AMS-02 is a particle physics detector collecting data on the International Space Station since May 2011. Precision measurements of all elementary charged cosmic ray particles have been performed by AMS using a data sample of 85 billion cosmic ray events collected during the first five years of operations on the Station. The latest AMS results on the fluxes and flux ratios of the elementary cosmic ray particles are presented. They show unique features that require accurate theoretical interpretation as to their origin, be it from dark matter collisions or new astrophysical sources. On behalf of the AMS Collaboration.

The Galactic Magnetic Field and Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Federico R.

The Galactic Magnetic Field is a peeving and importune screen between Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays and us cosmologists, engaged in the combat to unveil their properties and origin, as it deviates their paths towards the Earth in unpredictable ways. I will, in this order: briefly review the available field models on the market; explain a little trick which allows one to obtain cosmic rays deflection variances without even knowing what the (random) GMF model is; and argue that there is a lack of anisotropy in the large scales cosmic rays signal, which the Galactic field can do nothing about.

Cosmic-ray antimatter - A primary origin hypothesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Protheroe, R. J.; Kazanas, D.

1983-01-01

The present investigation is concerned with the possibility that the observed cosmic-ray protons are of primary extragalactic origin, taking into account the significance of the current antiproton data. Attention is given to questions regarding primary antiprotons, antihelium fluxes, and the propagation of extragalactic cosmic rays. It is concluded that the primary origin hypothesis should be considered as a serious alternative explanation for the cosmic-ray antiproton fluxes. Such extragalactic primary origin can be considered in the context of a baryon symmetric domain cosmology. The fluxes and propagation characteristics suggested are found to be in rough agreement with the present antiproton data.

Calculations of cosmic-ray helium transport in shielding materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.

1993-01-01

The transport of galactic cosmic-ray helium nuclei and their secondaries through bulk shielding is considered using the straight-ahead approximation to the Boltzmann equation. A data base for nuclear interaction cross sections and secondary particle energy spectra for high-energy light-ion breakup is presented. The importance of the light ions H-2, H-3, and He-3 for cosmic-ray risk estimation is discussed, and the estimates of the fractional contribution to the neutron flux from helium interactions compared with other particle interactions are presented using a 1977 solar minimum cosmic-ray spectrum.

A lower bound on the number of cosmic ray events required to measure source catalogue correlations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dolci, Marco; Romero-Wolf, Andrew; Wissel, Stephanie, E-mail: marco.dolci@polito.it, E-mail: Andrew.Romero-Wolf@jpl.nasa.gov, E-mail: swissel@calpoly.edu

2016-10-01

Recent analyses of cosmic ray arrival directions have resulted in evidence for a positive correlation with active galactic nuclei positions that has weak significance against an isotropic source distribution. In this paper, we explore the sample size needed to measure a highly statistically significant correlation to a parent source catalogue. We compare several scenarios for the directional scattering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays given our current knowledge of the galactic and intergalactic magnetic fields. We find significant correlations are possible for a sample of >1000 cosmic ray protons with energies above 60 EeV.

A new method for imaging nuclear threats using cosmic ray muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, C. L.; Bacon, Jeffrey; Borozdin, Konstantin; Miyadera, Haruo; Perry, John; Rose, Evan; Watson, Scott; White, Tim; Aberle, Derek; Green, J. Andrew; McDuff, George G.; Lukić, Zarija; Milner, Edward C.

2013-08-01

Muon tomography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to generate three dimensional images of volumes using information contained in the Coulomb scattering of the muons. Advantages of this technique are the ability of cosmic rays to penetrate significant overburden and the absence of any additional dose delivered to subjects under study above the natural cosmic ray flux. Disadvantages include the relatively long exposure times and poor position resolution and complex algorithms needed for reconstruction. Here we demonstrate a new method for obtaining improved position resolution and statistical precision for objects with spherical symmetry.

Alfven wave transport effects in the time evolution of parallel cosmic-ray modified shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, T. W.

1993-01-01

Some of the issues associated with a more complete treatment of Alfven transport in cosmic ray shocks are explored qualitatively. The treatment is simplified in some important respects, but some new issues are examined and for the first time a nonlinear, time dependent study of plane cosmic ray mediated shocks with both the entropy producing effects of wave dissipation and effects due to the Alfven wave advection of the cosmic ray relative to the gas is included. Examination of the direct consequences of including the pressure and energy of the Alfven waves in the formalism began.

An estimation of Canadian population exposure to cosmic rays from air travel.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Newton, Dustin

2013-03-01

Based on air travel statistics in 1984, it was estimated that less than 4 % of the population dose from cosmic ray exposure would result from air travel. In the present study, cosmic ray doses were calculated for more than 3,000 flights departing from more than 200 Canadian airports using actual flight profiles. Based on currently available air travel statistics, the annual per capita effective dose from air transportation is estimated to be 32 μSv for Canadians, about 10 % of the average cosmic ray dose received at ground level (310 μSv per year).

A new method for imaging nuclear threats using cosmic ray muons

DOE PAGES

Morris, C. L.; Bacon, Jeffrey; Borozdin, Konstantin; ...

2013-08-29

Muon tomography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to generate three-dimensional images of volumes using information contained in the Coulomb scattering of the muons. Advantages of this technique are the ability of cosmic rays to penetrate significant overburden and the absence of any additional dose delivered to subjects under study beyond the natural cosmic ray flux. Disadvantages include the relatively long exposure times and poor position resolution and complex algorithms needed for reconstruction. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new method for obtaining improved position resolution and statistical precision for objects with spherical symmetry.

Anisotropy of low-energy Galactic cosmic rays in the outer heliosheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, M.; Pogorelov, N.

2017-12-01

Since Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause into the local interstellar medium in August 2012, it has been observing nearly unmodulated low-energy Galactic cosmic rays for over 5 years and 18 AU beyond the heliopause. The angular distribution of these cosmic rays is not isotropic, showing a slight depletion at 90-degree pitch-angle to the magnetic field lines. The anisotropy was interrupted episodically by solar disturbances transmitting through the heliopause into the local interstellar medium of outer heliosheath. These observations indicate the heliosphere still affects cosmic rays in the local interstellar medium. The paper presents a theoretical analysis of the particle transport mechanisms responsible for the observed anisotropy. In order to explain the phenomenon, we argue that cosmic rays of near 90-degree pitch angles do not a quick access to the interstellar cosmic-ray source and in the meantime, they experience some loss in the outer heliosheath. Magnetic field barriers on the both sides of the observer may reduce the access to cosmic ray source, but it still requires that pitch scattering of these particles is very weak in the magnetic field of the outer heliosheath. A possible particle loss mechanism is diffusion into the heliospheric magnetic field where they get modulated by the solar wind plasma. Our model simulation will put constraints on the rates of particle scattering and cross-field diffusion in the interstellar magnetic field of the outer heliosheath.

Cosmic-Ray Propagation in Turbulent Spiral Magnetic Fields Associated with Young Stellar Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fatuzzo, Marco; Adams, Fred C.

2018-04-01

External cosmic rays impinging upon circumstellar disks associated with young stellar objects provide an important source of ionization, and, as such, play an important role in disk evolution and planet formation. However, these incoming cosmic rays are affected by a variety of physical processes internal to stellar/disk systems, including modulation by turbulent magnetic fields. Globally, these fields naturally provide both a funneling effect, where cosmic rays from larger volumes are focused into the disk region, and a magnetic mirroring effect, where cosmic rays are repelled due to the increasing field strength. This paper considers cosmic-ray propagation in the presence of a turbulent spiral magnetic field, analogous to that produced by the solar wind. The interaction of this wind with the interstellar medium defines a transition radius, analogous to the heliopause, which provides the outer boundary to this problem. We construct a new coordinate system where one coordinate follows the spiral magnetic field lines and consider magnetic perturbations to the field in the perpendicular directions. The presence of magnetic turbulence replaces the mirroring points with a distribution of values and moves the mean location outward. Our results thus help quantify the degree to which cosmic-ray fluxes are reduced in circumstellar disks by the presence of magnetic field structures that are shaped by stellar winds. The new coordinate system constructed herein should also be useful in other astronomical applications.

The extreme solar cosmic ray particle event on 20 January 2005 and its influence on the radiation dose rate at aircraft altitude.

PubMed

Bütikofer, R; Flückiger, E O; Desorgher, L; Moser, M R

2008-03-01

In January 2005 toward the end of solar activity cycle 23 the Sun was very active. Between 15 and 20 January 2005, the solar active region NOAA AR 10720 produced five powerful solar flares. In association with this major solar activity several pronounced variations in the ground-level cosmic ray intensity were observed. The fifth of these flares (X7.1) produced energetic solar cosmic rays that caused a giant increase in the count rates of the ground-based cosmic ray detectors (neutron monitors). At southern polar neutron monitor stations the increase of the count rate reached several thousand percent. From the recordings of the worldwide network of neutron monitors, we determined the characteristics of the solar particle flux near Earth. In the initial phase of the event, the solar cosmic ray flux near Earth was extremely anisotropic. The energy spectrum of the solar cosmic rays was fairly soft during the main and the decay phase. We investigated also the flux of different secondary particle species in the atmosphere and the radiation dosage at flight altitude. Our analysis shows a maximum increment of the effective dose rate due to solar cosmic rays in the south polar region around 70 degrees S and 130 degrees E at flight altitude of almost three orders of magnitude.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-09-20

This Atlas/Centaur launch vehicle, carrying the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3, lifted off on September 20, 1979. The HEAO-3's mission was to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit.

An extensive air shower trigger station for the Muon Portal detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riggi, F.; Blancato, A. A.; La Rocca, P.; Riggi, S.; Santagati, G.

2014-11-01

The Muon Portal project ( [1]; Riggi et al., 2013 [2,5,7]; Lo Presti et al., 2012 [3]; La Rocca et al., 2014 [4]; Bandieramonte et al., 2013 [6]; Pugliatti et al., 2014 [8]) aims at the construction of a large area detector to reconstruct cosmic muon tracks above and below a container, to search for hidden high-Z materials inside its volume by the muon tomography technique. Due to its sensitive area (about 18 m2), with four XY detection planes, and its good tracking capabilities, the prototype under construction, which should be operational around mid-2015, also allows different studies in cosmic ray physics, including the detection of muon bundles. For such purpose, a trigger station based on three scintillation detectors operating in coincidence close to the main muon tracker has been built. This paper describes the design and preliminary results of the trigger station, together with the physics capabilities of the overall setup.

The control and data acquisition structure for the GAMMA-400 space gamma-telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arkhangelskiy, Andrey

2016-07-01

The GAMMA-400 space project is intended for precision investigation of the cosmic gamma-emission in the energy band from keV region up to several TeV, electrons and positrons fluxes from ˜~1~GeV up to ˜~10~TeV and high energy cosmic-ray nuclei fluxes. A description of the control and data acquisition structure for gamma-telescope involved in the GAMMA 400 space project is given. The technical capabilities of all specialized equipment providing the functioning of the scientific instrumentation and satellite support systems are unified in a single structure. Control of the scientific instruments is maintained using one-time pulse radio commands and program commands transmitted via onboard control system and scientific data acquisition system. Up to 100~GByte of data per day can be transferred to the ground segment of the project. The correctness of the proposed and implemented structure, engineering solutions and electronic elemental base selection has been verified experimentally with the scientific complex prototype in the laboratory conditions.

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acciarri, R.; Adams, C.; An, R.; Anthony, J.; Asaadi, J.; Auger, M.; Bagby, L.; Balasubramanian, S.; Baller, B.; Barnes, C.; Barr, G.; Bass, M.; Bay, F.; Bishai, M.; Blake, A.; Bolton, T.; Camilleri, L.; Caratelli, D.; Carls, B.; Castillo Fernandez, R.; Cavanna, F.; Chen, H.; Church, E.; Cianci, D.; Cohen, E.; Collin, G. H.; Conrad, J. M.; Convery, M.; Crespo-Anadón, J. I.; Del Tutto, M.; Devitt, D.; Dytman, S.; Eberly, B.; Ereditato, A.; Escudero Sanchez, L.; Esquivel, J.; Fadeeva, A. A.; Fleming, B. T.; Foreman, W.; Furmanski, A. P.; Garcia-Gamez, D.; Garvey, G. T.; Genty, V.; Goeldi, D.; Gollapinni, S.; Graf, N.; Gramellini, E.; Greenlee, H.; Grosso, R.; Guenette, R.; Hackenburg, A.; Hamilton, P.; Hen, O.; Hewes, J.; Hill, C.; Ho, J.; Horton-Smith, G.; Hourlier, A.; Huang, E.-C.; James, C.; de Vries, J. Jan; Jen, C.-M.; Jiang, L.; Johnson, R. A.; Joshi, J.; Jostlein, H.; Kaleko, D.; Kalousis, L. N.; Karagiorgi, G.; Ketchum, W.; Kirby, B.; Kirby, M.; Kobilarcik, T.; Kreslo, I.; Lange, G.; Laube, A.; Li, Y.; Lister, A.; Littlejohn, B. R.; Lockwitz, S.; Lorca, D.; Louis, W. C.; Luethi, M.; Lundberg, B.; Luo, X.; Marchionni, A.; Mariani, C.; Marshall, J.; Martinez Caicedo, D. A.; Meddage, V.; Miceli, T.; Mills, G. B.; Moon, J.; Mooney, M.; Moore, C. D.; Mousseau, J.; Murrells, R.; Naples, D.; Nienaber, P.; Nowak, J.; Palamara, O.; Paolone, V.; Papavassiliou, V.; Pate, S. F.; Pavlovic, Z.; Pelkey, R.; Piasetzky, E.; Porzio, D.; Pulliam, G.; Qian, X.; Raaf, J. L.; Rafique, A.; Rochester, L.; von Rohr, C. Rudolf; Russell, B.; Schmitz, D. W.; Schukraft, A.; Seligman, W.; Shaevitz, M. H.; Sinclair, J.; Smith, A.; Snider, E. L.; Soderberg, M.; Söldner-Rembold, S.; Soleti, S. R.; Spentzouris, P.; Spitz, J.; John, J. St.; Strauss, T.; Szelc, A. M.; Tagg, N.; Terao, K.; Thomson, M.; Toups, M.; Tsai, Y.-T.; Tufanli, S.; Usher, T.; Van De Pontseele, W.; Van de Water, R. G.; Viren, B.; Weber, M.; Wickremasinghe, D. A.; Wolbers, S.; Wongjirad, T.; Woodruff, K.; Yang, T.; Yates, L.; Zeller, G. P.; Zennamo, J.; Zhang, C.

2017-12-01

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. We present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) × 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersecting different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to be epsilondata=(97.1±0.1 (stat) ± 1.4 (sys))%, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency epsilonMC = (97.4±0.1)%. This analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag ≈80% of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

DOE PAGES

Acciarri, R.; Adams, C.; An, R.; ...

2017-12-01

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. We present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) x 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersecting different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to bemore » $$\\epsilon_{\\mathrm{data}}=(97.1\\pm0.1~(\\mathrm{stat}) \\pm 1.4~(\\mathrm{sys}))\\%$$, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency $$\\epsilon_{\\mathrm{MC}} = (97.4\\pm0.1)\\%$$. This analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag $$\\approx80\\%$$ of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.« less

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

DOE PAGES

Acciarri, R.; Adams, C.; An, R.; ...

2017-12-20

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. In this paper, we present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) × 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersectingmore » different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to be ϵ data=(97.1±0.1 (stat) ± 1.4 (sys))%, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency ϵ MC = (97.4±0.1)%. In conclusion, this analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag ≈80% of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.« less

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Acciarri, R.; Adams, C.; An, R.

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. In this paper, we present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) × 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersectingmore » different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to be ϵ data=(97.1±0.1 (stat) ± 1.4 (sys))%, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency ϵ MC = (97.4±0.1)%. In conclusion, this analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag ≈80% of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.« less

Measurement of cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiencies in the MicroBooNE LArTPC using a small external cosmic-ray counter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Acciarri, R.; et al.

2017-07-31

The MicroBooNE detector is a liquid argon time projection chamber at Fermilab designed to study short-baseline neutrino oscillations and neutrino-argon interaction cross-section. Due to its location near the surface, a good understanding of cosmic muons as a source of backgrounds is of fundamental importance for the experiment. We present a method of using an external 0.5 m (L) x 0.5 m (W) muon counter stack, installed above the main detector, to determine the cosmic-ray reconstruction efficiency in MicroBooNE. Data are acquired with this external muon counter stack placed in three different positions, corresponding to cosmic rays intersecting different parts of the detector. The data reconstruction efficiency of tracks in the detector is found to bemore » $$\\epsilon_{\\mathrm{data}}=(97.1\\pm0.1~(\\mathrm{stat}) \\pm 1.4~(\\mathrm{sys}))\\%$$, in good agreement with the Monte Carlo reconstruction efficiency $$\\epsilon_{\\mathrm{MC}} = (97.4\\pm0.1)\\%$$. This analysis represents a small-scale demonstration of the method that can be used with future data coming from a recently installed cosmic-ray tagger system, which will be able to tag $$\\approx80\\%$$ of the cosmic rays passing through the MicroBooNE detector.« less

Constraints on the Galactic Halo Dark Matter From FERMI-LAT Diffuse Measurements

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Atwood, W. B.; ...

2012-11-28

For this study, we have performed an analysis of the diffuse gamma-ray emission with the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the Milky Way halo region, searching for a signal from dark matter annihilation or decay. In the absence of a robust dark matter signal, constraints are presented. We consider both gamma rays produced directly in the dark matter annihilation/decay and produced by inverse Compton scattering of the e +/e – produced in the annihilation/decay. Conservative limits are derived requiring that the dark matter signal does not exceed the observed diffuse gamma-ray emission. A second set of more stringent limitsmore » is derived based on modeling the foreground astrophysical diffuse emission using the GALPROP code. Uncertainties in the height of the diffusive cosmic-ray halo, the distribution of the cosmic-ray sources in the Galaxy, the index of the injection cosmic-ray electron spectrum, and the column density of the interstellar gas are taken into account using a profile likelihood formalism, while the parameters governing the cosmic-ray propagation have been derived from fits to local cosmic-ray data. In conclusion, the resulting limits impact the range of particle masses over which dark matter thermal production in the early universe is possible, and challenge the interpretation of the PAMELA/Fermi-LAT cosmic ray anomalies as the annihilation of dark matter.« less

Superbubbles and Local Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Streitmatter, Robert E.; Jones, Frank C.

2005-01-01

We consider the possibility that distinctive features of the local cosmic ray spectra and composition are influenced by the Solar system being embedded within the cavity of an ancient superbubble. Shifts in the measured cosmic ray composition between 10(exp 11) and 10(exp 20) eV as well as the "knee" and "second knee" may be understood in this picture.

Multidirectional Cosmic Ray Ion Detector for Deep Space CubeSats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrbanek, John D.; Wrbanek, Susan Y.

2016-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center has proposed a CubeSat-based instrument to study solar and cosmic ray ions in lunar orbit or deep space. The objective of Solar Proton Anisotropy and Galactic cosmic ray High Energy Transport Instrument (SPAGHETI) is to provide multi-directional ion data to further understand anisotropies in SEP and GCR flux.

The Cosmic Connection

Science.gov Websites

Macy High School We have a simple cosmic ray detector that can be built by high school teachers. This cosmic rays vary with elevation. In addition, it is a valuable tool to teach elementary measurement

Inconstant sun: how solar evolution has affected cosmic and ultraviolet radiation exposure over the history of life on Earth.

PubMed

Karam, P Andrew

2003-03-01

Four billion years ago, sea-level UV exposure was more than 400 times as intense as today, the dose from solar cosmic rays was five times present levels, and galactic cosmic rays accounted for only about 10% their current contribution to sea-level radiation doses. Exposure to cosmic radiation accounts for about 10% of natural background radiation exposure today and includes dose from galactic cosmic rays and solar charged particles. There is little exposure to ionizing wavelengths of UV due to absorption by ozone. The sun has evolved significantly over its life; in the past there were higher levels of particulate radiation and lower UV emissions from the sun, and a stronger solar wind reduced radiation dose in the inner solar system from galactic cosmic rays. Finally, since the early atmosphere contained little to no oxygen, surface levels of UV radiation were far higher in the past.

Cosmic-ray antiprotons as a probe of a photino-dominated universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, J.; Srednicki, M.

1984-01-01

Observational tests of the hypothesis that the universe is flat and dominated by dark matter in the form of massive photinos include the production of significant fluxes of cosmic rays and gamma rays in our galactic halo. Specification of the cosmological photino density and the masses of scalar quarks and leptons determines the present annihilation rate. The predicted number of low-energy cosmic-ray antiprotons is comparable to the observed flux.

Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory.

PubMed

Aab, A; Abreu, P; Aglietta, M; Ahn, E J; Samarai, I Al; Albuquerque, I F M; Allekotte, I; Allen, J; Allison, P; Almela, A; Castillo, J Alvarez; Alvarez-Muñiz, J; Batista, R Alves; Ambrosio, M; Aminaei, A; Anchordoqui, L; Andringa, S; Aramo, C; Aranda, V M; Arqueros, F; Asorey, H; Assis, P; Aublin, J; Ave, M; Avenier, M; Avila, G; Awal, N; Badescu, A M; Barber, K B; Bäuml, J; Baus, C; Beatty, J J; Becker, K H; Bellido, J A; Berat, C; Bertaina, M E; Bertou, X; Biermann, P L; Billoir, P; Blaess, S; Blanco, M; Bleve, C; Blümer, H; Boháčová, M; Boncioli, D; Bonifazi, C; Bonino, R; Borodai, N; Brack, J; Brancus, I; Bridgeman, A; Brogueira, P; Brown, W C; Buchholz, P; Bueno, A; Buitink, S; Buscemi, M; Caballero-Mora, K S; Caccianiga, B; Caccianiga, L; Candusso, M; Caramete, L; Caruso, R; Castellina, A; Cataldi, G; Cazon, L; Cester, R; Chavez, A G; Chiavassa, A; Chinellato, J A; Chudoba, J; Cilmo, M; Clay, R W; Cocciolo, G; Colalillo, R; Coleman, A; Collica, L; Coluccia, M R; Conceição, R; Contreras, F; Cooper, M J; Cordier, A; Coutu, S; Covault, C E; Cronin, J; Curutiu, A; Dallier, R; Daniel, B; Dasso, S; Daumiller, K; Dawson, B R; Almeida, R M de; Domenico, M De; Jong, S J de; Neto, J R T de Mello; Mitri, I De; Oliveira, J de; Souza, V de; Peral, L Del; Deligny, O; Dembinski, H; Dhital, N; Giulio, C Di; Matteo, A Di; Diaz, J C; Castro, M L Díaz; Diogo, F; Dobrigkeit, C; Docters, W; D'Olivo, J C; Dorofeev, A; Hasankiadeh, Q Dorosti; Dova, M T; Ebr, J; Engel, R; Erdmann, M; Erfani, M; Escobar, C O; Espadanal, J; Etchegoyen, A; Luis, P Facal San; Falcke, H; Fang, K; Farrar, G; Fauth, A C; Fazzini, N; Ferguson, A P; Fernandes, M; Fick, B; Figueira, J M; Filevich, A; Filipčič, A; Fox, B D; Fratu, O; Fröhlich, U; Fuchs, B; Fujii, T; Gaior, R; García, B; Roca, S T Garcia; Garcia-Gamez, D; Garcia-Pinto, D; Garilli, G; Bravo, A Gascon; Gate, F; Gemmeke, H; Ghia, P L; Giaccari, U; Giammarchi, M; Giller, M; Glaser, C; Glass, H; Berisso, M Gómez; Vitale, P F Gómez; Gonçalves, P; Gonzalez, J G; González, N; Gookin, B; Gordon, J; Gorgi, A; Gorham, P; Gouffon, P; Grebe, S; Griffith, N; Grillo, A F; Grubb, T D; Guarino, F; Guedes, G P; Hampel, M R; Hansen, P; Harari, D; Harrison, T A; Hartmann, S; Harton, J L; Haungs, A; Hebbeker, T; Heck, D; Heimann, P; Herve, A E; Hill, G C; Hojvat, C; Hollon, N; Holt, E; Homola, P; Hörandel, J R; Horvath, P; Hrabovský, M; Huber, D; Huege, T; Insolia, A; Isar, P G; Jandt, I; Jansen, S; Jarne, C; Josebachuili, M; Kääpä, A; Kambeitz, O; Kampert, K H; Kasper, P; Katkov, I; Kégl, B; Keilhauer, B; Keivani, A; Kemp, E; Kieckhafer, R M; Klages, H O; Kleifges, M; Kleinfeller, J; Krause, R; Krohm, N; Krömer, O; Kruppke-Hansen, D; Kuempel, D; Kunka, N; LaHurd, D; Latronico, L; Lauer, R; Lauscher, M; Lautridou, P; Coz, S Le; Leão, M S A B; Lebrun, D; Lebrun, P; Oliveira, M A Leigui de; Letessier-Selvon, A; Lhenry-Yvon, I; Link, K; López, R; Agüera, A Lopez; Louedec, K; Bahilo, J Lozano; Lu, L; Lucero, A; Ludwig, M; Malacari, M; Maldera, S; Mallamaci, M; Maller, J; Mandat, D; Mantsch, P; Mariazzi, A G; Marin, V; Mariş, I C; Marsella, G; Martello, D; Martin, L; Martinez, H; Bravo, O Martínez; Martraire, D; Meza, J J Masías; Mathes, H J; Mathys, S; Matthews, J; Matthews, J A J; Matthiae, G; Maurel, D; Maurizio, D; Mayotte, E; Mazur, P O; Medina, C; Medina-Tanco, G; Meissner, R; Melissas, M; Melo, D; Menshikov, A; Messina, S; Meyhandan, R; Mićanović, S; Micheletti, M I; Middendorf, L; Minaya, I A; Miramonti, L; Mitrica, B; Molina-Bueno, L; Mollerach, S; Monasor, M; Ragaigne, D Monnier; Montanet, F; Morello, C; Mostafá, M; Moura, C A; Muller, M A; Müller, G; Müller, S; Münchmeyer, M; Mussa, R; Navarra, G; Navas, S; Necesal, P; Nellen, L; Nelles, A; Neuser, J; Nguyen, P; Niechciol, M; Niemietz, L; Niggemann, T; Nitz, D; Nosek, D; Novotny, V; Nožka, L; Ochilo, L; Olinto, A; Oliveira, M; Pacheco, N; Selmi-Dei, D Pakk; Palatka, M; Pallotta, J; Palmieri, N; Papenbreer, P; Parente, G; Parra, A; Paul, T; Pech, M; Pȩkala, J; Pelayo, R; Pepe, I M; Perrone, L; Petermann, E; Peters, C; Petrera, S; Petrov, Y; Phuntsok, J; Piegaia, R; Pierog, T; Pieroni, P; Pimenta, M; Pirronello, V; Platino, M; Plum, M; Porcelli, A; Porowski, C; Prado, R R; Privitera, P; Prouza, M; Purrello, V; Quel, E J; Querchfeld, S; Quinn, S; Rautenberg, J; Ravel, O; Ravignani, D; Revenu, B; Ridky, J; Riggi, S; Risse, M; Ristori, P; Rizi, V; Carvalho, W Rodrigues de; Cabo, I Rodriguez; Fernandez, G Rodriguez; Rojo, J Rodriguez; Rodríguez-Frías, M D; Rogozin, D; Ros, G; Rosado, J; Rossler, T; Roth, M; Roulet, E; Rovero, A C; Saffi, S J; Saftoiu, A; Salamida, F; Salazar, H; Saleh, A; Greus, F Salesa; Salina, G; Sánchez, F; Sanchez-Lucas, P; Santo, C E; Santos, E; Santos, E M; Sarazin, F; Sarkar, B; Sarmento, R; Sato, R; Scharf, N; Scherini, V; Schieler, H; Schiffer, P; Schmidt, D; Schröder, F G; Scholten, O; Schoorlemmer, H; Schovánek, P; Schulz, A; Schulz, J; Schumacher, J; Sciutto, S J; Segreto, A; Settimo, M; Shadkam, A; Shellard, R C; Sidelnik, I; Sigl, G; Sima, O; Kowski, A Śmiał; Šmída, R; Snow, G R; Sommers, P; Sorokin, J; Squartini, R; Srivastava, Y N; Stanič, S; Stapleton, J; Stasielak, J; Stephan, M; Stutz, A; Suarez, F; Suomijärvi, T; Supanitsky, A D; Sutherland, M S; Swain, J; Szadkowski, Z; Szuba, M; Taborda, O A; Tapia, A; Tartare, M; Tepe, A; Theodoro, V M; Timmermans, C; Peixoto, C J Todero; Toma, G; Tomankova, L; Tomé, B; Tonachini, A; Elipe, G Torralba; Machado, D Torres; Travnicek, P; Trovato, E; Tueros, M; Ulrich, R; Unger, M; Urban, M; Galicia, J F Valdés; Valiño, I; Valore, L; Aar, G van; Bodegom, P van; Berg, A M van den; Velzen, S van; Vliet, A van; Varela, E; Vargas Cárdenas, B; Varner, G; Vázquez, J R; Vázquez, R A; Veberič, D; Verzi, V; Vicha, J; Videla, M; Villaseñor, L; Vlcek, B; Vorobiov, S; Wahlberg, H; Wainberg, O; Walz, D; Watson, A A; Weber, M; Weidenhaupt, K; Weindl, A; Werner, F; Widom, A; Wiencke, L; Wilczyńska, B; Wilczyński, H; Will, M; Williams, C; Winchen, T; Wittkowski, D; Wundheiler, B; Wykes, S; Yamamoto, T; Yapici, T; Yuan, G; Yushkov, A; Zamorano, B; Zas, E; Zavrtanik, D; Zavrtanik, M; Zaw, I; Zepeda, A; Zhou, J; Zhu, Y; Silva, M Zimbres; Ziolkowski, M; Zuccarello, F

Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with [Formula: see text] eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above [Formula: see text] eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15[Formula: see text]. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis. The comparison of these measurements with astrophysical scenarios can therefore be used to obtain constraints on related model parameters such as strength of cosmic-ray deflection and density of point sources.

Lightning Discharges, Cosmic Rays and Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sanjay; Siingh, Devendraa; Singh, R. P.; Singh, A. K.; Kamra, A. K.

2018-03-01

The entirety of the Earth's climate system is continuously bombarded by cosmic rays and exhibits about 2000 thunderstorms active at any time of the day all over the globe. Any linkage among these vast systems should have global consequences. Numerous studies done in the past deal with partial links between some selected aspects of this grand linkage. Results of these studies vary from weakly to strongly significant and are not yet complete enough to justify the physical mechanism proposed to explain such links. This review is aimed at presenting the current understanding, based on the past studies on the link between cosmic ray, lightning and climate. The deficiencies in some proposed links are pointed out. Impacts of cosmic rays on engineering systems and the possible effects of cosmic rays on human health are also briefly discussed. Also enumerated are some problems for future work which may help in developing the grand linkage among these three vast systems.

Cosmic Ray Acceleration from Multiple Galactic Wind Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cotter, Cory; Bustard, Chad; Zweibel, Ellen

2018-01-01

Cosmic rays still have an unknown origin. Many mechanisms have been suggested for their acceleration including quasars, pulsars, magnetars, supernovae, supernova remnants, and galactic termination shocks. The source of acceleration may be a mixture of these and a different mixture in different energy regimes. Using numerical simulations, we investigate multiple shocks in galactic winds as potential cosmic rays sources. By having shocks closer to the parent galaxy, more particles may diffuse back to the disk instead of being blown out in the wind, as found in Bustard, Zweibel, and Cotter (2017, ApJ) and also Merten, Bustard, Zweibel, and Tjus (to be submitted to ApJ). Specifically, this flux of cosmic rays could contribute to the unexplained "shin" region between the well-known "knee" and "ankle" of the cosmic ray spectrum. We would like to acknowledge support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant No. DGE-125625 and NSF grant No. AST-1616037.

Cosmic ray physics in space: the role of Sergey Vernov's scientific school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panasyuk, M. I.

2011-04-01

Cosmic rays were discovered almost 100 years ago. Since then the scientific world has learned a lot from their nature: the particles nascent in the Universe, both in our Galaxy and outside, the basic mechanisms of their acceleration, transfer in the interstellar environment and the interaction of the primary cosmic rays with the atmosphere surrounding the Earth. Before 1957, i.e., the beginning of the Space Era, researchers' capabilities were limited to experiments performed on the ground, underground and in near-ground atmosphere to flight altitudes of aerostats, airplanes and rockets, i.e., where only secondary radiation is in existence, this is the result of the interaction of cosmic rays with the Earth's atmosphere. The launching of spacecraft allowed the scientists to commence exploring the Universe's primordial matter itself outside the atmosphere, i.e., the primary cosmic rays. Sergey Vernov, the Russian scientist, was among them.

The evolution of cosmic-ray-mediated magnetohydrodynamic shocks: A two-fluid approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, Byung-Il; Clarke, David A.; Norman, Michael L.

1994-07-01

We study the shock structure and acceleration efficiency of cosmic-ray mediated Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks both analytically and numerically by using a two-fluid model. Our model includes the dynamical effect of magnetic fields and cosmic rays on a background thermal fluid. The steady state solution is derived by following the technique of Drury & Voelk (1981) and compared to numerical results. We explore the time evolution of plane-perpendicular, piston-driven shocks. From the results of analytical and numerical studies, we conclude that the mean magnetic field plays an important role in the structure and acceleration efficiency of cosmic-ray mediated MHD shocks. The acceleration of cosmic-ray particles becomes less efficient in the presence of strong magnetic pressure since the field makes the shock less compressive. This feature is more prominent at low Mach numbers than at high Mach numbers.

Cosmic Rays Variation Before Changes in Sun-Earth Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, S.

2011-12-01

Influence of cosmic rays variations on the Sun-Earth Environment has been observed before the changes in the atmospheric temperature, outbreak of influenza, cyclone, earthquake and tsunami. It has been recorded by Sun Observatory Heleospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite data. Before the earthquake and tsunami the planetary indices (Kp) and Electron flux (E-flux) shows sudden changes followed by the atmospheric perturbations including very high temperature rise to sudden fall resulting snowfall in high altitude and rainfall in tropical areas. The active fault zones shows sudden faulting after the sudden drop in cosmic ray intensity and rise in Kp and E-flux. Besides the geo-environment the extraterrestrial influence on outbreak of H1N1 influenza has also been recorded based on the Mexico Cosmic ray data and its correlation with SOHO records. Distant stars have the potential to influence the heliophysical parameters by showering cosmic rays.

The evolution of cosmic-ray-mediated magnetohydrodynamic shocks: A two-fluid approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jun, Byung-Il; Clarke, David A.; Norman, Michael L.

1994-01-01

We study the shock structure and acceleration efficiency of cosmic-ray mediated Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shocks both analytically and numerically by using a two-fluid model. Our model includes the dynamical effect of magnetic fields and cosmic rays on a background thermal fluid. The steady state solution is derived by following the technique of Drury & Voelk (1981) and compared to numerical results. We explore the time evolution of plane-perpendicular, piston-driven shocks. From the results of analytical and numerical studies, we conclude that the mean magnetic field plays an important role in the structure and acceleration efficiency of cosmic-ray mediated MHD shocks. The acceleration of cosmic-ray particles becomes less efficient in the presence of strong magnetic pressure since the field makes the shock less compressive. This feature is more prominent at low Mach numbers than at high Mach numbers.

Search for patterns by combining cosmic-ray energy and arrival directions at the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE PAGES

Aab, Alexander

2015-06-20

Energy-dependent patterns in the arrival directions of cosmic rays are searched for using data of the Pierre Auger Observatory. We investigate local regions around the highest-energy cosmic rays with E ≥ 6×10 19 eV by analyzing cosmic rays with energies above E ≥ 5×10 18 eV arriving within an angular separation of approximately 15°. We characterize the energy distributions inside these regions by two independent methods, one searching for angular dependence of energy-energy correlations and one searching for collimation of energy along the local system of principal axes of the energy distribution. No significant patterns are found with this analysis.more » As a result, the comparison of these measurements with astrophysical scenarios can therefore be used to obtain constraints on related model parameters such as strength of cosmic-ray deflection and density of point sources.« less

The calorimeter of the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab

DOE PAGES

Atanov, N.; Baranov, V.; Budagov, J.; ...

2017-01-23

Here, the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab looks for Charged Lepton Flavor Violation (CLFV) improving by 4 orders of magnitude the current experimental sensitivity for the muon to electron conversion in a muonic atom. A positive signal could not be explained in the framework of the current Standard Model of particle interactions and therefore would be a clear indication of new physics. In 3 years of data taking, Mu2e is expected to observe less than one background event mimicking the electron coming from muon conversion. Achieving such a level of background suppression requires a deep knowledge of the experimental apparatus: amore » straw tube tracker, measuring the electron momentum and time, a cosmic ray veto system rejecting most of cosmic ray background and a pure CsI crystal calorimeter, that will measure time of flight, energy and impact position of the converted electron. The calorimeter has to operate in a harsh radiation environment, in a 10 -4 Torr vacuum and inside a 1 T magnetic field. The results of the first qualification tests of the calorimeter components are reported together with the energy and time performances expected from the simulation and measured in beam tests of a small scale prototype.« less

A Prototype Large Area Detector Module for Muon Scattering Tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Steer, C.A.; Boakes, J.; Burns, J.

Abstract-Shielded special nuclear materials (SNM) are of concern as some fissile isotopes have low gamma and neutron emission rates. These materials are also easily shielded to the point where their passive emissions are comparable to background. Consequently, shielded SNM is very challenging for passive radiation detection portals which scan cargo containers. One potential solution for this is to utilise the natural cosmic ray muon background and examine how these muons scatter from materials inside the container volume, terms; the muon scattering tomography (MST) technique measures the three-dimensional localised scattering at all points within a cargo container, providing a degree ofmore » material discrimination. There is the additional benefit that the MST signal increases with the presence of more high density shielding materials, in contrast to passive radiation detection. Simulations and calculations suggest that the effectiveness of the technique is sensitive to the tracking accuracy amongst other parameters, motivating the need to develop practical detector systems that are capable of tracking cosmic ray muons. To this end, we have constructed and tested a 2 m by 2 m demonstration module based on gaseous drift chambers and triggered by a large area scintillator-based detector, which is readout by wavelength shifting fibres. We discuss its design, construction, characterisation and operational challenges. (authors)« less

Final Technical Report: Imaging a Dry Storage Cask with Cosmic Ray Muons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Haori; Hayward, Jason; Chichester, David

The goal of this project is to build a scaled prototype system for monitoring used nuclear fuel (UNF) dry storage casks (DSCs) through cosmic ray muon imaging. Such a system will have the capability of verifying the content inside a DSC without opening it. Because of the growth of the nuclear power industry in the U.S. and the policy decision to ban reprocessing of commercial UNF, the used fuel inventory at commercial reactor sites has been increasing. Currently, UNF needs to be moved to independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSIs), as its inventory approaches the limit on capacity of on-sitemore » wet storage. Thereafter, the fuel will be placed in shipping containers to be transferred to a final disposal site. The ISFSIs were initially licensed as temporary facilities for ~20-yr periods. Given the cancellation of the Yucca mountain project and no clear path forward, extended dry-cask storage (~100 yr.) at ISFSIs is very likely. From the point of view of nuclear material protection, accountability and control technologies (MPACT) campaign, it is important to ensure that special nuclear material (SNM) in UNF is not stolen or diverted from civilian facilities for other use during the extended storage.« less

CaloCube: A new-concept calorimeter for the detection of high-energy cosmic rays in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vannuccini, E.; Adriani, O.; Agnesi, A.; Albergo, S.; Auditore, L.; Basti, A.; Berti, E.; Bigongiari, G.; Bonechi, L.; Bonechi, S.; Bongi, M.; Bonvicini, V.; Bottai, S.; Brogi, P.; Carotenuto, G.; Castellini, G.; Cattaneo, P. W.; D'Alessandro, R.; Detti, S.; Fasoli, M.; Finetti, N.; Lenzi, P.; Maestro, P.; Marrocchesi, P. S.; Miritello, M.; Mori, N.; Orzan, G.; Olmi, M.; Pacini, L.; Papini, P.; Pellegriti, M. G.; Pirzio, F.; Rappoldi, A.; Ricciarini, S.; Spillantini, P.; Starodubtsev, O.; Stolzi, F.; Suh, J. E.; Sulaj, A.; Tiberio, A.; Tricomi, A.; Trifiro, A.; Trimarchi, M.; Vedda, A.; Zampa, G.; Zampa, N.; Zerbo, B.

2017-02-01

The direct observation of high-energy cosmic rays, up to the PeV region, will increasingly rely on highly performing calorimeters, and the physics performance will be primarily determined by their geometrical acceptance and energy resolution. Thus, it is extremely important to optimize their geometrical design, granularity, and absorption depth, with respect to the total mass of the apparatus, which is among the most important constraints for a space mission. Calocube is a homogeneous calorimeter whose basic geometry is cubic and isotropic, so as to detect particles arriving from every direction in space, thus maximizing the acceptance; granularity is obtained by filling the cubic volume with small cubic scintillating crystals. This design forms the basis of a three-year R &D activity which has been approved and financed by INFN. A comparative study of different scintillating materials has been performed. Optimal values for the size of the crystals and spacing among them have been studied. Different geometries, besides the cubic one, and the possibility to implement dual-readout techniques have been investigated. A prototype, instrumented with CsI(Tl) cubic crystals, has been constructed and tested with particle beams. An overview of the obtained results will be presented and the perspectives for future space experiments will be discussed.

Cosmic ray models for early galactic lithium, beryllium, and boron production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fields, Brian D.; Olive, Keith A.; Schramm, David N.

1994-01-01

To better understand the early galactic production of Li, Be, and B by cosmic ray spallation and fusion reactions, the dependence of these production rates on cosmic ray models and model parameters is examined. The sensitivity of elemental and isotropic production to the cosmic ray pathlength magnitude and energy dependence, source spectrum spallation kinematics, and cross section uncertainties is studied. Changes in these model features, particularly those features related to confinement, are shown to alter the Be- and B-versus-Fe slopes from a naive quadratic relation. The implications of our results for the diffuse gamma-ray background are examined, and the role of chemical evolution and its relation to our results is noted. It is also noted that the unmeasured high energy behavior of alpha + alpha fusion can lead to effects as large as a factor of 2 in the resultant yields. Future data should enable Population II Li, Be, and B abundances to constrain cosmic ray models for the early Galaxy.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays from nearby starburst galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attallah, Reda; Bouchachi, Dallel

2018-04-01

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles originate from nearby starburst galaxies, a scenario that matches the recent observation by the Telescope Array experiment of a cosmic-ray hotspot above 57 EeV not far from the direction of the starburst galaxy M82. Specifically, we study the stochastic propagation in space of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays through the state-of-the-art simulation framework CRPropa 3, taking into account all relevant particle interactions as well as deflections by the intervening magnetic fields. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of this model, we consider the energy spectrum, the cosmogenic neutrinos and gamma rays, and the distribution of arrival directions. The starburst galaxy scenario reproduces well observations from both the Telescope Array and Pierre Auger Observatories, making it very attractive for explaining the origin of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays from nearby starburst galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attallah, Reda; Bouchachi, Dallel

2018-07-01

Ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are the most energetic of any subatomic particles ever observed in nature. The quest for their mysterious origin is currently a major scientific challenge. Here we explore the possibility that these particles originate from nearby starburst galaxies, a scenario that matches the recent observation by the Telescope Array experiment of a cosmic ray hotspot above 57 EeV not far from the direction of the starburst galaxy M82. Specifically, we study the stochastic propagation in space of ultrahigh ENERGY cosmic rays through the state-of-the-art simulation framework CRPROPA 3, taking into account all relevant particle interactions as well as deflections by the intervening magnetic fields. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of this model, we consider the energy spectrum, the cosmogenic neutrinos and gamma rays, and the distribution of arrival directions. The starburst galaxy scenario reproduces well observations from both the Telescope Array and Pierre Auger Observatories, making it very attractive for explaining the origin of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

Linking high-energy cosmic particles by black-hole jets embedded in large-scale structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Ke; Murase, Kohta

2018-04-01

The origin of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) is a half-century-old enigma1. The mystery has been deepened by an intriguing coincidence: over ten orders of magnitude in energy, the energy generation rates of UHECRs, PeV neutrinos and isotropic sub-TeV γ-rays are comparable, which hints at a grand unified picture2. Here we report that powerful black hole jets in aggregates of galaxies can supply the common origin for all of these phenomena. Once accelerated by a jet, low-energy cosmic rays confined in the radio lobe are adiabatically cooled; higher-energy cosmic rays leaving the source interact with the magnetized cluster environment and produce neutrinos and γ-rays; the highest-energy particles escape from the host cluster and contribute to the observed cosmic rays above 100 PeV. The model is consistent with the spectrum, composition and isotropy of the observed UHECRs, and also explains the IceCube neutrinos and the non-blazar component of the Fermi γ-ray background, assuming a reasonable energy output from black hole jets in clusters.

Using the information of cosmic rays to predict influence epidemic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Z. D.

1985-08-01

A correlation between the incidence of influenza pandemics and increased cosmic ray activity is made. A correlation is also made between the occurrence of these pandemics and the appearance of bright novae, e.g., Nova Eta Car. Four indices based on increased cosmic ray activity and novae are proposed to predict future influenza pandemics and viral antigenic shifts.

Cross section parameterizations for cosmic ray nuclei. 1: Single nucleon removal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norbury, John W.; Townsend, Lawrence W.

1992-01-01

Parameterizations of single nucleon removal from electromagnetic and strong interactions of cosmic rays with nuclei are presented. These parameterizations are based upon the most accurate theoretical calculations available to date. They should be very suitable for use in cosmic ray propagation through interstellar space, the Earth's atmosphere, lunar samples, meteorites, spacecraft walls and lunar and martian habitats.

Using the information of cosmic rays to predict influence epidemic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yu, Z. D.

1985-01-01

A correlation between the incidence of influenza pandemics and increased cosmic ray activity is made. A correlation is also made between the occurrence of these pandemics and the appearance of bright novae, e.g., Nova Eta Car. Four indices based on increased cosmic ray activity and novae are proposed to predict future influenza pandemics and viral antigenic shifts.

The Cosmic Ray Observatory Project: Results of a Summer High-School Student, Teacher, University Scientist Partnership Using a Capstone Research Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shell, Duane F.; Snow, Gregory R.; Claes, Daniel R.

2011-01-01

This paper reports results from evaluation of the Cosmic Ray Observatory Project (CROP), a student, teacher, scientist partnership to engage high-school students and teachers in school based cosmic ray research. Specifically, this study examined whether an intensive summer workshop experience could effectively prepare teacher-student teams to…

An Educational Study of the Barometric Effect of Cosmic Rays with a Geiger Counter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Famoso, Barbara; La Rocca, Paola; Riggi, Francesco

2005-01-01

An educational study of the barometric effect of cosmic rays was carried out using an inexpensive experimental set-up that allowed for long-term monitoring of atmospheric pressure and cosmic ray flux as measured in a Geiger counter. The investigation was intended as a pilot study in view of ongoing involvements of high-school teams operating…

A simulation of high energy cosmic ray propagation 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Honda, M.; Kamata, K.; Kifune, T.; Matsubara, Y.; Mori, M.; Nishijima, K.

1985-01-01

The cosmic ray propagation in the Galactic arm is simulated. The Galactic magnetic fields are known to go along with so called Galactic arms as a main structure with turbulences of the scale about 30pc. The distribution of cosmic ray in Galactic arm is studied. The escape time and the possible anisotropies caused by the arm structure are discussed.

Fermilab Education: Data-based Investigations

Science.gov Websites

Cosmic Rays Study cosmic rays with data from classrooom cosmic ray detectors. CMS e-Lab Study CMS Data using the CMS e-Lab from I2U2. LIGO Study seismic activity with data from LIGO (Laser Interferometer data from D0 - an example of conservation of momentum. Sky Server Study data from the Sloan Digital Sky

Does electromagnetic radiation accelerate galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eichler, D.

1977-01-01

The 'reactor' theories of Tsytovich and collaborators (1973) of cosmic-ray acceleration by electromagnetic radiation are examined in the context of galactic cosmic rays. It is shown that any isotropic synchrotron or Compton reactors with reasonable astrophysical parameters can yield particles with a maximum relativistic factor of only about 10,000. If they are to produce particles with higher relativistic factors, the losses due to inverse Compton scattering of the electromagnetic radiation in them outweigh the acceleration, and this violates the assumptions of the theory. This is a critical restriction in the context of galactic cosmic rays, which have a power-law spectrum extending up to a relativistic factor of 1 million.

How cosmic rays were discovered and why they received this misnomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorman, I. V.; Dorman, L. I.

2014-05-01

As many great discoveries, the phenomenon of cosmic rays was discovered mainly accidentally, during investigations that sought to answer another question: what are sources of air ionization? This problem became interesting for science about 230 years ago in the end of the 18th century, when physics met with a problem of leakage of electrical charge from very good isolated bodies. We describe the history how step by step cosmic rays was discovered and why this phenomenon received misnomer, how in cosmic rays was discovered the first antiparticle - positron. These discoveries were recognized among greatest in the 20th Century and were awarded by Nobel Prize.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fernandez T, Arturo

The use of the sophisticated and large underground detectors at CERN for cosmic ray studies has been considered by several groups, e.g. UA1, LEP and LHC detectors. They offer the opportunity to provide large sensitivity area with magnetic analysis which allow a precise determination of the direction of cosmic ray muons as well as their momentum up to the order of some TeV. The aim of this article is to review the observation of high energy cosmic ray muons using precise spectrometers at CERN, mainly LEP detectors as well as the possibility of improve those measurements with LHC apparatus, givingmore » special emphasis to the ACORDE-ALICE cosmic ray physics program.« less

Acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fransson, C.; Epstein, R. I.

1980-11-01

Two general categories of cosmic ray models are discussed, concomitant acceleration and propagation (CAP) models and sequential acceleration and propagation (SAP) models. These normally correspond to the cosmic rays being continuously accelerated in the interstellar medium or being rapidly produced by discrete sources or strong shock waves, respectively. For the CAP models it is found that the ratio of the predominantly secondary nuclei (Li + Be + B + N) to the predominantly primary nuclei (C + O) varies by less than a factor of 1.5 between 1 and 100 GeV per nucleon. This is at variance with current measurements. It thus appears that the evolution of cosmic rays is best described by SAP models.

The beta(+) decay and cosmic-ray half-life of Mn-54

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dacruz, M. T. F.; Norman, E. B.; Chan, Y. D.; Garcia, A.; Larimer, R. M.; Lesko, K. T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Wietfeldt, F. E.

1993-03-01

We performed a search for the beta(+) branch of Mn-54 decay. As a cosmic ray, Mn-54, deprived of its atomic electrons, can decay only via beta(+) and beta(-) decay, with a half-life of the order of 106 yr. This turns Mn-54 into a suitable cosmic chronometer for the study of cosmic-ray confinement times. We searched for coincident back-to-back 511-keV gamma-rays using two germanium detectors inside a Nal(Tl) annulus. An upper limit of 2 x 10-8 was found for the beta(+) decay branch, corresponding to a lower limit of 13.7 for the log ft value.

The cosmic-ray shock structure problem for relativistic shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webb, G. M.

1985-01-01

The time asymptotic behaviour of a relativistic (parallel) shock wave significantly modified by the diffusive acceleration of cosmic-rays is investigated by means of relativistic hydrodynamical equations for both the cosmic-rays and thermal gas. The form of the shock structure equation and the dispersion relation for both long and short wavelength waves in the system are obtained. The dependence of the shock acceleration efficiency on the upstream fluid spped, long wavelength Mach number and the ratio N = P sub co/cP sub co+P sub go)(Psub co and P sub go are the upstream cosmic-ray and thermal gas pressures respectively) are studied.

The Cosmic Ray Energy Spectrum and Related Measurements with the Pierre Auger Observatory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abraham, : J.; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.

2009-06-01

These are presentations to be presented at the 31st International Cosmic Ray Conference, in Lodz, Poland during July 2009. It consists of the following presentations: (1) Measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum above 10{sup 18} eV with the Pierre Auger Observatory; (2) The cosmic ray flux observed at zenith angles larger than 60 degrees with the Pierre Auger Observatory; (3) Energy calibration of data recorded with the surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory; (4) Exposure of the Hybrid Detector of The Pierre Auger Observatory; and (5) Energy scale derived from Fluorescence Telescopes using Cherenkov Light and Shower Universality.

Evaluating Galactic Cosmic Ray Environment Models Using RaD-X Flight Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, R. B.; Mertens, C. J.; Slaba, T. C.

2016-01-01

Galactic cosmic rays enter Earth's atmosphere after interacting with the geomagnetic field. The primary galactic cosmic rays spectrum is fundamentally changed as it interacts with Earth's atmosphere through nuclear and atomic interactions. At points deeper in the atmosphere, such as at airline altitudes, the radiation environment is a combination of the primary galactic cosmic rays and the secondary particles produced through nuclear interactions. The RaD-X balloon experiment measured the atmospheric radiation environment above 20 km during 2 days in September 2015. These experimental measurements were used to validate and quantify uncertainty in physics-based models used to calculate exposure levels for commercial aviation. In this paper, the Badhwar-O'Neill 2014, the International Organization for Standardization 15390, and the German Aerospace Company galactic cosmic ray environment models are used as input into the same radiation transport code to predict and compare dosimetric quantities to RaD-X measurements. In general, the various model results match the measured tissue equivalent dose well, with results generated by the German Aerospace Center galactic cosmic ray environment model providing the best comparison. For dose equivalent and dose measured in silicon, however, the models were compared less favorably to the measurements.

Heliospheric Modulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays; Diurnal Variability Abstract Details

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalu, D. F.; Okpala, K. C.

2017-12-01

We have studied the variability of Cosmic rays flux during solar quiet days at mid and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. By using the five (5) quietest days for each month and the five disturbed days for each month, the monthly mean diurnal variation of cosmic ray anisotropy have been derived for the period 1999-2015, which covers part of cycles 23, and cycle 24. This study seeks to understand the heliospheric contribution to the variation of these Cosmic rays on quietest days, three stations (Inuvik, Moscow, Rome) Neutron Monitors were employed. This study seeks to understand the important features of the high latitude and mid latitude diurnal wave, and how solar and geomagnetic activity may be influencing the wave characteristics. Cosmic ray wave characteristics were obtained by discrete Fourier transform (DFT). The mean, diurnal amplitude, phase and dispersion for each month's diurnal wave were calculated and profiled. There was clear indication that the terrestrial effect on the variability of the monthly mean was more associated with geomagnetic activity rather than rigidity of the cosmic rays. Correlation of the time series of these wave characteristic with solar and geomagnetic activity index showed better association with solar activity.

The Energetic Trans-Iron Cosmic-ray Experiment (ENTICE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Binns, W. R.; Adams. J. H.; Barghouty, A. F.; Christian, E. R.; Cummings, A. C.; Hams, T.; Israel, M. H.; Labrador, A. W.; Leske, R. A.; Link, J. T.;

High-Energy Cosmic Rays from Supernovae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morlino, Giovanni

Cosmic rays are charged relativistic particles that reach the Earth with extremely high energies, providing striking evidence of the existence of effective accelerators in the Universe. Below an energy around ˜ 1017 eV, cosmic rays are believed to be produced in the Milky Way, while above that energy, their origin is probably extragalactic. In the early 1930s, supernovae were already identified as possible sources for the galactic component of cosmic rays. After the 1970s this idea has gained more and more credibility, thanks to the development of the diffusive shock acceleration theory, which provides a robust theoretical framework for particle energization in astrophysical environments. Afterward, mostly in recent years, much observational evidence has been gathered in support of this framework, converting a speculative idea in a real paradigm. In this chapter the basic pillars of this paradigm will be illustrated. This includes the acceleration mechanism, the nonlinear effects produced by accelerated particles onto the shock dynamics needed to reach the highest energies, the escape process from the sources, and the transportation of cosmic rays through the Galaxy. The theoretical picture will be corroborated by discussing several observations which support the idea that supernova remnants are effective cosmic ray factories.

Th/U/Pu/Cm dating of galactic cosmic rays with the extremely heavy cosmic ray composition observer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westphal, Andrew J.; Weaver, Benjamin A.; Tarlé, Gregory

The principal goal of ECCO, the Extremely-heavy Cosmic-ray Composition Observer, is the measurement of the age of heavy galactic cosmic-ray nuclei using the extremely rare actinides (Th, U, Pu, Cm) as clocks. ECCO is one of two cosmic-ray instruments comprising the Heavy Nuclei Explorer (HNX), which was recently selected as one of several missions for Phase A study under NASA's Small class Explorer (SMEX) program. ECCO is based on the flight heritage of Trek, an array of barium-phosphate glass tracketch detectors deployed on the Russian space station Mir from 1991-1995. Using Trek, we measured the abundances of elements with Z > 70 in the galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). Trek consisted of a 1 m 2 array of stacks of individually polished thin BP-1 glass detectors. ECCO will be a much larger instrument, but will achieve both excellent resolution and low cost through use of a novel detector configuration. Here we report the results of recent accelerator tests of the ECCO detectors that verify detector performance. We also show the expected charge and energy resolution of ECCO as a function of energy.

Cosmic Ray Interactions in Shielding Materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aguayo Navarrete, Estanislao; Kouzes, Richard T.; Ankney, Austin S.

2011-09-08

This document provides a detailed study of materials used to shield against the hadronic particles from cosmic ray showers at Earth’s surface. This work was motivated by the need for a shield that minimizes activation of the enriched germanium during transport for the MAJORANA collaboration. The materials suitable for cosmic-ray shield design are materials such as lead and iron that will stop the primary protons, and materials like polyethylene, borated polyethylene, concrete and water that will stop the induced neutrons. The interaction of the different cosmic-ray components at ground level (protons, neutrons, muons) with their wide energy range (from kilo-electronmore » volts to giga-electron volts) is a complex calculation. Monte Carlo calculations have proven to be a suitable tool for the simulation of nucleon transport, including hadron interactions and radioactive isotope production. The industry standard Monte Carlo simulation tool, Geant4, was used for this study. The result of this study is the assertion that activation at Earth’s surface is a result of the neutronic and protonic components of the cosmic-ray shower. The best material to shield against these cosmic-ray components is iron, which has the best combination of primary shielding and minimal secondary neutron production.« less

Measurements of Cosmic-Ray Proton and Helium Spectra from the BESS-Polar Long-Duration Balloon Flights Over Antarctica

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abe, K.; Fuke, H.; Haino, S.; Hams, T.; Hasegawa, M.; Horikoshi, A.; Itazaki, A.; Kim, K. C.; Kumazawa, T.; Kusumoto, A.;

Comic ray flux anisotropies caused by astrospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherer, K.; Strauss, R. D.; Ferreira, S. E. S.; Fichtner, H.

2016-09-01

Huge astrospheres or stellar wind bubbles influence the propagation of cosmic rays at energies up to the TeV range and can act as small-scale sinks decreasing the cosmic ray flux. We model such a sink (in 2D) by a sphere of radius 10 pc embedded within a sphere of a radius of 1 kpc. The cosmic ray flux is calculated by means of backward stochastic differential equations from an observer, which is located at r0, to the outer boundary. It turns out that such small-scale sinks can influence the cosmic ray flux at the observer's location by a few permille (i.e. a few 0.1%), which is in the range of the observations by IceCube, Milagro and other large area telescopes.

Cosmic ray-modified stellar winds. I - Solution topologies and singularities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ko, C. M.; Webb, G. M.

1987-01-01

In the present two-fluid hydrodynamical model for stellar wind flow modification due to its interaction with Galactic cosmic rays, these rays are coupled to the stellar wind by either hydromagnetic wave scattering or background flow irregularity propagation. The background flow is modified by the cosmic rays via their pressure gradient. The system of equations used possesses a line of singularities in (r, u, P sub c)-space, or a two-dimensional hypersurface of singularities in (r, u, P sub c, dP sub c/dr)-space, where r, u, and P sub c are respectively the radial distance from the star, the radial wind flow speed, and the cosmic ray pressure. The singular points may be nodes, foci, or saddle points.

The Tunka-Grande experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monkhoev, R. D.; Budnev, N. M.; Chiavassa, A.; Dyachok, A. N.; Gafarov, A. R.; Gress, O. A.; Gress, T. I.; Grishin, O. G.; Ivanova, A. L.; Kalmykov, N. N.; Kazarina, Yu. A.; Korosteleva, E. E.; Kozhin, V. A.; Kuzmichev, L. A.; Lenok, V. V.; Lubsandorzhiev, B. K.; Lubsandorzhiev, N. B.; Mirgazov, R. R.; Mirzoyan, R.; Osipova, E. A.; Pakhorukov, A. L.; Panasyuk, M. I.; Pankov, L. V.; Poleschuk, V. A.; Popova, E. G.; Postnikov, E. B.; Prosin, V. V.; Ptuskin, V. S.; Pushnin, A. A.; Samoliga, V. S.; Semeney, Y. A.; Sveshnikova, L. G.; Silaev, A. A.; Silaev, A. A., Jr.; Skurikhin, A. V.; Sulakov, V. P.; Tabolenko, V. A.; Voronin, D. M.; Fedorov, O. L.; Spiering, C.; Zagorodnikov, A. V.; Zhurov, D. P.; Zurbanov, V. L.

2017-06-01

The investigation of energy spectrum and mass composition of primary cosmic rays in the energy range 1016-1018 eV and the search for diffuse cosmic gamma rays are of the great interest for understanding mechanisms and nature of high-energy particle sources, the problem of great importance in modern astrophysics. Tunka-Grande scintillator array is a part of the experimental complex TAIGA (Tunka Advanced Instrument for Cosmic Ray and Gamma Astronomy) which is located in the Tunka Valley, about 50 km from Lake Baikal. The purpose of this array is the study of diffuse gamma rays and cosmic rays of ultra-high energies by detecting extensive air showers. We describe the design, specifications of the read-out, data acquisition (DAQ) and control systems of the array.

A new population of very high energy gamma-ray sources in the Milky Way.

PubMed

Aharonian, F; Akhperjanian, A G; Aye, K-M; Bazer-Bachi, A R; Beilicke, M; Benbow, W; Berge, D; Berghaus, P; Bernlöhr, K; Boisson, C; Bolz, O; Borgmeier, C; Braun, I; Breitling, F; Brown, A M; Gordo, J Bussons; Chadwick, P M; Chounet, L-M; Cornils, R; Costamante, L; Degrange, B; Djannati-Ataï, A; Drury, L O'C; Dubus, G; Ergin, T; Espigat, P; Feinstein, F; Fleury, P; Fontaine, G; Funk, S; Gallant, Y A; Giebels, B; Gillessen, S; Goret, P; Hadjichristidis, C; Hauser, M; Heinzelmann, G; Henri, G; Hermann, G; Hinton, J A; Hofmann, W; Holleran, M; Horns, D; de Jager, O C; Jung, I; Khélifi, B; Komin, Nu; Konopelko, A; Latham, I J; Le Gallou, R; Lemière, A; Lemoine, M; Leroy, N; Lohse, T; Marcowith, A; Masterson, C; McComb, T J L; de Naurois, M; Nolan, S J; Noutsos, A; Orford, K J; Osborne, J L; Ouchrif, M; Panter, M; Pelletier, G; Pita, S; Pühlhofer, G; Punch, M; Raubenheimer, B C; Raue, M; Raux, J; Rayner, S M; Redondo, I; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Ripken, J; Rob, L; Rolland, L; Rowell, G; Sahakian, V; Saugé, L; Schlenker, S; Schlickeiser, R; Schuster, C; Schwanke, U; Siewert, M; Sol, H; Steenkamp, R; Stegmann, C; Tavernet, J-P; Terrier, R; Théoret, C G; Tluczykont, M; van der Walt, D J; Vasileiadis, G; Venter, C; Vincent, P; Visser, B; Völk, H J; Wagner, S J

2005-03-25

Very high energy gamma-rays probe the long-standing mystery of the origin of cosmic rays. Produced in the interactions of accelerated particles in astrophysical objects, they can be used to image cosmic particle accelerators. A first sensitive survey of the inner part of the Milky Way with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) reveals a population of eight previously unknown firmly detected sources of very high energy gamma-rays. At least two have no known radio or x-ray counterpart and may be representative of a new class of "dark" nucleonic cosmic ray sources.

The Origin of Cosmic Rays: What can GLAST Say?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ormes, Jonathan F.; Digel, Seith; Moskalenko, Igor V.; Moiseev, Alexander; Williamson, Roger

2000-01-01

Gamma rays in the band from 30 MeV to 300 GeV, used in combination with direct measurements and with data from radio and X-ray bands, provide a powerful tool for studying the origin of Galactic cosmic rays. Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) with its fine 10-20 arcmin angular resolution will be able to map the sites of acceleration of cosmic rays and their interactions with interstellar matter, It will provide information that is necessary to study the acceleration of energetic particles in supernova shocks, their transport in the interstellar medium and penetration into molecular clouds.

JUPITER AS A GIANT COSMIC RAY DETECTOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rimmer, P. B.; Stark, C. R.; Helling, Ch., E-mail: pr33@st-andrews.ac.uk

We explore the feasibility of using the atmosphere of Jupiter to detect ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). The large surface area of Jupiter allows us to probe cosmic rays of higher energies than previously accessible. Cosmic ray extensive air showers in Jupiter's atmosphere could in principle be detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi observatory. In order to be observed, these air showers would need to be oriented toward the Earth, and would need to occur sufficiently high in the atmosphere that the gamma rays can penetrate. We demonstrate that, under these assumptions, Jupiter provides an effective cosmicmore » ray ''detector'' area of 3.3 × 10{sup 7} km{sup 2}. We predict that Fermi-LAT should be able to detect events of energy >10{sup 21} eV with fluence 10{sup –7} erg cm{sup –2} at a rate of about one per month. The observed number of air showers may provide an indirect measure of the flux of cosmic rays ≳ 10{sup 20} eV. Extensive air showers also produce a synchrotron signature that may be measurable by Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Simultaneous observations of Jupiter with ALMA and Fermi-LAT could be used to provide broad constraints on the energies of the initiating cosmic rays.« less

Propagation of Cosmic Rays and Diffuse Galactic Gamma Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moskalenko, Igor V.

2004-01-01

This paper presents an introduction to the astrophysics of cosmic rays and diffuse gamma-rays and discusses some of the puzzles that have emerged recently due to more precise data and improved propagation models: the excesses in Galactic diffuse gamma-ray emission, secondary antiprotons and positrons, and the flatter than expected gradient of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. These also involve the dark matter, a challenge to modern physics, through its indirect searches in cosmic rays. Though the final solutions are yet to be found, I discuss some ideas and results obtained mostly with the numerical propagation model GALPROP. A fleet of spacecraft and balloon experiments targeting these specific issues is set to lift off in a few years, imparting a feeling of optimism that a new era of exciting discoveries is just around the corner. A complete and comprehensive discussion of all the recent results is not attempted here due to the space limitations.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Inoue, Yoshiyuki; Tanaka, Yasuyuki T., E-mail: yinoue@astro.isas.jaxa.jp

The Fermi gamma-ray space telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmic gamma-ray background radiation in the GeV band. However, investigation on the cosmic TeV gamma-ray background radiation still remains sparse. Here, we report the lower bound on the cosmic TeV gamma-ray background spectrum placed by the cumulative flux of individual detected extragalactic TeV sources including blazars, radio galaxies, and starburst galaxies. The current limit on the cosmic TeV gamma-ray background above 0.1 TeV is obtained as 2.8 × 10{sup −8}(E/100 GeV){sup −0.55} exp(−E/2100GeV)[GeV cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} sr{sup −1}] < E{sup 2}dN/dE < 1.1 × 10{sup −7}(E/100 GeV){sup −0.49} [GeV cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} sr{sup −1}], wheremore » the upper bound is set by requirement that the cascade flux from the cosmic TeV gamma-ray background radiation can not exceed the measured cosmic GeV gamma-ray background spectrum. Two nearby blazars, Mrk 421 and Mrk 501, explain ∼70% of the cumulative background flux at 0.8–4 TeV, while extreme blazars start to dominate at higher energies. We also provide the cumulative background flux from each population, i.e., blazars, radio galaxies, and starburst galaxies which will be the minimum requirement for their contribution to the cosmic TeV gamma-ray background radiation.« less

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1970-01-01

This artist's concept depicts the third observatory, the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3 in orbit. Designed and developed by TRW, Inc. under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the HEAO-3's mission was to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit.

Evaluation of the cosmic-ray induced background in coded aperture high energy gamma-ray telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owens, Alan; Barbier, Loius M.; Frye, Glenn M.; Jenkins, Thomas L.

1991-01-01

While the application of coded-aperture techniques to high-energy gamma-ray astronomy offers potential arc-second angular resolution, concerns were raised about the level of secondary radiation produced in a thick high-z mask. A series of Monte-Carlo calculations are conducted to evaluate and quantify the cosmic-ray induced neutral particle background produced in a coded-aperture mask. It is shown that this component may be neglected, being at least a factor of 50 lower in intensity than the cosmic diffuse gamma-rays.

Neural network and wavelets in prediction of cosmic ray variability: The North Africa as study case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarrouk, Neïla; Bennaceur, Raouf

2010-04-01

Since the Earth is permanently bombarded with energetic cosmic rays particles, cosmic ray flux has been monitored by ground based neutron monitors for decades. In this work an attempt is made to investigate the decomposition and reconstructions provided by Morlet wavelet technique, using data series of cosmic rays variabilities, then to constitute from this wavelet analysis an input data base for the neural network system with which we can then predict decomposition coefficients and all related parameters for other points. Thus the latter are used for the recomposition step in which the plots and curves describing the relative cosmic rays intensities are obtained in any points on the earth in which we do not have any information about cosmic rays intensities. Although neural network associated with wavelets are not frequently used for cosmic rays time series, they seems very suitable and are a good choice to obtain these results. In fact we have succeeded to derive a very useful tool to obtain the decomposition coefficients, the main periods for each point on the Earth and on another hand we have now a kind of virtual NM for these locations like North Africa countries, Maroc, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Cairo. We have found the aspect of very known 11-years cycle: T1, we have also revealed the variation type of T2 and especially T3 cycles which seem to be induced by particular Earth's phenomena.

The isotopic composition of cosmic-ray beryllium and its implication for the cosmic ray's age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukasiak, A.; Ferrando, P.; McDonald, F. B.; Webber, W. R.

1994-03-01

We report a new measurement of the cosmic-ray isotopic composition of beryllium in the low-energy range from 35 to 113 MeV per nucleon. This measurement was made using the High Energy Telescope of the CRS experiment on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft during the time period from 1977 to 1991. In this overall time period of 14 years the average solar modulation level was about 500 MV. The cosmic-ray beryllium isotopes were completely separated with an average mass resolution sigma of 0.185 amu. The isotope fractions of Be-7, Be-9, and Be-10 obtained are 52.4 +/- 2.9%, 43.3 +/- 3.7%, and 4.3 +/- 1.5%, respectively. The measured cosmic-ray abundances of Be-7 and Be-9 are found to be in agreement with calculations based on standard Leaky-Box model for the interstellar propagation of cosmic-ray nuclei using the recent cross sections of the New Mexico-Saclay collaboration. From our observed ratio Be-10/Be = 4.3 +/- 1.5% we deduce an average interstellar density of about 0.28 (+0.14, -0.11) atoms/cu cm, and a cosmic-ray lifetime for escape of 27 (+19, -9) x 106 years. The surviving fraction of Be-10 is found to be 0.19 +/- 0.07. Modifications to the conclusions of the Leaky-Box model when a diffusion + convection halo model for propagation is used are also considered.

Cosmic Ray-Air Shower Measurement from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, Yoshiyuki

1997-01-01

A feasibility study has been initiated to observe from space the highest energy cosmic rays above 1021 eV. A satellite observatory concept, the Maximum-energy Auger (Air)-Shower Satellite (MASS), is recently renamed as the Orbital Wide-angle Collector (OWL) by taking its unique feature of using a very wide field-of-view (FOV) optics. A huge array of imaging devices (about 10(exp 6) pixels) is required to detect and record fluorescent light profiles of cosmic ray cascades in the atmosphere. The FOV of MASS could extend to as large as about 60 in. diameter, which views (500 - 1000 km) of earth's surface and more than 300 - 1000 cosmic ray events per year could be observed above 1020 eV. From far above the atmosphere, the MASS/OWL satellite should be capable of observing events at all angles including near horizontal tracks, and would have considerable aperture for high energy photon and neutrino observation. With a large aperture and the spatial and temporal resolution, MASS could determine the energy spectrum, the mass composition, and arrival anisotropy of cosmic rays from 1020 eV to 1022 eV; a region hitherto not explored by ground-based detectors such as the Fly's Eye and air-shower arrays. MASS/OWL's ability to identify cosmic neutrinos and gamma rays may help providing evidence for the theory which attributes the above cut-off cosmic ray flux to the decay of topological defects. Very wide FOV optics system of MASS/OWL with a large array of imaging devices is applicable to observe other atmospheric phenomena including upper atmospheric lightning. The wide FOV MASS optics being developed can also improve ground-based gamma-ray observatories by allowing simultaneous observation of many gamma ray sources located at different constellations.

Inspection of Alpine glaciers with cosmic-ray muon radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishiyama, Ryuichi; Ariga, Akitaka; Ariga, Tomoko; Ereditato, Antonio; Lechmann, Alessandro; Mair, David; Scampoli, Paola; Schlunegger, Fritz; Vladymyrov, Mykhailo

2016-04-01

Radiography using cosmic-ray muons represents a challenging method for probing the bedrock topography beneath Alpine glaciers. We present the current status of our feasibility study at Eiger glacier, situated on the western flank of the Eiger in the Jungfrau region, Central Swiss Alps. The muon radiography is a technique that has been recently developed to investigate the internal density profiles of geoscientific targets. It is based on the measurement of the absorption of the cosmic-ray muons inside a material. Because the energy spectrum of cosmic-ray muons and the energy dependence of muon range have been studied well during the past years, the attenuation of the muon flux can be used to derive the column density, i.e. the density integrated along the muon trajectories, of geoscientific targets. This technique has recently been applied for non-invasive inspection of volcanoes, nuclear reactors, seismic faults, caves and etc. The greatest advantage of the method in the field of glacier studies is that it yields a unique solution of the density underneath a glacier without any assumption of physical properties inside the target. Large density contrasts, as expected between glacier ice (˜ 1.0g/cm3) and bedrock (˜ 2.5g/cm3), would allow us to elucidate the shape of the bedrock in high resolution. Accordingly, this technology will provide for the first time information on the bedrock surface beneath a steep and non-accessible Alpine glacier, in a complementary way with respect to other exploration methods (drilling, ground penetrating radar, seismic survey, gravity explorations and etc.). Our first aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of the method through a case study at the Eiger glacier, situated in the Central Swiss Alps. The Eiger glacier straddles the western flank of the Eiger between 3700 and 2300 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The glacier has shortened by about 150 m during the past 30 years in response to the ongoing global warming, causing a concern for the potential risk of rock fall on the onsite railway. We installed prototype detectors at two sites inside the Jungfrau tunnel crossing the Eiger mountain. The first site is located at 3160 m a.s.l. where the tunnel crosses the eastern flank of the Eiger. There, the thickness of the rock, which muons have to penetrate, ranges from 600 m to 1500 m. The second site is located at 3250 m a.s.l., just beneath the western flank of the Eiger. At this second site, the rock thickness is 300 - 1000 m. We chose emulsion films as muon detectors because they do not require power supply, a clear advantage in the harsh mountain environmental conditions. The effective area of the detectors is 1000cm2 for both sites. The foreseen exposure time will be 2 to 3 months. After this prototype experiment, we will install larger detectors in several sites in the tunnel. The stereo observation would make it possible to reconstruct the three-dimensional shape of the bedrock beneath the Eiger glacier.

Constraining heavy dark matter with cosmic-ray antiprotons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuoco, Alessandro; Heisig, Jan; Korsmeier, Michael; Krämer, Michael

2018-04-01

Cosmic-ray observations provide a powerful probe of dark matter annihilation in the Galaxy. In this paper we derive constraints on heavy dark matter from the recent precise AMS-02 antiproton data. We consider all possible annihilation channels into pairs of standard model particles. Furthermore, we interpret our results in the context of minimal dark matter, including higgsino, wino and quintuplet dark matter. We compare the cosmic-ray antiproton limits to limits from γ-ray observations of dwarf spheroidal galaxies and to limits from γ-ray and γ-line observations towards the Galactic center. While the latter limits are highly dependent on the dark matter density distribution and only exclude a thermal wino for cuspy profiles, the cosmic-ray limits are more robust, strongly disfavoring the thermal wino dark matter scenario even for a conservative estimate of systematic uncertainties.

Astrophysics at the Highest Energy Frontiers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; White, Nicholas E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

I discuss recent advances being made in the physics and astrophysics of cosmic rays and cosmic gamma-rays at the highest observed energies as well as the related physics and astrophysics of very high energy cosmic neutrinos. I also discuss the connections between these topics.

A time-dependent diffusion convection model for the long term modulation of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallagher, J. J.

1974-01-01

A model is developed which incorporates to first order the direct effects of the time dependent diffusive propagation of interstellar cosmic rays in a slowly changing interplanetary medium. The model provides a physical explanation for observed rigidity-dependent phase lags in modulated spectra (cosmic ray hysteresis). The average distance to the modulating boundary during the last solar cycle is estimated.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Earl, James A.

From 1948 until 1963, cloud chambers were carried to the top of the atmosphere by balloons. From these flights, which were begun by Edward P. Ney at the University of Minnesota, came the following results: discovery of heavy cosmic ray nuclei, development of scintillation and cherenkov detectors, discovery of cosmic ray electrons, and studies of solar proton events. The history of that era is illustrated here by cloud chamber photographs of primary cosmic rays.

Fun Times with Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wanjek, Christopher

2003-01-01

Who would have thought cosmic rays could be so hip? Although discovered 90 years ago on death-defying manned balloon flights hip even by twenty-first-century extremesport standards cosmic rays quickly lost popularity as way-cool telescopes were finding way-too-cool phenomena across the electromagnetic spectrum. Yet cosmic rays are back in vogue, boasting their own set of superlatives. Scientists are tracking them down with new resolve from the Arctic to Antarctica and even on the high western plains of Argentina. Theorists, too, now see cosmic rays as harbingers of funky physics. Cosmic rays are atomic and subatomic particles - the fastest moving bits of matter in the universe and the only sample of matter we have from outside the solar system (with the exception of interstellar dust grains). Lower-energy cosmic rays come from the Sun. Mid-energy particles come from stellar explosions - either spewed directly from the star like shrapnel, or perhaps accelerated to nearly the speed of light by shock waves. The highest-energy cosmic rays, whose unequivocal existence remains one of astronomy's greatest mysteries, clock in at a staggering 10(exp 19) to 10(exp 22) electron volts. This is the energy carried in a baseball pitch; seeing as how there are as many atomic particles in a baseball as there are baseballs in the Moon, that s one powerful toss. No simple stellar explosion could produce them. At a recent conference in Albuquerque, scientists presented the first observational evidence of a possible origin for the highest-energy variety. A team led by Elihu Boldt at NASA s Goddard Space Flight Center found that five of these very rare cosmic rays (there are only a few dozen confirmed events) come from the direction of four 'retired' quasar host galaxies just above the arm of the Big Dipper, all visible with backyard telescopes: NGC 3610, NGC 3613, NGC 4589, and NGC 5322. These galaxies are billions of years past their glory days as the brightest beacons in the universe. Yet they still harbor central, supermassive black holes, which could generate energetic particles if they are spinning.

Practical Applications of Cosmic Ray Science: Spacecraft, Aircraft, Ground-Based Computation and Control Systems, and Human Health and Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, William; Koontz, Steve; Normand, Eugene

2012-01-01

Three twentieth century technological developments, 1) high altitude commercial and military aircraft; 2) manned and unmanned spacecraft; and 3) increasingly complex and sensitive solid state micro-electronics systems, have driven an ongoing evolution of basic cosmic ray science into a set of practical engineering tools needed to design, test, and verify the safety and reliability of modern complex technological systems. The effects of primary cosmic ray particles and secondary particle showers produced by nuclear reactions with the atmosphere, can determine the design and verification processes (as well as the total dollar cost) for manned and unmanned spacecraft avionics systems. Similar considerations apply to commercial and military aircraft operating at high latitudes and altitudes near the atmospheric Pfotzer maximum. Even ground based computational and controls systems can be negatively affected by secondary particle showers at the Earth s surface, especially if the net target area of the sensitive electronic system components is large. Finally, accumulation of both primary cosmic ray and secondary cosmic ray induced particle shower radiation dose is an important health and safety consideration for commercial or military air crews operating at high altitude/latitude and is also one of the most important factors presently limiting manned space flight operations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). In this paper we review the discovery of cosmic ray effects on the performance and reliability of microelectronic systems as well as human health and the development of the engineering and health science tools used to evaluate and mitigate cosmic ray effects in ground-based atmospheric flight, and space flight environments. Ground test methods applied to microelectronic components and systems are used in combinations with radiation transport and reaction codes to predict the performance of microelectronic systems in their operating environments. Similar radiation transport codes are used to evaluate possible human health effects of cosmic ray exposure, however, the health effects are based on worst-case analysis and extrapolation of a very limited human exposure data base combined with some limited experimental animal data. Finally, the limitations on human space operations beyond low-Earth orbit imposed by long term exposure to galactic cosmic rays are discussed.

Ashra Neutrino Telescope Array (NTA): Combined Imaging Observation of Astroparticles — For Clear Identification of Cosmic Accelerators and Fundamental Physics Using Cosmic Beams —

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Makoto; Kifune, Tadashi

In VHEPA (very high energy particle astronomy) 2014 workshop, focused on the next generation explorers for the origin of cosmic rays, held in Kashiwa, Japan, reviewing and discussions were presented on the status of the observation of GeV-TeV photons, TeV-PeV neutrinos, EeV-ZeV hadrons, test of interaction models with Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and theoretical aspects of astrophysics. The acceleration sites of hadrons, i.e., sources of PeV-EeV cosmic rays, should exist in the universe within the GZK-horizon even in the remotest case. We also affirmed that the hadron acceleration mechanism correlates with cosmic ray composition so that it is important to investigate the acceleration mechanism in relevance to the composition survey at PeV-EeV energy. We regard that LHC and astrophysics theories are ready to be used to probe into hadron acceleration mechanism in the universe. Recently, IceCube has reported detection of three events of neutrinos with energies around 1 PeV and additional events at lower energies, which significantly deviate from the expected level of background events. It is necessary to observe GeV-TeV photon, EeV-ZeV hadron and TeV-PeV neutrino all together, in order to understand hadronic interactions of cosmic rays in the PeV-EeV energy region. It is required to make a step further toward exploring the PeV-EeV universe with high accuracy and high statistics observations for both neutrinos and gamma rays simultaneously, by using the instrument such as Ashra Neutrino Telescope Array (NTA). Wide and fine survey of gamma-rays and neutrinos with simultaneously detecting Cherenkov and fluorescence light with NTA will guide us to a new intriguing stage of recognizing astronomical objects and non-thermal phenomena in ultra-high energy region, in addition, new aspect about the fundamental concepts of physics beyond our presently limited understanding; the longstanding problem of cosmic ray origin, the radiation mechanism of gamma-rays, neutrino and cosmic rays from violent objects like blazars, interaction of gamma-rays and cosmic rays with microwave and infrared background photons, and PeV-EeV neutrinos originated from far places beyond the GZK-horizon.

Cosmic-ray record in solar system matter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reedy, R. C.; Arnold, J. R.; Lal, D.

1983-01-01

The interaction of galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar cosmic rays (SCR) with bodies in the solar system is discussed, and what the record of that interaction reveals about the history of the solar system is considered. The influence of the energy, charge, and mass of the particles on the interaction is addressed, showing long-term average fluxes of solar protons, predicted production rates for heavy-nuclei tracks and various radionuclides as a function of depth in lunar rock, and integral fluxes of protons emitted by solar flares. The variation of the earth's magnetic field, the gardening of the lunar surface, and the source of meteorites and cosmic dust are studied using the cosmic ray record. The time variation of GCR, SCR, and VH and VVH nuclei is discussed for both the short and the long term.

Development of the cosmic ray techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossi, B.

1982-01-01

It has been found that most advances of cosmic-ray physics have been directly related to the development of observational techniques. The history of observational techniques is discussed, taking into account ionization chambers, refinements applied to ionization chambers to make them suitable for an effective use in the study of cosmic radiation, the Wulf-type electrometer, the electrometer designed by Millikan and Neher, the Geiger-Mueller counter, the experiment of Bothe and Kolhoerster, the coincidence circuit, and a cosmic-ray 'telescope'. Attention is given to a magnetic lens for cosmic rays, a triangular arrangement of Geiger-Mueller counters used to demonstrate the production of a secondary radiation, a stereoscopic cloud-chamber photograph of showers, the cloud-chamber picture which provided the first evidence of the positive electron, and arrangements for studying photon components, mu-mesons, and air showers.

Construction and Performance Studies of Large Resistive Micromegas Quadruplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farina, E.; Iengo, P.; Bianco, M.; Sidiropoulou, O.; Kuger, F.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Vergain, M.; Wotschack, J.; Danielsson, H.; Degrange, J.; De Oliveira, R.; Schott, M.; Lin, Tai-Hua; Valderanis, C.; Düdder, A.

2018-02-01

In view of the use of Micromegas detectors for the upgrade of the ATLAS muon system, two detector quadruplets with an area of 0.3 m2 per plane serving as prototypes for future ATLAS chambers have been constructed. They are based on the resistive-strip technology and thus spark tolerant. The detectors were built in a modular way. The quadruplets consist of two double-sided readout panels and three support (or drift) panels equipped with the micromesh and the drift electrode. The panels are bolted together such that the detector can be opened and cleaned, if required. Two of the readout planes are equipped with readout strips inclined by 1.5 degree. In this talk, we present the results of detailed performance studies based on X-Ray and cosmic ray measurements as well as measurements with 855 MeV electrons at the MAMI accelerator. In particular, results on reconstruction efficiencies, track resolution and gain homogeneity is presented.

Nineteenth International Cosmic Ray Conference. HE Sessions, Volume 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, F. C. (Compiler)

1985-01-01

Papers submitted for presentation at the 19th International Cosmic ray Conference are compiled. This volume contains papers which address various aspects of extensive air showers (EAS) produced by energetic particles and gamma rays.

The distribution of cosmic rays in the galaxy and their dynamics as deduced from recent gamma-ray observations. [X-ray intensity variations with galactocentric distance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puget, J. L.; Stecker, F. W.

1974-01-01

Recent data from SAS-2 on the galactic gamma ray line flux as a function of longitude reveal a broad maximum in the gamma ray intensity in the region absolute value of l approximately smaller than 30 deg. These data imply that the low energy galactic cosmic ray flux varies with galactocentric distance and is about an order of magnitude higher than the local value in a toroidal region between 4 and 5 kpc from the galactic center. This enhancement can be plausibly accounted for by first order Fermi acceleration, compression and trapping of cosmic rays consistent with present ideas of galactic dynamics and galactic structure theory. Calculations indicate that cosmic rays in the 4 to 5 kpc region are trapped and accelerated over a mean time of the order of a few million years or about 2 to 4 times the assumed trapping time in the solar region of the galaxy.

A cocoon of freshly accelerated cosmic rays detected by Fermi in the Cygnus superbubble.

PubMed

Ackermann, M; Ajello, M; Allafort, A; Baldini, L; Ballet, J; Barbiellini, G; Bastieri, D; Belfiore, A; Bellazzini, R; Berenji, B; Blandford, R D; Bloom, E D; Bonamente, E; Borgland, A W; Bottacini, E; Brigida, M; Bruel, P; Buehler, R; Buson, S; Caliandro, G A; Cameron, R A; Caraveo, P A; Casandjian, J M; Cecchi, C; Chekhtman, A; Cheung, C C; Chiang, J; Ciprini, S; Claus, R; Cohen-Tanugi, J; de Angelis, A; de Palma, F; Dermer, C D; do Couto E Silva, E; Drell, P S; Dumora, D; Favuzzi, C; Fegan, S J; Focke, W B; Fortin, P; Fukazawa, Y; Fusco, P; Gargano, F; Germani, S; Giglietto, N; Giordano, F; Giroletti, M; Glanzman, T; Godfrey, G; Grenier, I A; Guillemot, L; Guiriec, S; Hadasch, D; Hanabata, Y; Harding, A K; Hayashida, M; Hayashi, K; Hays, E; Jóhannesson, G; Johnson, A S; Kamae, T; Katagiri, H; Kataoka, J; Kerr, M; Knödlseder, J; Kuss, M; Lande, J; Latronico, L; Lee, S-H; Longo, F; Loparco, F; Lott, B; Lovellette, M N; Lubrano, P; Martin, P; Mazziotta, M N; McEnery, J E; Mehault, J; Michelson, P F; Mitthumsiri, W; Mizuno, T; Monte, C; Monzani, M E; Morselli, A; Moskalenko, I V; Murgia, S; Naumann-Godo, M; Nolan, P L; Norris, J P; Nuss, E; Ohsugi, T; Okumura, A; Orlando, E; Ormes, J F; Ozaki, M; Paneque, D; Parent, D; Pesce-Rollins, M; Pierbattista, M; Piron, F; Pohl, M; Prokhorov, D; Rainò, S; Rando, R; Razzano, M; Reposeur, T; Ritz, S; Parkinson, P M Saz; Sgrò, C; Siskind, E J; Smith, P D; Spinelli, P; Strong, A W; Takahashi, H; Tanaka, T; Thayer, J G; Thayer, J B; Thompson, D J; Tibaldo, L; Torres, D F; Tosti, G; Tramacere, A; Troja, E; Uchiyama, Y; Vandenbroucke, J; Vasileiou, V; Vianello, G; Vitale, V; Waite, A P; Wang, P; Winer, B L; Wood, K S; Yang, Z; Zimmer, S; Bontemps, S

2011-11-25

The origin of Galactic cosmic rays is a century-long puzzle. Indirect evidence points to their acceleration by supernova shockwaves, but we know little of their escape from the shock and their evolution through the turbulent medium surrounding massive stars. Gamma rays can probe their spreading through the ambient gas and radiation fields. The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has observed the star-forming region of Cygnus X. The 1- to 100-gigaelectronvolt images reveal a 50-parsec-wide cocoon of freshly accelerated cosmic rays that flood the cavities carved by the stellar winds and ionization fronts from young stellar clusters. It provides an example to study the youth of cosmic rays in a superbubble environment before they merge into the older Galactic population.

Anisotropy in the Arrival Directions of Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villaseñor, Luis

2017-06-01

In this article we illustrate, in an interactive way, the analysis and visualization of anisotropy properties in the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger experiments by using data released by both collaborations. We describe the use of several programs that we have written in Python and Julia languages for this purpose. We also discuss the potential sources and analyse the effect of correcting the arrival directions to take into account the deflections of the cosmic rays by the magnetic field of our galaxy for one specific model of the galactic magnetic field under several assumptions about the composition of the primary cosmic rays.

The structure of cosmic ray shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, W. I.; Leer, E.; McKenzie, J. F.

1982-07-01

The acceleration of cosmic rays by steady shock waves has been discussed in brief reports by Leer et al. (1976) and Axford et al. (1977). This paper presents a more extended version of this work. The energy transfer and the structure of the shock wave is discussed in detail, and it is shown that even for moderately strong shock waves most of the upstream energy flux in the background gas is transferred to the cosmic rays. This holds also when the upstream cosmic ray pressure is very small. For an intermediate Mach-number regime the overall shock structure is shown to consist of a smooth transition followed by a gas shock (cf. Drury and Voelk, 1980).

Observation of Galactic and Solar Cosmic Rays from October 13, 1959 to February 17, 1961 with Explorer VII (Satellite 1959 Iota)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Wei Ching

1961-01-01

This paper gives a comprehensive summary of cosmic-ray intensity observations at high latitudes over North America and over Australia in the altitude range 550 to 1100 km by means of Geiger tubes in Explorer VII (Earth satellite 1959 Iota). The time period covered is October 13, 1959 to February 17, 1961. Of special interest are the observational data on some 20 solar cosmic-ray events including major events of early April 1960, early September 1960, and of mid-November 1960. Detailed study of the latitude dependence of solar cosmic ray intensity will be presented in a later companion paper.

SMALL-SCALE ANISOTROPIES OF COSMIC RAYS FROM RELATIVE DIFFUSION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ahlers, Markus; Mertsch, Philipp

2015-12-10

The arrival directions of multi-TeV cosmic rays show significant anisotropies at small angular scales. It has been argued that this small-scale structure can naturally arise from cosmic ray scattering in local turbulent magnetic fields that distort a global dipole anisotropy set by diffusion. We study this effect in terms of the power spectrum of cosmic ray arrival directions and show that the strength of small-scale anisotropies is related to properties of relative diffusion. We provide a formalism for how these power spectra can be inferred from simulations and motivate a simple analytic extension of the ensemble-averaged diffusion equation that canmore » account for the effect.« less

Stochastic Acceleration of Galactic Cosmic Rays by Compressible Plasma Fluctuations in Supernova Shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ming

2015-10-01

A theory of 2-stage acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays in supernova remnants is proposed. The first stage is accomplished by the supernova shock front, where a power-law spectrum is established up to a certain cutoff energy. It is followed by stochastic acceleration with compressible waves/turbulence in the downstream medium. With a broad \\propto {k}-2 spectrum for the compressible plasma fluctuations, the rate of stochastic acceleration is constant over a wide range of particle momentum. In this case, the stochastic acceleration process extends the power-law spectrum cutoff energy of Galactic cosmic rays to the knee without changing the spectral slope. This situation happens as long as the rate of stochastic acceleration is faster than 1/5 of the adiabatic cooling rate. A steeper spectrum of compressible plasma fluctuations that concentrate their power in long wavelengths will accelerate cosmic rays to the knee with a small bump before its cutoff in the comic-ray energy spectrum. This theory does not require a strong amplification of the magnetic field in the upstream interstellar medium in order to accelerate cosmic rays to the knee energy.

A New Approach in Coal Mine Exploration Using Cosmic Ray Muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darijani, Reza; Negarestani, Ali; Rezaie, Mohammad Reza; Fatemi, Syed Jalil; Akhond, Ahmad

2016-08-01

Muon radiography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to image the interior of large scale geological structures. The muon absorption in matter is the most important parameter in cosmic ray muon radiography. Cosmic ray muon radiography is similar to X-ray radiography. The main aim in this survey is the simulation of the muon radiography for exploration of mines. So, the production source, tracking, and detection of cosmic ray muons were simulated by MCNPX code. For this purpose, the input data of the source card in MCNPX code were extracted from the muon energy spectrum at sea level. In addition, the other input data such as average density and thickness of layers that were used in this code are the measured data from Pabdana (Kerman, Iran) coal mines. The average thickness and density of these layers in the coal mines are from 2 to 4 m and 1.3 gr/c3, respectively. To increase the spatial resolution, a detector was placed inside the mountain. The results indicated that using this approach, the layers with minimum thickness about 2.5 m can be identified.

High-Energy Cosmic Ray Self-Confinement Close to Extra-Galactic Sources.

PubMed

Blasi, Pasquale; Amato, Elena; D'Angelo, Marta

2015-09-18

The ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays observed on the Earth are most likely accelerated in extra-Galactic sources. For the typical luminosities invoked for such sources, the electric current associated to the flux of cosmic rays that leave them is large. The associated plasma instabilities create magnetic fluctuations that can efficiently scatter particles. We argue that this phenomenon forces cosmic rays to be self-confined in the source proximity for energies E

Search for Cosmic-Ray Antiproton Origins and for Cosmological Antimatter with BESS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamamoto, A.; Mitchell, J. W.; Yoshimura, K.; Abe, K.; Fuke, H.; Haino, S.; Hams, T.; Hasegawa, M.; Horikoshi, A.; Itazaki, A.;

Measurement of cosmic ray positron and negatron spectra between 50 and 800 MeV. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, J. K.

1974-01-01

A balloon-borne magnetic spectrometer was used to measure the spectra of cosmic ray positrons and negatrons at energies between 50 and 800 MeV. Comparisons of the separate positron and negatron spectra observed near the earth with their expected intensities in interstellar space can be used to investigate the complex (and variable) interaction of galactic cosmic rays with the expanding solar wind. The present measurements, which have established finite values or upper limits for the positron and negatron spectral between 50 and 800 MeV, have confirmed earlier evidence for the existence of a dominant component of negatrons from primary sources in the galaxy. The present results are shown to be consistent with the hypothesis that the positron component is in fact mainly attributable to collisions between cosmic ray nuclei and the interstellar gas. The estimate of the absolute intensities confirm the indications from neutron monitors that in 1972 the interplanetary cosmic ray intensities were already recovering toward their high levels observed in 1965.

Cosmic-ray antiprotons, positrons, and gamma rays from halo dark matter annihilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudaz, S.; Stecker, F. W.

1988-01-01

The subject of cosmic ray antiproton production is reexamined by considering other choices for the nature of the Majorana fermion chi other than the photino considered in a previous article. The calculations are extended to include cosmic-ray positrons and cosmic gamma rays as annihilation products. Taking chi to be a generic higgsino or simply a heavy Majorana neutrino with standard couplings to the Z-zero boson allows the previous interpretation of the cosmic antiproton data to be maintained. In this case also, the annihilation cross section can be calculated independently of unknown particle physics parameters. Whereas the relic density of photinos with the choice of parameters in the previous paper turned out to be only a few percent of the closure density, the corresponding value for Omega in the generic higgsino or Majorana case is about 0.2, in excellent agreement with the value associated with galaxies and one which is sufficient to give the halo mass.

Transport of cosmic ray nuclei in various materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silberberg, R.; Tsao, C. H.; Letaw, J. R.

1988-01-01

Cosmic-ray heavy ions have become a concern in space radiation effects analyses. Heavy ions rapidly deposit energy and create dense ionization trails as they traverse materials. Collection of the free charge disrupts the operation of microelectronic circuits. This effect, called the single-event upset, can cause a loss of digital data. Passage of high linear energy transfer particles through the eyes has been observed by Apollo astronauts. These heavy ions have great radiobiological effectiveness and are the primary risk factor for leukemia induction on a manned Mars mission. Models of the transport of heavy cosmic-ray nuclei through materials depend heavily on our understanding of the cosmic-ray environment, nuclear spallation cross sections, and computer transport codes. Our group has initiated and pursued the development of a full capability for modeling these transport processes. A recent review of this ongoing effort is presented in Ref. 5. In this paper, we discuss transport methods and present new results comparing the attenuation of cosmic rays in various materials.

Measurement of secondary cosmic ray intensity at Regener-Pfotzer height using low-cost weather balloons and its correlation with solar activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarkar, Ritabrata; Chakrabarti, Sandip K.; Pal, Partha Sarathi; Bhowmick, Debashis; Bhattacharya, Arnab

2017-09-01

Cosmic ray flux in our planetary system is primarily modulated by solar activity. Radiation effects of cosmic rays on the Earth strongly depend on latitude due to the variation of the geomagnetic field strength. To study these effects we carried out a series of measurements of the radiation characteristics in the atmosphere due to cosmic rays from various places (geomagnetic latitude: ∼14.50°N) in West Bengal, India, located near the Tropic of Cancer, for several years (2012-2016) particularly covering the solar maximum in the 24th solar cycle. We present low energy (15-140 keV) secondary radiation measurement results extending from the ground till the near space (∼40 km) using a scintillator detector on board rubber weather balloons. We also concentrate on the cosmic ray intensity at the Regener-Pfotzer maxima and find a strong anti-correlation between this intensity and the solar activity even at low geomagnetic latitudes.

Application of cosmic-ray shock theories to the Cygnus Loop - an alternative model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulares, Ahmed; Cox, Donald P.

1988-10-01

Steady state cosmic-ray shock models are investigated in light of observations of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. In this work the authors find that the model of Völk, Drury, and McKenzie, in which the plasma waves are generated by the streaming instability of the cosmic rays and are dissipated into the gas, can be made consistent with some observed characteristics of Cygnus Loop shocks. The waves heat the gas substantially in the cosmic-ray precursor, in addition to the usual heating in the (possibly weak) gas shock. The model is used to deduce upstream densities and shock velocities using known quantities for Cygnus Loop shocks. Compared to the usual pure gas shock interpretation, it is found that lower densities and approximately 3 times higher velocities are required. If the cosmic-ray models are valid, this could significantly alter our understanding of the Cygnus Loop's distance and age and of the energy released during the initial explosion.

Primary cosmic rays on the lunar surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vernov, S. N.; Lavrukhina, A. K.

1977-01-01

Results are reported for determination of the galactic cosmic ray flux during various time intervals in the 1965-1972 period, on the basis of data from the instruments of a spacecraft that made a soft landing on the lunar surface, and from the radioactivity of samples returned by the spacecraft. During minimum solar activity (the second half of 1965 and the beginning of 1966) I sub 0 (E greater than or equal to 30 percent MeV/nucleon) was determined to be 0.43 (plus or minus 10 percent). These values, within the error limits of the determinations, agree with the corresponding values of galactic cosmic ray intensities determined by stratospheric measurements. The mean flux of galactic cosmic rays over the past million years is equal to I (E greater or equal to 100 MeV/nucleon) + 0.28 (plus or minus 20 percent). This value agrees with the mean flux of modulated cosmic rays during the period of the nineteenth solar cycle. The mean flux of solar protons between 1965 and 1972 was 2.46.

The effect of cosmic rays on thunderstorm electricity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bragin, Y. A.

1975-01-01

The inflow of charges of small ions, formed by cosmic rays, into thunderstorm cells is estimated on the basis of rocket measurements of ionic concentrations below 90 km. Out of the two processes that form the thunderstorm charge (generation and separation of charges), the former is supposed to be caused by cosmic rays, and the nature of separation is assumed to be the same as in other thunderstorm theories.

Observed antiprotons and energy dependent confinement of cosmic rays: A conflict?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stephens, S. A.

1985-01-01

In the frame work of energy dependent confinement for cosmic rays, the energy spectrum inside the source is flatter than that observed. Antiproton observation suggests large amount of matter is being traversed by cosmic rays in some sources. As a result, secondary particles are produced in abundance. Their spectra was calculated and it is shown that the energy dependent confinement model is in conflict with some observations.

Exact solutions for sporadic acceleration of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowsik, R.

1985-01-01

The steady state spectra of cosmic rays which are subject to a sporadic acceleration process, wherein the gain in energy in each encounter is a finite fraction of the particle energy are discussed. They are derived from a mathematical model which includes the possibility of energy dependent leakage of cosmic rays from the galaxy. Comparison with observations allows limits to be placed on the frequency and efficiency of such encounters.

Spallogenic Light Elements and Cosmic Ray Origin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, Reuven

2000-01-01

Most of the Galactic Li-6, all of the Be and the bulk of the B are cosmic ray produced. I will discuss the production mechanisms and detail a recently developed evolutionary code for Fe,O and these light elements. I will review the leading models for Li, Be and B origin and discuss their implications on cosmic ray origin. I will also show evidence for extragalactic production of Li-6.

Plasmoid Impacts on Neutron Stars and Highest Energy Cosmic Rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litwin, C.; Rosner, R.

Particle acceleration by electrostatic polarization fields that arise in plasmas streaming across magnetic fields is discussed as a possible acceleration mechanism of highest energy ({approx}>10{sup 20} eV) cosmic rays. Specifically, plasmoids arising in planetoid impacts onto neutron star magnetospheres are considered. We find that such impacts at plausible rates may account for the observed flux and energy spectrum of the highest energy cosmic rays.

Precise measurement of cosmic ray fluxes with the AMS-02 experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vecchi, Manuela, E-mail: manuela.vecchi@ifsc.usp.br

2015-12-17

The AMS-02 detector is a large acceptance magnetic spectrometer operating onboard the International Space Station since May 2011. The main goals of the detector are the search for antimatter and dark matter in space, as well as the measurement of cosmic ray composition and flux. In this document we present precise measurements of cosmic ray positrons, electrons and protons, collected during the first 30 months of operations.

Cosmic ray antimatter: Is it primary or secondary?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.; Protheroe, R. J.; Kazanas, D.

1981-01-01

The relative merits and difficulties of the primary and secondary origin hypotheses for the observed cosmic ray antiprotons, including the low energy measurement of Buffington, were examined. It is concluded that the cosmic ray antiproton data may be strong evidence for antimatter galaxies and baryon symmetric cosmology. The present antiproton data are consistent with a primary extragalactic component having antiproton/proton approximately equal to .0032 + or - 0.7.

New Solution of Diffusion-Advection Equation for Cosmic-Ray Transport Using Ultradistributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rocca, M. C.; Plastino, A. R.; Plastino, A.; Ferri, G. L.; de Paoli, A.

2015-11-01

In this paper we exactly solve the diffusion-advection equation (DAE) for cosmic-ray transport. For such a purpose we use the Theory of Ultradistributions of J. Sebastiao e Silva, to give a general solution for the DAE. From the ensuing solution, we obtain several approximations as limiting cases of various situations of physical and astrophysical interest. One of them involves Solar cosmic-rays' diffusion.

Diffuse flux of galactic neutrinos and gamma rays

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carceller, J.M.; Masip, M., E-mail: jmcarcell@correo.ugr.es, E-mail: masip@ugr.es

We calculate the fluxes of neutrinos and gamma rays from interactions of cosmic rays with interstellar matter in our galaxy. We use EPOS-LHC, SIBYLL and GHEISHA to parametrize the yield of these particles in proton, helium and iron collisions at kinetic energies between 1 and 10{sup 8} GeV, and we correlate the cosmic ray density with the mean magnetic field strength in the disk and the halo of our galaxy. We find that at E > 1 PeV the fluxes depend very strongly on the cosmic-ray composition, whereas at 1–5 GeV the main source of uncertainty is the cosmic-ray spectrummore » out of the heliosphere. We show that the diffuse flux of galactic neutrinos becomes larger than the conventional atmospheric one at E >1 PeV, but that at all IceCube energies it is 4 times smaller than the atmospheric flux from forward-charm decays.« less

Ultra heavy cosmic ray experiment (A0178)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, A.; Osullivan, D.; Bosch, J.; Keegan, R.; Wenzel, K. P.; Jansen, F.; Domingo, C.

1992-01-01

The Ultra Heavy Cosmic Ray Experiment (UHCRE) is based on a modular array of 192 side viewing solid state nuclear track detector stacks. These stacks were mounted in sets of four in 48 pressure vessels using 16 peripheral LDEF trays. The geometry factor for high energy cosmic ray nuclei, allowing for Earth shadowing, was 30 sq m sr, giving a total exposure factor of 170 sq m sr y at an orbital inclination of 28.4 degs. Scanning results indicate that about 3000 cosmic ray nuclei in the charge region with Z greater than 65 were collected. This sample is more than ten times the current world data in the field (taken to be the data set from the HEAO-3 mission plus that from the Ariel-6 mission) and is sufficient to provide the world's first statistically significant sample of actinide cosmic rays. Results are presented including a sample of ultra heavy cosmic ray nuclei, analysis of pre-flight and post-flight calibration events and details of track response in the context of detector temperature history. The integrated effect of all temperature and age related latent track variations cause a maximum charge shift of + or - 0.8e for uranium and + or - 0.6e for the platinum-lead group. Astrophysical implications of the UHCRE charge spectrum are discussed.

Insights into the Galactic Cosmic-ray Source from the TIGER Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Link, Jason T.; Barbier, L. M.; Binns, W. R.; Christian, E. R.; Cummings, J. R.; Geier, S.; Israel, M. H.; Lodders, K.; Mewaldt,R. A.; Mitchell, J. W.;

Diffusive Cosmic-Ray Acceleration at Shock Waves of Arbitrary Speed with Magnetostatic Turbulence. I. General Theory and Correct Nonrelativistic Speed Limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlickeiser, R.; Oppotsch, J.

2017-12-01

The analytical theory of diffusive acceleration of cosmic rays at parallel stationary shock waves of arbitrary speed with magnetostatic turbulence is developed from first principles. The theory is based on the diffusion approximation to the gyrotropic cosmic-ray particle phase-space distribution functions in the respective rest frames of the up- and downstream medium. We derive the correct cosmic-ray jump conditions for the cosmic-ray current and density, and match the up- and downstream distribution functions at the position of the shock. It is essential to account for the different particle momentum coordinates in the up- and downstream media. Analytical expressions for the momentum spectra of shock-accelerated cosmic rays are calculated. These are valid for arbitrary shock speeds including relativistic shocks. The correctly taken limit for nonrelativistic shock speeds leads to a universal broken power-law momentum spectrum of accelerated particles with velocities well above the injection velocity threshold, where the universal power-law spectral index q≃ 2-{γ }1-4 is independent of the flow compression ratio r. For nonrelativistic shock speeds, we calculate for the first time the injection velocity threshold, settling the long-standing injection problem for nonrelativistic shock acceleration.

A Geant Study of the Scintillating Optical Fiber (SOFCAL) Cosmic Ray Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munroe, Ray B., Jr.

1998-01-01

Recent energy measurements by balloon-borne passive emulsion chambers indicate that the flux ratios of protons to helium nuclei and of protons to all heavy nuclei decrease as the primary cosmic ray energy per nucleon increases above approx. 200 GeV/n, and suggest a "break" in the proton spectrum between 200 GeV and 5 TeV. However, these passive emulsion chambers are limited to a lower energy threshold of approx. 5 TeV/n, and cannot fully explore this energy regime. Because cosmic ray flux and composition details may be significant to acceleration models, a hybrid detector system called the Scintillating Optical Fiber Calorimeter (SOFCAL) has been designed and flown. SOFCAL incorporates both conventional passive emulsion chambers and an active calorimeter utilizing scintillating plastic fibers as detectors. These complementary types of detectors allow the balloon-borne SOFCAL experiment to measure the proton and helium spectra from approx. 400 GeV/n to approx. 20 TeV. The fundamental purpose of this study is to use the GEANT simulation package to model the hadronic and electromagnetic shower evolution of cosmic rays incident on the SOFCAL detector. This allows the interpretation of SOFCAL data in terms of charges and primary energies of cosmic rays, thus allowing the determinations of cosmic ray flux and composition as functions of primary energy.

Estimates of galactic cosmic ray shielding requirements during solar minimum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, Lawrence W.; Nealy, John E.; Wilson, John W.; Simonsen, Lisa C.

1990-01-01

Estimates of radiation risk from galactic cosmic rays are presented for manned interplanetary missions. The calculations use the Naval Research Laboratory cosmic ray spectrum model as input into the Langley Research Center galactic cosmic ray transport code. This transport code, which transports both heavy ions and nucleons, can be used with any number of layers of target material, consisting of up to five different arbitrary constituents per layer. Calculated galactic cosmic ray fluxes, dose and dose equivalents behind various thicknesses of aluminum, water and liquid hydrogen shielding are presented for the solar minimum period. Estimates of risk to the skin and the blood-forming organs (BFO) are made using 0-cm and 5-cm depth dose/dose equivalent values, respectively, for water. These results indicate that at least 3.5 g/sq cm (3.5 cm) of water, or 6.5 g/sq cm (2.4 cm) of aluminum, or 1.0 g/sq cm (14 cm) of liquid hydrogen shielding is required to reduce the annual exposure below the currently recommended BFO limit of 0.5 Sv. Because of large uncertainties in fragmentation parameters and the input cosmic ray spectrum, these exposure estimates may be uncertain by as much as a factor of 2 or more. The effects of these potential exposure uncertainties or shield thickness requirements are analyzed.

Cosmic rays and terrestrial life: A brief review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atri, Dimitra; Melott, Adrian L.

2014-01-01

“The investigation into the possible effects of cosmic rays on living organisms will also offer great interest.” - Victor F. Hess, Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1936 High-energy radiation bursts are commonplace in our Universe. From nearby solar flares to distant gamma ray bursts, a variety of physical processes accelerate charged particles to a wide range of energies, which subsequently reach the Earth. Such particles contribute to a number of physical processes occurring in the Earth system. A large fraction of the energy of charged particles gets deposited in the atmosphere, ionizing it, causing changes in its chemistry and affecting the global electric circuit. Remaining secondary particles contribute to the background dose of cosmic rays on the surface and parts of the subsurface region. Life has evolved over the past ∼3 billion years in presence of this background radiation, which itself has varied considerably during the period [1-3]. As demonstrated by the Miller-Urey experiment, lightning plays a very important role in the formation of complex organic molecules, which are the building blocks of more complex structures forming life. There is growing evidence of increase in the lightning rate with increasing flux of charged particles. Is there a connection between enhanced rate of cosmic rays and the origin of life? Cosmic ray secondaries are also known to damage DNA and cause mutations, leading to cancer and other diseases. It is now possible to compute radiation doses from secondary particles, in particular muons and neutrons. Have the variations in cosmic ray flux affected the evolution of life on earth? We describe the mechanisms of cosmic rays affecting terrestrial life and review the potential implications of the variation of high-energy astrophysical radiation on the history of life on earth.

Spectroscopic CZT detectors development for x- and gamma-ray imaging instruments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quadrini, Egidio M.; Uslenghi, Michela; Alderighi, Monica; Casini, Fabio; D'Angelo, Sergio; Fiorini, Mauro; La Palombara, Nicola; Mancini, Marcello; Monti, Serena; Bazzano, Angela; Di Cosimo, Sergio; Frutti, Massimo; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Ubertini, Pietro; Guadalupi, Giuseppe M.; Sassi, Matteo; Negri, Barbara

2007-09-01

In the context of R&D studies financed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), a feasibility study to evaluate the Italian Industry interest in medium-large scale production of enhanced CZT detectors has been performed by an Italian Consortium. The R&D investment aims at providing in-house source of high quality solid state spectrometers for Space Astrophysics applications. As a possible spin-off industrial applications to Gamma-ray devices for non-destructive inspections in medical, commercial and security fields have been considered by ASI. The short term programme mainly consists of developing proprietary procedures for 2-3" CZT crystals growth, including bonding and contact philosophy, and a newly designed low-power electronics readout chain. The prototype design and breadboarding is based on a fast signal AD conversion with the target in order to perform a new run for an already existing low-power (<0.7 mW/pixel) ASIC. The prototype also provides digital photon energy reconstruction with particular care for multiple events and polarimetry evaluations. Scientific requirement evaluations for Space Astrophysics Satellite applications have been carried out in parallel, targeted to contribute to the ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Announcement of Opportunity. Detailed accommodation studies are undergoing, as part of this programme, to size a "Large area arcsecond angular resolution Imager" for the Gamma Ray Imager satellite (Knödlseder et al., this conference).and a new Gamma-ray Wide Field Camera for the "EDGE" proposal (Piro et al., this conference). Finally, an extended market study for cost analysis evaluation in view of the foreseen massive detector production has been performed.

Prototype of a Muon Tomography Station with GEM detectors for Detection of Shielded Nuclear Contraband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staib, Michael; Bhopatkar, Vallary; Bittner, William; Hohlmann, Marcus; Locke, Judson; Twigger, Jessie; Gnanvo, Kondo

2012-03-01

Muon tomography for homeland security aims at detecting well-shielded nuclear contraband in cargo and imaging it in 3D. The technique exploits multiple scattering of atmospheric cosmic ray muons, which is stronger in dense, high-Z materials, e.g. enriched uranium, than in low-Z and medium-Z shielding materials. We have constructed and are operating a compact Muon Tomography Station (MTS) that tracks muons with eight 30 cm x 30 cm Triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors placed on the sides of a cubic-foot imaging volume. A point-of-closest-approach algorithm applied to reconstructed incident and exiting tracks is used to create a tomographic reconstruction of the material within the active volume. We discuss the performance of this MTS prototype including characterization and commissioning of the GEM detectors and the data acquisition systems. We also present experimental tomographic images of small high-Z objects including depleted uranium with and without shielding and discuss the performance of material discrimination using this method.

A prototype of fine granularity lead-scintillating fiber calorimeter with imaging read out

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Branchini, P.; Ceradini, F.; Corradi, G.; Di Micco, B.; Passeri, A.

2009-12-01

The construction and tests performed on a smal prototype of lead-scintillating fiber calorimeter instrumented with multianode photomultipliers are reported. The prototype is 15 cm wide, 15 radiation lenghts deep and is made of 200 layers of 50 cm long fibers. One side of the calorimeter has been instrumented with an array of 3 × 5 multianode R8900-M16 Hamamatsu photomultipliers, each segmented with a matrix of 4 × 4 anodes. The read-out granularity is 240 pixels 11 × 11 mm 2 reading about 64 fibers each. They are interfaced to the 6 × 6 mm 2 pixelled photocade with truncated pyramid light guides made of BC-800 plastic, UV transparent. Moreover each photomultiplier provides also the OR information of the last 12 dynodes. This information can be useful for trigger purposes. The response of the individual anodes, their relative gain and cross-talk has been measured with a 404 nm picosecond laser illuminating only a few fibers on the opposite side of the read-out. We also present first results of the calorimeter response to cosmic rays and electron beam data collected at BTF facility in Frascati.

Global diffusion of cosmic rays in random magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Snodin, A. P.; Shukurov, A.; Sarson, G. R.; Bushby, P. J.; Rodrigues, L. F. S.

2016-04-01

The propagation of charged particles, including cosmic rays, in a partially ordered magnetic field is characterized by a diffusion tensor whose components depend on the particle's Larmor radius RL and the degree of order in the magnetic field. Most studies of the particle diffusion presuppose a scale separation between the mean and random magnetic fields (e.g. there being a pronounced minimum in the magnetic power spectrum at intermediate scales). Scale separation is often a good approximation in laboratory plasmas, but not in most astrophysical environments such as the interstellar medium (ISM). Modern simulations of the ISM have numerical resolution of the order of 1 pc, so the Larmor radius of the cosmic rays that dominate in energy density is at least 106 times smaller than the resolved scales. Large-scale simulations of cosmic ray propagation in the ISM thus rely on oversimplified forms of the diffusion tensor. We take the first steps towards a more realistic description of cosmic ray diffusion for such simulations, obtaining direct estimates of the diffusion tensor from test particle simulations in random magnetic fields (with the Larmor radius scale being fully resolved), for a range of particle energies corresponding to 10-2 ≲ RL/lc ≲ 103, where lc is the magnetic correlation length. We obtain explicit expressions for the cosmic ray diffusion tensor for RL/lc ≪ 1, that might be used in a sub-grid model of cosmic ray diffusion. The diffusion coefficients obtained are closely connected with existing transport theories that include the random walk of magnetic lines.

MODELING THE GAMMA-RAY EMISSION IN THE GALACTIC CENTER WITH A FADING COSMIC-RAY ACCELERATOR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Ruo-Yu; Wang, Xiang-Yu; Prosekin, Anton

2016-12-20

Recent HESS observations of the ∼200 pc scale diffuse gamma-ray emission from the central molecular zone (CMZ) suggest the presence of a PeV cosmic-ray accelerator (PeVatron) located in the inner 10 pc region of the Galactic center. Interestingly, the gamma-ray spectrum of the point-like source (HESS J1745-290) in the Galactic center shows a cutoff at ∼10 TeV, implying a cutoff around 100 TeV in the cosmic-ray proton spectrum. Here we propose that the gamma-ray emission from the inner and the outer regions may be explained self-consistently by run-away protons from a single yet fading accelerator. In this model, gamma-rays frommore » the CMZ region are produced by protons injected in the past, while gamma-rays from the inner region are produced by protons injected more recently. We suggest that the blast wave formed in a tidal disruption event (TDE) caused by the supermassive black hole (Sgr A*) could serve as such a fading accelerator. With typical parameters of the TDE blast wave, gamma-ray spectra of both the CMZ region and HESS J1745-290 can be reproduced simultaneously. Meanwhile, we find that the cosmic-ray energy density profile in the CMZ region may also be reproduced in the fading accelerator model when appropriate combinations of the particle injection history and the diffusion coefficient of cosmic rays are adopted.« less

The imprint of Gould's belt on the local cosmic ray electron spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pohl, M.; Perrot, C.; Grenier, I.

2001-08-01

In a recent paper Pohl and Esposito (1998) demonstrated that if the sources of cosmic-rays are discrete, as are Supernova Remnants (SNR), then the spectra of cosmic-ray electrons largely vary with location and time and the locally measured electron spectrum may not be representative of the electron spectra elsewhere in the Galaxy, which could be substantially harder than the local one. They have shown that the observed excess of γ-ray emission above 1 GeV can in fact be partially explained as a correspondingly hard inverse Compton component, provided the bulk of cosmic-ray electrons is produced in SNR. As part of a program to model the Galactic γ-ray foreground we have continued the earlier studies by investigating the impact of the star forming region Gould's Belt on the local electron spectrum. If the electron sources in Gould's Belt were continous, the local electron spectrum would be slightly hardened. If the electron sources are discrete, which is the more probable case, the variation in the local electron spectrum found by Pohl & Esposito persists. 1 The local cosmic-ray electron spectrum The recent detections of non-thermal X-ray synchrotron radiation from the supernova remnants SN1006 (Koyama et al., 1995), RX J1713.7-3946 (Koyama et al., 1997), IC443 (Keohane et al., 1997; Slane et al., 1999), Cas A (Allen et al., 1997), and RCW86 (Borkowski et al., 2001) and the subsequent detections of SN1006 (Tanimori et al., 1998), RX J1713.7-3946 (Muraishi et al., 2000), and Cas A (Aharonian et al., 2001) at TeV energies support the hypothesis that at least Galactic cosmic-ray electrons are accelerated predominantly in SNR. The Galactic distribution and spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons are intimately linked to the distribution and nature of their sources. Supernovae and hence their remnants are tran-

Development of a national cosmic-ray dose monitoring system with Health Canada's Fixed Point Surveillance network.

PubMed

Liu, Chuanlei; Zhang, Weihua; Ungar, Kurt; Korpach, Ed; White, Brian; Benotto, Mike; Pellerin, Eric

2018-05-07

This work explores the application of Health Canada's Fixed Point Surveillance (FPS) network for cosmic ray monitoring and dose estimation purposes. This network is comprised of RS250 3 inch by 3 inch Sodium Iodide (NaI) spectroscopic dosimeters distributed throughout Canada. The RS250's high channel count rate responds to the electromagnetic and muonic components of cosmic ray shower. These count rates are used to infer cosmic ray doses throughout FPS locations. The derived dose was found to have an accuracy within 6.5% deviation relative to theoretical calculation. The solar cycle effect and meteorologically induced fluctuation can be realistically reflected in the estimated dose. This work may serve as a basis to enable the FPS network to monitor and report both terrestrial and cosmic radiation in quasi-real time. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Very high-energy gamma-ray signature of ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray acceleration in Centaurus A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Jagdish C.; Miranda, Luis Salvador; Razzaque, Soebur; Yang, Lili

2018-04-01

The association of at least a dozen ultrahigh-energy cosmic-ray (UHECR) events with energy ≳ 55 EeV detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory (PAO) from the direction of Centaurus-A, the nearest radio galaxy, supports the scenario of UHECR acceleration in the jets of radio galaxies. In this work, we model radio to very high energy (VHE,≳ 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from Cen A, including GeV hardness detected by Fermi-LAT and TeV emission detected by HESS. We consider two scenarios: (i) Two zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) and external-Compton (EC) models, (ii) Two zone SSC, EC and photo-hadronic emission from cosmic ray interactions. The GeV hardness observed by Fermi-LAT can be explained using these two scenarios, where zone 2 EC emission is very important. Hadronic emission in scenario (ii) can explain VHE data with the same spectral slope as obtained through fitting UHECRs from Cen A. The peak luminosity in cosmic ray proton at 1 TeV, to explain the VHE γ-ray data is ≈2.5 × 1046 erg/s. The bolometric luminosity in cosmic ray protons is consistent with the luminosity required to explain the origin of 13 UHECR signal events that are correlated with Cen A.

Very high-energy gamma-ray signature of ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray acceleration in Centaurus A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Jagdish C.; Miranda, Luis Salvador; Razzaque, Soebur; Yang, Lili

2018-07-01

The association of at least a dozen ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) events with energy ≳ 55 EeV detected by the Pierre Auger Observatory from the direction of Centaurus-A, the nearest radio galaxy, supports the scenario of UHECR acceleration in the jets of radio galaxies. In this work, we model radio to very high energy (VHE,≳ 100 GeV) γ-ray emission from Cen A, including GeV hardness detected by Fermi-LAT and TeV emission detected by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS). We consider two scenarios: (i) two-zone synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) and external-Compton (EC) models, (ii) two-zone SSC, EC, and photohadronic emission from cosmic ray interactions. The GeV hardness observed by Fermi-LAT can be explained using these two scenarios, where zone 2 EC emission is very important. Hadronic emission in scenario (ii) can explain VHE data with the same spectral slope as obtained through fitting UHECRs from Cen A. The peak luminosity in cosmic ray proton at 1 TeV, to explain the VHE γ-ray data is ≈2.5 × 1046 erg s-1. The bolometric luminosity in cosmic ray protons is consistent with the luminosity required to explain the origin of 13 UHECR signal events that are correlated with Cen A.

Correlated Measurements of the Disturbances of Geomagnetic Field and Changes of Secondary Particle Fluxes at Aragats-Space Environmental Center (ASEC)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

Fluxes at Aragats-Space Environmental Center (ASEC) Ashot A. Chilingarian Alikhanyan Physics Institute Cosmic Ray Division 2 Alikhanian...GMS occurred during 23rd Solar activity cycle demonstrate that Cosmic Ray increase during GMS occurs coherently (or ~ 1 hour in advance) with abrupt...data on Solar bursts and secondary cosmic ray data. The magnetometer operates stable, noise level is low. 15. SUBJECT TERMS

DoD Space Radiation Concerns.

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-15

cosmic - ray transport. NASA TM X-2440, 1972:117-122. DoD Space Radiation Concerns 8 2. Atkins SG, Small JT, McFarland TH. Military Man-in Space (MMIS...136. 29. Silberberg R, Tsao CH, Adams JH Jr., Letaw JR. Radiation doses and LET distributions of cosmic rays . Rad. Res., 1984, 98:209-226. 30. Stauber...levels on mission success and completion. Natural Radiation Trapped Radiation Belts Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) Solar Particle Events (SPEs) Man-Made

MUFFSgenMC: An Open Source MUon Flexible Framework for Spectral GENeration for Monte Carlo Applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chatzidakis, Stylianos; Greulich, Christopher

A cosmic ray Muon Flexible Framework for Spectral GENeration for Monte Carlo Applications (MUFFSgenMC) has been developed to support state-of-the-art cosmic ray muon tomographic applications. The flexible framework allows for easy and fast creation of source terms for popular Monte Carlo applications like GEANT4 and MCNP. This code framework simplifies the process of simulations used for cosmic ray muon tomography.

Live 129I-129Xe dating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marti, K.

1986-01-01

A technique of cosmic ray exposure age dating using cosmic ray produced I-129 and Xe-129 components is discussed. The live I-129 - Xe-129 method provides an ideal monitor for cosmic ray flux variations on the 10(7)y - 10(8)y time-scale. It is based on low-energy neutron reactions on Te, and these data, when coupled to those from other methods, may facilitate the detection of complex exposure histories.

Neutron measurements of the OGO-VI Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lockwood, J. A.

1973-01-01

The neutron measurements with the OGO-6 spacecraft are reported. Topics discussed include: the design and calibration of a neutron monitor for measuring the cosmic ray neutron leakages from the earth's atmosphere, determination of latitude dependence of cosmic ray leakage flux, determination of the angular distribution of neutron leakage flux as deduced by measurements of the altitude dependence, and verification of the solar modulation of the cosmic ray source for the neutron leakage.

Observation of shadowing of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays by the Moon and the Sun

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alexandreas, D.E.; Allen, R.C.; Berley, D.

1991-03-01

Data from an extensive air shower detector of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays shows shadowing of the cosmic-ray flux by the Moon and the Sun with significance of 4.9 standard deviations. This is the first observation of such shadowing. The effect has been used to determine that the angular resolution of the detector is 0.75{degree} {sub {minus}0.90{degree}}{sup +0.13{degree}}.

Cosmic-ray streaming and anisotropies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Forman, M. A.; Gleeson, L. J.

1975-01-01

The paper is concerned with the differential current densities and anisotropies that exist in the interplanetary cosmic-ray gas, and in particular with a correct formulation and simple interpretation of the momentum equation that describes these on a local basis. Two examples of the use of this equation in the interpretation of previous data are given. It is demonstrated that in interplanetary space, the electric-field drifts and convective flow parallel to the magnetic field of cosmic-ray particles combine as a simple convective flow with the solar wind, and that there exist diffusive currents and transverse gradient drift currents. Thus direct reference to the interplanetary electric-field drifts is eliminated, and the study of steady-state and transient cosmic-ray anisotropies is both more systematic and simpler.

The LDEF ultra heavy cosmic ray experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osullivan, D.; Thompson, A.; Bosch, J.; Keegan, R.; Wenzel, K.-P.; Smit, A.; Domingo, C.

1992-01-01

The LDEF Ultra Heavy Cosmic Ray Experiment (UHCRE) used 16 side viewing LDEF trays giving a total geometry factor for high energy cosmic rays of 30 sq m sr. The total exposure factor was 170 sq m sr y. The experiment is based on a modular array of 192 solid state nuclear track detector stacks, mounted in sets of four in 48 pressure vessels. The extended duration of the LDEF mission has resulted in a greatly enhanced potential scientific yield from the UHCRE. Initial scanning results indicate that at least 1800 cosmic ray nuclei with Z greater than 65 were collected, including the world's first statistically significant sample of actinides. Post flight work to date and the current status of the experiment are reviewed.

Neutrino flux from cosmic ray accelerators in the Cygnus spiral arm of the Galaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anchordoqui, Luis; Halzen, Francis; O'Murchadha, Aongus

2007-09-15

Intriguing evidence has been accumulating for the production of cosmic rays in the Cygnus region of the galactic plane. We here show that the IceCube experiment can produce incontrovertible evidence for cosmic ray acceleration by observing the neutrinos from the decay of charged pions accompanying the TeV photon flux observed in the HEGRA, Whipple, Tibet, and Milagro experiments. Our assumption is that the TeV photons observed are the decay products of neutral pions produced by cosmic ray accelerators in the nearby spiral arm of the galaxy. Because of the proximity of the sources, IceCube will obtain evidence at the 5{sigma}more » level in 15 years of observation.« less

Interplanetary flow systems associated with cosmic ray modulation in 1977-1980

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Mcdonald, F. B.; Ness, N. F.; Schwenn, R.; Lazarus, A. J.; Mariani, F.

1984-01-01

The hydromagnetic flow configurations associated with the cosmic ray modulation in 1977-1980 were determined using solar wind plasma and magnetic field data from Voyager 1 and 2 and Helios 1. The modulation was related to two types of large-scale systems of flows: one containing a number of transients such as shocks and postshock flows, the other consisting primarily of a series of quasi-stationary flows following interaction regions containing a stream interface and often bounded by a forward-reverse shock pair. Each of three major episodes of cosmic ray modulation was associated with the passage of a system of transient flows. Plateaus in the cosmic ray intensity-time profile were associated with the passage of systems of corotating streams.

THE UNREASONABLE WEAKNESS OF R -PROCESS COSMIC RAYS IN THE NEUTRON-STAR-MERGER NUCLEOSYNTHESIS SCENARIO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kyutoku, Koutarou; Ioka, Kunihito, E-mail: koutarou.kyutoku@riken.jp

We reach the robust conclusion that, by combining the observed cosmic rays of r -process elements with the fact that the velocity of the neutron-star-merger ejecta is much higher than that of the supernova ejecta, either (1) the reverse shock in the neutron-star-merger ejecta is a very inefficient accelerator that converts less than 0.003% of the ejecta kinetic energy to the cosmic-ray energy or (2) the neutron star merger is not the origin of the Galactic r -process elements. We also find that the acceleration efficiency should be less than 0.1% for the reverse shock of the supernova ejecta withmore » observed cosmic rays lighter than the iron.« less

Detection of Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays with the Auger Engineering Radio Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krause, Raphael; Pierre Auger Collaboration

2017-02-01

Ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays interact with the Earth's atmosphere and produce great numbers of secondary particles forming an extensive air shower. These air showers emit radiation in the radio frequency range which delivers important information about the processes of radio emission in extensive air showers and properties of the primary cosmic rays, e.g. arrival direction, energy and mass with a duty cycle close to 100%. The radio extension of the world's largest cosmic-ray experiment, the Pierre Auger Observatory, is called the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA). In addition to the particle and fluorescence detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory, AERA investigates the electromagnetic component of extensive air showers using 153 autonomous radio stations on an area of 17km2 .

Power requirements for cosmic ray propagation models involving diffusive reacceleration; estimates and implications for the damping of interstellar turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drury, Luke O.'C.; Strong, Andrew W.

2017-01-01

We make quantitative estimates of the power supplied to the Galactic cosmic ray population by second-order Fermi acceleration in the interstellar medium, or as it is usually termed in cosmic ray propagation studies, diffusive reacceleration. Using recent results on the local interstellar spectrum, following Voyager 1's crossing of the heliopause, we show that for parameter values, in particular the Alfvén speed, typically used in propagation codes such as GALPROP to fit the B/C ratio, the power contributed by diffusive reacceleration is significant and can be of order 50% of the total Galactic cosmic ray power. The implications for the damping of interstellar turbulence are briefly considered.

[The evolutionary role of nitric oxide in circadian activity and defense of the organism from cosmic rays].

PubMed

Iamshanov, V A

2009-01-01

The cosmic rays are one of the constantly acting factors influencing on genetic apparatus and depending from sun activity, which have the circadian rhythm. The nature creates a number of mechanisms, which defend the organism from cosmic rays and free radicals as consequence. However, the malfunctions of these mechanisms damage the genetic apparatus, accelerate the aging and bring to a number of illnesses. It is supposed that to neutralise the free radicals as cosmic rays consequence the organism uses its own free radicals, which have the physiological functions, for example, the nitric oxide. To limit the nitric oxide production, the mechanism of melatonin formation is used, which has a circadian rhythm.

The diffuse gamma-ray background, light element abundances, and signatures of early massive star formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, Joseph; Schramm, David N.

1992-01-01

Attention is drawn to a potentially observable flux of diffuse extragalactic gamma rays produced by inelastic cosmic-ray interactions that is inevitably a by-product of spallation-synthesized Be. The epoch of cosmic ray-induced Population II light element nucleosynthesis is constrained to be at redshift greater than 0.5. A spectral feature in the diffuse extragalactic gamma-ray background with amplitude 0.1 above 10 MeV is predicted if the Be is synthesized at z less than 10. The possibility is discussed that the cosmic-ray flux responsible for Population II Be and B synthesis may be associated with a precursor hypothesized Population III.

On the Energy Spectra of GeV/TeV Cosmic Ray Leptons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stawarz, Lukasz; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Jagiellonian U., Astron. Observ.; Petrosian, Vahe

2011-08-19

Recent observations of cosmic ray electrons from several instruments have revealed various degrees of deviation in the measured electron energy distribution from a simple power-law, in a form of an excess around 0.1 to 1 TeV energies. An even more prominent deviation and excess has been observed in the fraction of cosmic ray positrons around 10 and 100 GeV energies. These observations have received considerable attention and many theoretical models have been proposed to explain them. The models rely on either dark matter annihilation/decay or specific nearby astrophysical sources, and involve several additional assumptions regarding the dark matter distribution ormore » particle acceleration. In this paper we show that the observed excesses in the electron spectrum may be easily reproduced without invoking any unusual sources other than the general diffuse Galactic components of cosmic rays. The model presented here assumes a power-law injection of electrons (and protons) by supernova remnants, and evaluates their expected energy spectrum based on a simple kinetic equation describing the propagation of charged particles in the interstellar medium. The primary physical effect involved is the Klein-Nishina suppression of the electron cooling rate around TeV energies. With a very reasonable choice of the model parameters characterizing the local interstellar medium, we can reproduce the most recent observations by Fermi and HESS experiments. Interestingly, in our model the injection spectral index of cosmic ray electrons becomes comparable to, or even equal to that of cosmic ray protons. The Klein-Nishina effect may also affect the propagation of the secondary e{sup {+-}} pairs, and therefore modify the cosmic ray positron-to-electron ratio. We have explored this possibility by considering two mechanisms for production of e{sup {+-}} pairs within the Galaxy. The first is due to the decay of {pi}{sup {+-}}'s produced by interaction of cosmic ray nuclei with ambient protons. The second source discussed here is due to the annihilation of the diffuse Galactic {gamma}-rays on the stellar photon field. We find that high positron fraction increasing with energy, as claimed by the PAMELA experiment, cannot be explained in our model with the conservative set of the model parameters. We are able, however, to reproduce the PAMELA (as well as Fermi and HESS) results assuming high values of the starlight and interstellar gas densities, which would be more appropriate for vicinities of supernova remnants. A possible solution to this problem may be that cosmic rays undergo most of their interactions near their sources due to the efficient trapping in the far upstream of supernova shocks by self-generated, cosmic ray-driven turbulence.« less

Observation of the large scale cosmic-ray anisotropy at TeV energies with the Milagro detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolterman, Brian E.

Cosmic-rays with energies in the range of 1-100 TeV are nearly isotropic in their arrival directions due to interactions with randomly scattered inhomogeneities in the Galactic magnetic field. Observation of the large scale anisotropy in the arrival direction of these cosmic-rays is therefore a useful tool in constraining theoretical models of cosmic-ray propagation, probing the magnetic field structure in our interstellar neighborhood, as well as providing information about the distribution of sources. In this work results are presented of a harmonic analysis of the large scale cosmic-ray anisotropy as observed by the Milagro observatory. A two- dimensional display of the anisotropy projections in right ascension is generated by the fitting of three harmonics to 18 separate declination bands. Milagro is a water Cherenkov detector located at an elevation of 2630m in the Jemez mountains outside of Los Alamos, NM. With a live time > 90 and a large field-of-view (~2 sr), Milagro is an excellent instrument for measuring this anisotropy with high sensitivity at TeV energies. The analysis is conducted using a seven year data sample consisting of more than 95 billion events. A sidereal anisotropy is observed with a magnitude around 0.1% for cosmic-rays with a median energy of 6 TeV. The dominant feature in this data set is a deficit region of depth (-2.85±0.06 stat. ±0.08 syst.)×10 -3 in the direction of the Galactic North Pole with a range in declination of - 10 to 45 degrees and 150 to 225 degrees in right ascension. The anisotropy also shows evidence of a time dependence, with a steady increase in the magnitude of the signal in this region over the course of seven years. An analysis of the energy dependence of the anisotropy in this region is also presented showing possible deviation of the spectral index of the anisotropy signal from that of the nominal cosmic-ray background. The anisotropy of cosmic-rays in universal time is analyzed showing a dipole structure at the level of 3×10 -4 , consistent with the Compton-Getting effect expected due to the Earth's motion around the Sun through the cosmic-ray ether.

THE COSMIC RAY EQUATOR FROM DATA OF THE SECOND SOVIET EARTH SATELLITE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Savenko, I.A.; Shavrin, P.I.; Nesterov, V.Ye.

1962-11-01

Determination of the geographical position of the line of minimum intensity of primary cosmic radiation (cosmic ray equator) makes is possible to study the structure of the geomagnetic field and to check theoretical and empirical approximations to this field. The minima of cosmic radiation intensity were determined by the second Soviet spaceship for 22 latitude curves obtained from various crossings in the region of the geographical equator. (W.D.M.)

Gamma-ray astronomy and the origin of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stecker, F. W.

1978-01-01

New surveys of galactic gamma ray emission together with millimeter wave radio surveys indicated that cosmic rays were produced as the result of supernova explosions in our galaxy with the most intense production occurring in a Great Galactic Ring about 35,000 light years in diameter where supernova remnants and pulsars were concentrated.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-01-01

This photograph was taken during encapsulation of the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3. Designed and developed by TRW, Inc. under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the objectives of the HEAO-3 were to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the project management responsibilities for the HEAO missions.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-01-01

This photograph shows the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3 being prepared for encapsulation. Designed and developed by TRW, Inc. under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the objectives of the HEAO-3 were to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the project management responsibilities for the HEAO missions.

High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)

NASA Image and Video Library

1979-01-01

This photograph shows the High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO)-3 being assembled at TRW, Inc. Designed and developed by TRW, Inc. under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center, the objectives of the HEAO-3 were to survey and map the celestial sphere for gamma-ray flux and make detailed measurements of cosmic-ray particles. It carried three scientific experiments: a gamma-ray spectrometer, a cosmic-ray isotope experiment, and a heavy cosmic-ray nuclei experiment. The HEAO-3 was originally identified as HEAO-C but the designation was changed once the spacecraft achieved orbit. The Marshall Space Flight Center had the project management responsibilities for the HEAO missions.

Obtaining Parts

Science.gov Websites

The Cosmic Connection Computer Interface For each count, the detector sends out a signal that is room temperature on the upper plot and the cosmic ray count rate per minute on the lower scale. Please contact us for more details on this setup. Sample Data for Cosmic Ray Detector Last modified: April 27

The Heavy Nuclei eXplorer (HNX) Small Explorer Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, John; Binns, W. Robert; Hams, Thomas; Israel, Martin; Krizmanic, John; Link, Jason; Rauch, Brian; Sakai, Kenichi; Sasaki, Makoto; Westphal, Andrew; Wiedenbeck, Mark; Heavy Nuclei eXplorer Collaboration

2015-04-01

The Heavy Nuclei eXplorer (HNX) will investigate the nature of the reservoirs of nuclei at the cosmic-ray sources, the mechanisms by which nuclei are removed from the reservoirs and injected into the cosmic accelerators, and the acceleration mechanism. HNX will use two large high-precision instruments, the Extremely-heavy Cosmic-ray Composition Observer (ECCO) and the Cosmic-ray Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (CosmicTIGER), flying in the SpaceX DragonLab, to measure, for the first time, the abundance of every individual element in the periodic table from carbon through the actinides, providing the first measurement of many of these elements. HNX will measure several thousand ultra-heavy galactic cosmic ray (UHGCR) nuclei Z >= 30, including about 50 actinides, and will: determine whether GCRs are accelerated from new or old material, and find their age; measure the mix of nucleosynthesis processes responsible for the UHGCRs; determine how UHGCR elements are selected for acceleration, and measure the mean integrated pathlength traversed by UHGCRs before observation. The scientific motivation and instrument complement of HNX will be discussed.

The isotopic composition of cosmic-ray beryllium and its implication for the cosmic ray's age

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lukasiak, A.; Ferrando, P.; Mcdonald, F. B.; Webber, W. R.

1994-01-01

We report a new measurement of the cosmic-ray isotopic composition of beryllium in the low-energy range from 35 to 113 MeV per nucleon. This measurement was made using the High Energy Telescope of the CRS experiment on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft during the time period from 1977 to 1991. In this overall time period of 14 years the average solar modulation level was about 500 MV. The cosmic-ray beryllium isotopes were completely separated with an average mass resolution sigma of 0.185 amu. The isotope fractions of Be-7, Be-9, and Be-10 obtained are 52.4 +/- 2.9%, 43.3 +/- 3.7%, and 4.3 +/- 1.5%, respectively. The measured cosmic-ray abundances of Be-7 and Be-9 are found to be in agreement with calculations based on standard Leaky-Box model for the interstellar propagation of cosmic-ray nuclei using the recent cross sections of the New Mexico-Saclay collaboration. From our observed ratio Be-10/Be = 4.3 +/- 1.5% we deduce an average interstellar density of about 0.28 (+0.14, -0.11) atoms/cu cm, and acosmic-ray lifetime for escape of 27 (+19, -9) x 10(exp 6) years. The surviving fraction of Be-10 is found to be 0.19 +/- 0.07. Modifications to the conclusions of the Leaky-Box model when a diffusion + convection halo model for propagation is used are also considered.

Review of the Theoretical and Experimental Status of Dark Matter Identification with Cosmic-Ray Antideuterons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aramaki, T.; Boggs, S.; Bufalino, S.; Dal, L.; von Doetinchem, P.; Donato, F.; Fornengo, N.; Fuke, H.; Grefe, M.; Hailey, C.;

Practical Applications of Cosmic Ray Science: Spacecraft, Aircraft, Ground Based Computation and Control Systems and Human Health and Safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atwell, William; Koontz, Steve; Normand, Eugene

2012-01-01

In this paper we review the discovery of cosmic ray effects on the performance and reliability of microelectronic systems as well as on human health and safety, as well as the development of the engineering and health science tools used to evaluate and mitigate cosmic ray effects in earth surface, atmospheric flight, and space flight environments. Three twentieth century technological developments, 1) high altitude commercial and military aircraft; 2) manned and unmanned spacecraft; and 3) increasingly complex and sensitive solid state micro-electronics systems, have driven an ongoing evolution of basic cosmic ray science into a set of practical engineering tools (e.g. ground based test methods as well as high energy particle transport and reaction codes) needed to design, test, and verify the safety and reliability of modern complex electronic systems as well as effects on human health and safety. The effects of primary cosmic ray particles, and secondary particle showers produced by nuclear reactions with spacecraft materials, can determine the design and verification processes (as well as the total dollar cost) for manned and unmanned spacecraft avionics systems. Similar considerations apply to commercial and military aircraft operating at high latitudes and altitudes near the atmospheric Pfotzer maximum. Even ground based computational and controls systems can be negatively affected by secondary particle showers at the Earth's surface, especially if the net target area of the sensitive electronic system components is large. Accumulation of both primary cosmic ray and secondary cosmic ray induced particle shower radiation dose is an important health and safety consideration for commercial or military air crews operating at high altitude/latitude and is also one of the most important factors presently limiting manned space flight operations beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO).

Alteration of the Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Composition in the Martian Surface Rocks Due to Cosmic Ray Exposure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pavlov, A. A.; Pavlov, A. K.; Ostryakov, V. M.; Vasilyev, G. I.; Mahaffy, P.; Steele, A.

2014-01-01

C-13/C-12 and N-15/N-14 isotopic ratios are pivotal for our understanding of the Martian carbon cycle, history of the Martian atmospheric escape, and origin of the organic compounds on Mars. Here we demonstrate that the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of the surface rocks on Mars can be significantly altered by the continuous exposure of Martian surface to cosmic rays. Cosmic rays can effectively produce C-13 and N-15 isotopes via spallation nuclear reactions on oxygen atoms in various Martian rocks. We calculate that in the top meter of the Martian rocks, the rates of production of both C-13 and N-15 due to galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) exposure can vary within 1.5-6 atoms/cm3/s depending on rocks' depth and chemical composition. We also find that the average solar cosmic rays can produce carbon and nitrogen isotopes at a rate comparable to GCRs in the top 5-10 cm of the Martian rocks. We demonstrate that if the total carbon content in a surface Martian rock is <10 ppm, then the "light," potentially "biological" C-13/C-12 ratio would be effectively erased by cosmic rays over 3.5 billion years of exposure. We found that for the rocks with relatively short exposure ages (e.g., 100 million years), cosmogenic changes in N-15/N-14 ratio are still very significant. We also show that a short exposure to cosmic rays of Allan Hills 84001 while on Mars can explain its high-temperature heavy nitrogen isotopic composition (N-15/N-14). Applications to Martian meteorites and the current Mars Science Laboratory mission are discussed.

The Global Survey Method Applied to Ground-level Cosmic Ray Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belov, A.; Eroshenko, E.; Yanke, V.; Oleneva, V.; Abunin, A.; Abunina, M.; Papaioannou, A.; Mavromichalaki, H.

2018-04-01

The global survey method (GSM) technique unites simultaneous ground-level observations of cosmic rays in different locations and allows us to obtain the main characteristics of cosmic-ray variations outside of the atmosphere and magnetosphere of Earth. This technique has been developed and applied in numerous studies over many years by the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radiowave Propagation (IZMIRAN). We here describe the IZMIRAN version of the GSM in detail. With this technique, the hourly data of the world-wide neutron-monitor network from July 1957 until December 2016 were processed, and further processing is enabled upon the receipt of new data. The result is a database of homogeneous and continuous hourly characteristics of the density variations (an isotropic part of the intensity) and the 3D vector of the cosmic-ray anisotropy. It includes all of the effects that could be identified in galactic cosmic-ray variations that were caused by large-scale disturbances of the interplanetary medium in more than 50 years. These results in turn became the basis for a database on Forbush effects and interplanetary disturbances. This database allows correlating various space-environment parameters (the characteristics of the Sun, the solar wind, et cetera) with cosmic-ray parameters and studying their interrelations. We also present features of the coupling coefficients for different neutron monitors that enable us to make a connection from ground-level measurements to primary cosmic-ray variations outside the atmosphere and the magnetosphere. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the current version of the GSM as well as further possible developments and improvements. The method developed allows us to minimize the problems of the neutron-monitor network, which are typical for experimental physics, and to considerably enhance its advantages.

Influence of hadron and atmospheric models on computation of cosmic ray ionization in the atmosphere-Extension to heavy nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishev, A. L.; Velinov, P. I. Y.

2014-12-01

In the last few years an essential progress in development of physical models for cosmic ray induced ionization in the atmosphere is achieved. The majority of these models are full target, i.e. based on Monte Carlo simulation of an electromagnetic-muon-nucleon cascade in the atmosphere. Basically, the contribution of proton nuclei is highlighted, i.e. the contribution of primary cosmic ray α-particles and heavy nuclei to the atmospheric ionization is neglected or scaled to protons. The development of cosmic ray induced atmospheric cascade is sensitive to the energy and mass of the primary cosmic ray particle. The largest uncertainties in Monte Carlo simulations of a cascade in the Earth atmosphere are due to assumed hadron interaction models, the so-called hadron generators. In the work presented here we compare the ionization yield functions Y for primary cosmic ray nuclei, such as α-particles, Oxygen and Iron nuclei, assuming different hadron interaction models. The computations are fulfilled with the CORSIKA 6.9 code using GHEISHA 2002, FLUKA 2011, UrQMD hadron generators for energy below 80 GeV/nucleon and QGSJET II for energy above 80 GeV/nucleon. The observed difference between hadron generators is widely discussed. The influence of different atmospheric parametrizations, namely US standard atmosphere, US standard atmosphere winter and summer profiles on ion production rate is studied. Assuming realistic primary cosmic ray mass composition, the ion production rate is obtained at several rigidity cut-offs - from 1 GV (high latitudes) to 15 GV (equatorial latitudes) using various hadron generators. The computations are compared with experimental data. A conclusion concerning the consistency of the hadron generators is stated.

Review of the theoretical and experimental status of dark matter identification with cosmic-ray antideuterons

DOE PAGES

Aramaki, T.; Boggs, S.; Bufalino, S.; ...

2016-01-27

Recent years have seen increased theoretical and experimental effort towards the first-ever detection of cosmic-ray antideuterons, in particular as an indirect signature of dark matter annihilation or decay. In contrast to indirect dark matter searches using positrons, antiprotons, or γ-rays, which suffer from relatively high and uncertain astrophysical backgrounds, searches with antideuterons benefit from very suppressed conventional backgrounds, offering a potential breakthrough in unexplored phase space for dark matter. This article is based on the first dedicated cosmic-ray antideuteron workshop, which was held at UCLA in June 2014. It reviews broad classes of dark matter candidates that result in detectablemore » cosmic-ray antideuteron fluxes, as well as the status and prospects of current experimental searches. The coalescence model of antideuteron production and the influence of antideuteron measurements at particle colliders are discussed. This is followed by a review of the modeling of antideuteron propagation through the magnetic fields, plasma currents, and molecular material of our Galaxy, the solar system, the Earth’s geomagnetic field, and the atmosphere. Lastly, the three ongoing or planned experiments that are sensitive to cosmic-ray antideuterons, BESS, AMS-02, and GAPS, are detailed. As cosmic-ray antideuteron detection is a rare event search, multiple experiments with orthogonal techniques and backgrounds are essential. Furthermore, the combination of AMS-02 and GAPS antideuteron searches is highly desirable. Many theoretical and experimental groups have contributed to these studies over the last decade, this review aims to provide the first coherent discussion of the relevant dark matter theories that antideuterons probe, the challenges to predictions and interpretations of antideuteron signals, and the experimental efforts toward cosmic antideuteron detection.« less

Clinical cosmobiology: distribution of deaths during 180 months and cosmophysical activity. The Lithuanian study, 1990-2004. The role of cosmic rays.

PubMed

Stoupel, Elyiahu; Kalediene, Ramune; Petrauskiene, Jadvyga; Starkuviene, Skirmante; Abramson, Evgeny; Israelevich, Peter; Sulkes, Jaqueline

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is a next step of our previous, initial, publications--to explore the links between monthly death number (total, and for the major death causes and each gender) with levels of monthly cosmophysical activity in a long-term, big cohort observation. Death number during 180 consecutive months from the National Registry of Lithuania for years 1990-2004 were studied. A total of 630,205 deaths were analyzed (333,035 males). For comparison, monthly indices of solar activity, geomagnetic activity, and cosmic ray activity and year and month (1-12) of the study were used. The cosmophysical data were obtained from space research centers in the USA, Russia, and Finland. Statistics. Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and their probabilities (P) between compared parameters were calculated. A multivariate model of prediction was designed. It was a significant correlation between total monthly death number and indices of cosmic ray activity and, inverse, of solar activity; in men stronger than in women. Monthly geomagnetic activity was significantly correlated with traffic accidents, ischemic heart disease/stroke ratio, suicide victim number. Deaths from stroke, noncardiovascular causes, suicide, traffic accidents were related with cosmic ray activity and, inverse, with solar activity. Relationship of ischemic heart disease/stroke ratio to year of observation showed additional evidence for the growing role of stroke in cardiovascular mortality. Monthly death number is linked to cosmic ray activity, and inverse, to solar activity. Central place of stroke-related deaths in cardiovascular mortality is emerging. Geomagnetic activity, in monthly account, plays a relatively minor role. We presume that forces antagonistic to cosmic ray activity, like solar activity and geomagnetic activity, can prevent some negative biologic effects of cosmic ray.

New fermionic dark matters, extended Standard Model and cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jae-Kwang

2017-08-01

Three generations of leptons and quarks correspond to the lepton charges (LCs) in this work. Then, the leptons have the electric charges (ECs) and LCs. The quarks have the ECs, LCs and color charges (CCs). Three heavy leptons and three heavy quarks are introduced to make the missing third flavor of EC. Then the three new particles which have the ECs are proposed as the bastons (dark matters) with the rest masses of 26.121 eV/c2, 42.7 GeV/c2 and 1.9 × 1015 eV/c2. These new particles are applied to explain the origins of the astrophysical observations like the ultra-high energy cosmic rays and supernova 1987A anti-neutrino data. It is concluded that the 3.5 keV X-ray peak observed from the cosmic X-ray background spectra is originated not from the pair annihilations of the dark matters but from the X-ray emission of the Q1 baryon atoms which are similar in the atomic structure to the hydrogen atom. The presence of the 3.5 keV cosmic X-ray supports the presence of the Q1 quark with the EC of -4/3. New particles can be indirectly seen from the astrophysical observations like the cosmic ray and cosmic gamma ray. In this work, the systematic quantized charges of EC, LC and CC for the elementary particles are used to consistently explain the decay and reaction schemes of the elementary particles. Also, the strong, weak and dark matter forces are consistently explained.

Cosmic-ray tracks in plastics: the apollo helmet dosimetry experiment.

PubMed

Comstock, G M; Fleischer, R L; Giard, W R; Hart, H R; Nichols, G E; Price, P B

1971-04-09

Counts of tracks from heavy cosmic-ray nuclei in helmets from Apollo missions 8 and 12 show variations caused by solar modulation of the galactic cosmic-ray flux. Specific estimates of the biological damage to certain nonreplaceable cells by track-forming particles during these space missions indicate that the fraction of deactivated cells could range from a lower limit of 3 x 10(-7) to an upper limit of 1.4 x 10(-4).

The WiZard Collaboration cosmic ray muon measurements in the atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Circella, M.; Ambriola, M. L.; Barbiellini, G.; Bartalucci, S.; Bellotti, R.; Bergström, D.; Bidoli, V.; Boezio, M.; Bravar, U.; Cafagna, F.; Carlson, P.; Casolino, M.; Ciacio, F.; Circella, M.; de Marzo, C. N.; de Pascale, M. P.; Finetti, N.; Francke, T.; Grinstein, S.; Hof, M.; Khalchukov, F.; Kremer, J.; Menn, W.; Mitchell, J. W.; Morselli, A.; Ormes, J. F.; Papini, P.; Piccardi, S.; Picozza, P.; Ricci, M.; Schiavon, P.; Simon, M.; Sparvoli, R.; Spillantini, P.; Stephens, S. A.; Stochaj, S. J.; Streitmatter, R. E.; Suffert, M.; Vacchi, A.; Zampa, N.

Balloon-borne experiments allow cosmic ray measurements to be performed over large ranges of atmospheric depths. The WiZard Collaboration is involved in a long-range investigation of the cosmic ray muon fluxes in the atmosphere. In this paper, we will discuss the relevance of such measurements to the atmospheric neutrino calculations and will review the results reported by the Collaboration, with particular emphasis on those coming from the latest flight CAPRICE98

Synchrotron Radiation from Ultra-High Energy Protons and the Fermi Observations of GRB 080916C

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

compared with keV – MeV radiation. Here we show that synchrotron radiation from cosmic ray protons accelerated in GRBs, delayed by the proton synchrotron... cosmic rays from sources within 100 Mpc for nano-Gauss intergalactic magnetic fields. The total energy requirements in a proton synchrotron model are...component arising from cosmic - ray proton synchrotron radiation explains the delayed onset of the LAT emission. If GRBs accelerate UHECRs, then the

Low cloud properties influenced by cosmic rays

PubMed

Marsh; Svensmark

2000-12-04

The influence of solar variability on climate is currently uncertain. Recent observations have indicated a possible mechanism via the influence of solar modulated cosmic rays on global cloud cover. Surprisingly the influence of solar variability is strongest in low clouds (

Observing Short-wave Infrared Atmospheric Fluorescence Near Radioactive Sources: A Feasibility Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-17

Defense Threat Reduction Agency Ft. Belvoir, VA 22060 76-4184-32-5 MIPR HDTRA 124655 1NRC Postdoctoral Research Associate Contents 1 Introduction 1 2...a desire to measure cosmic ray effects. For example, the pioneering study of cosmic ray detection by fluorescence was by Bunner in 1967 wherein he...wavelengths, the ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) community has continued to pursue studies of the fluorescence yield from high energy particle impact on

Wind Observations of Anomalous Cosmic Rays from Solar Minimum to Maximum

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reames, D. V.; McDonald, F. B.

2003-01-01

We report the first observation near Earth of the time behavior of anomalous cosmic-ray N, O, and Ne ions through the period surrounding the maximum of the solar cycle. These observations were made by the Wind spacecraft during the 1995-2002 period spanning times from solar minimum through solar maximum. Comparison of anomalous and galactic cosmic rays provides a powerful tool for the study of the physics of solar modulation throughout the solar cycle.

Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) Processing - Bonding

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-20

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers inspect components for the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.

Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) Processing - Bonding

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-20

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician remove a protective cover on the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.

Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass (CREAM) Unbagging and Inspection

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-06-22

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians and engineers inspect the Cosmic-Ray Energetics and Mass investigation, or CREAM, instrument. It is designed to measure the charges of cosmic rays to better understand what gives them such incredible energies, and how that effects the composition of the universe. The instrument will be launched to the space station on the SpaceX CRS-12 commercial resupply mission in August 2017.

Analytical Model for Estimating Terrestrial Cosmic Ray Fluxes Nearly Anytime and Anywhere in the World: Extension of PARMA/EXPACS.

PubMed

Sato, Tatsuhiko

2015-01-01

By extending our previously established model, here we present a new model called "PHITS-based Analytical Radiation Model in the Atmosphere (PARMA) version 3.0," which can instantaneously estimate terrestrial cosmic ray fluxes of neutrons, protons, ions with charge up to 28 (Ni), muons, electrons, positrons, and photons nearly anytime and anywhere in the Earth's atmosphere. The model comprises numerous analytical functions with parameters whose numerical values were fitted to reproduce the results of the extensive air shower (EAS) simulation performed by Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS). The accuracy of the EAS simulation was well verified using various experimental data, while that of PARMA3.0 was confirmed by the high R2 values of the fit. The models to be used for estimating radiation doses due to cosmic ray exposure, cosmic ray induced ionization rates, and count rates of neutron monitors were validated by investigating their capability to reproduce those quantities measured under various conditions. PARMA3.0 is available freely and is easy to use, as implemented in an open-access software program EXcel-based Program for Calculating Atmospheric Cosmic ray Spectrum (EXPACS). Because of these features, the new version of PARMA/EXPACS can be an important tool in various research fields such as geosciences, cosmic ray physics, and radiation research.

Analytical Model for Estimating Terrestrial Cosmic Ray Fluxes Nearly Anytime and Anywhere in the World: Extension of PARMA/EXPACS

PubMed Central

Sato, Tatsuhiko

2015-01-01

By extending our previously established model, here we present a new model called “PHITS-based Analytical Radiation Model in the Atmosphere (PARMA) version 3.0,” which can instantaneously estimate terrestrial cosmic ray fluxes of neutrons, protons, ions with charge up to 28 (Ni), muons, electrons, positrons, and photons nearly anytime and anywhere in the Earth’s atmosphere. The model comprises numerous analytical functions with parameters whose numerical values were fitted to reproduce the results of the extensive air shower (EAS) simulation performed by Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (PHITS). The accuracy of the EAS simulation was well verified using various experimental data, while that of PARMA3.0 was confirmed by the high R 2 values of the fit. The models to be used for estimating radiation doses due to cosmic ray exposure, cosmic ray induced ionization rates, and count rates of neutron monitors were validated by investigating their capability to reproduce those quantities measured under various conditions. PARMA3.0 is available freely and is easy to use, as implemented in an open-access software program EXcel-based Program for Calculating Atmospheric Cosmic ray Spectrum (EXPACS). Because of these features, the new version of PARMA/EXPACS can be an important tool in various research fields such as geosciences, cosmic ray physics, and radiation research. PMID:26674183

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anthony, Stephen

The Sandia hyperspectral upper-bound spectrum algorithm (hyper-UBS) is a cosmic ray despiking algorithm for hyperspectral data sets. When naturally-occurring, high-energy (gigaelectronvolt) cosmic rays impact the earth’s atmosphere, they create an avalanche of secondary particles which will register as a large, positive spike on any spectroscopic detector they hit. Cosmic ray spikes are therefore an unavoidable spectroscopic contaminant which can interfere with subsequent analysis. A variety of cosmic ray despiking algorithms already exist and can potentially be applied to hyperspectral data matrices, most notably the upper-bound spectrum data matrices (UBS-DM) algorithm by Dongmao Zhang and Dor Ben-Amotz which served as themore » basis for the hyper-UBS algorithm. However, the existing algorithms either cannot be applied to hyperspectral data, require information that is not always available, introduce undesired spectral bias, or have otherwise limited effectiveness for some experimentally relevant conditions. Hyper-UBS is more effective at removing a wider variety of cosmic ray spikes from hyperspectral data without introducing undesired spectral bias. In addition to the core algorithm the Sandia hyper-UBS software package includes additional source code useful in evaluating the effectiveness of the hyper-UBS algorithm. The accompanying source code includes code to generate simulated hyperspectral data contaminated by cosmic ray spikes, several existing despiking algorithms, and code to evaluate the performance of the despiking algorithms on simulated data.« less

Temperature Effect in Secondary Cosmic Rays (MUONS) Observed at the Ground: Analysis of the Global MUON Detector Network Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Mendonça, R. R. S.; Braga, C. R.; Echer, E.; Dal Lago, A.; Munakata, K.; Kuwabara, T.; Kozai, M.; Kato, C.; Rockenbach, M.; Schuch, N. J.; Jassar, H. K. Al; Sharma, M. M.; Tokumaru, M.; Duldig, M. L.; Humble, J. E.; Evenson, P.; Sabbah, I.

2016-10-01

The analysis of cosmic ray intensity variation seen by muon detectors at Earth's surface can help us to understand astrophysical, solar, interplanetary and geomagnetic phenomena. However, before comparing cosmic ray intensity variations with extraterrestrial phenomena, it is necessary to take into account atmospheric effects such as the temperature effect. In this work, we analyzed this effect on the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN), which is composed of four ground-based detectors, two in the northern hemisphere and two in the southern hemisphere. In general, we found a higher temperature influence on detectors located in the northern hemisphere. Besides that, we noticed that the seasonal temperature variation observed at the ground and at the altitude of maximum muon production are in antiphase for all GMDN locations (low-latitude regions). In this way, contrary to what is expected in high-latitude regions, the ground muon intensity decrease occurring during summertime would be related to both parts of the temperature effect (the negative and the positive). We analyzed several methods to describe the temperature effect on cosmic ray intensity. We found that the mass weighted method is the one that best reproduces the seasonal cosmic ray variation observed by the GMDN detectors and allows the highest correlation with long-term variation of the cosmic ray intensity seen by neutron monitors.

THE EFFECT OF INTERMITTENT GYRO-SCALE SLAB TURBULENCE ON PARALLEL AND PERPENDICULAR COSMIC-RAY TRANSPORT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Le Roux, J. A.

Earlier work based on nonlinear guiding center (NLGC) theory suggested that perpendicular cosmic-ray transport is diffusive when cosmic rays encounter random three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic turbulence dominated by uniform two-dimensional (2D) turbulence with a minor uniform slab turbulence component. In this approach large-scale perpendicular cosmic-ray transport is due to cosmic rays microscopically diffusing along the meandering magnetic field dominated by 2D turbulence because of gyroresonant interactions with slab turbulence. However, turbulence in the solar wind is intermittent and it has been suggested that intermittent turbulence might be responsible for the observation of 'dropout' events in solar energetic particle fluxes on small scales.more » In a previous paper le Roux et al. suggested, using NLGC theory as a basis, that if gyro-scale slab turbulence is intermittent, large-scale perpendicular cosmic-ray transport in weak uniform 2D turbulence will be superdiffusive or subdiffusive depending on the statistical characteristics of the intermittent slab turbulence. In this paper we expand and refine our previous work further by investigating how both parallel and perpendicular transport are affected by intermittent slab turbulence for weak as well as strong uniform 2D turbulence. The main new finding is that both parallel and perpendicular transport are the net effect of an interplay between diffusive and nondiffusive (superdiffusive or subdiffusive) transport effects as a consequence of this intermittency.« less

Cosmic ray signatures of a 2-3 Myr old local supernova

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachelrieß, M.; Neronov, A.; Semikoz, D. V.

2018-03-01

The supernova explosion which deposited Fe 60 isotopes on Earth 2-3 million years ago should have also produced cosmic rays which contribute to the locally observed cosmic ray flux. We show that the contribution of this "local source" causes the "anomalies" observed in the positron and antiproton fluxes and explains why their spectral shapes agree with that of the proton flux. At the same time, this local source component accounts for the difference in the slopes of the spectra of cosmic ray nuclei as the result of the slightly varying relative importance of the "local" and the average component for distinct CR nuclei. Such a "local supernova" model for the spectra of nuclei can be tested via a combined measurement of the energy dependence of the boron-to-carbon (primary-to-secondary cosmic rays) ratio and of the antiproton spectrum: while the antiproton spectrum is predicted to extend approximately as a power law into the TeV range without any softening break, the B/C ratio is expected to show a "plateau" at a level fixed by the observed positron excess in the 30-300 GeV range. We discuss the observability of such a plateau with dedicated experiments for the measurement of the cosmic ray composition in the 10 TeV energy range (NUCLEON, ISS-CREAM).

Cosmic Rays and Clouds, 1. Formation of Lead Mesoatoms In Neutron Monitor By Soft Negative Muons and Expected Atmospheric Electric Field Effect In The Cosmic Ray Neutron Component

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorman, L. I.; Dorman, I. V.

We extend our model (Dorman and Dorman, 1995) of cosmic ray atmospheric electric field effect on the case of neutron monitor. We take into account that about 0.07 of neu- tron monitor counting rate caused by negative soft muons captured by lead nucleons and formed mesoatoms with generation of several MeV energy neutrons from lead. In this case the neutron monitor or neutron supermonitor works as analyzer which de- tects muons of only one, negative sign. It is very important because the atmospheric electric field effect have opposite signs for positive and negative muons that main part of this effect in the muon telescope or in ionization chamber is compensated and we can observe only small part of total effect of one sign muons. On the basis of our gen- eral theory of cosmic ray meteorological effects with taking into account of negative soft muon acceleration and deceleration in the Earth atmosphere (in dependence of di- rection and intensity of electric field) we discuss the possibility of existing this effect in cosmic ray neutron component and made some rough estimations. REFERENCES: Dorman L.I. and Dorman I.V., 1995. "Cosmic-ray atmospheric electric field effects". Canadian J. of Physics, Vol. 73, pp. 440-443.

The Status and Recent Results of the Telescope Array Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamazaki, Katsuya

The Telescope Array (TA) is a cosmic ray observatory of the largest aperture in the northern hemisphere, located in a desert in the western part of Utah, U.S.A., to explore the origin of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays, photons, and neutrinos. The TA employs two types of detectors to observe air showers generated by cosmic rays in the atmosphere: the first is a "surface detector (SD)" of scintillation counters to measure shower particles on the ground, and the second is a "fluorescence detector (FD)" of telescopes installed in three stations to observe fluorescence light, caused by air shower particles, from the atmosphere above the SD array. The TA detectors have been in routine operation since May 2008. We measured the energy spectrum of cosmic rays with energy greater than 1018 eV from our first 4-year data. We found a clear suppression of comic ray intensity above 5 × 1019 eV. This feature is consistent with a theoretical prediction that cosmic rays lose energies due to interaction with cosmic microwave background photons during propagation in the intergalactic space. In this talk, We will present the status of the TA experiment and the recent results, including the energy spectrum, study of the primary mass composition, and searches for anisotropies in the arrival directions. We also briefly describe plans for further extensions.

THE TEMPERATURE EFFECT IN SECONDARY COSMIC RAYS (MUONS) OBSERVED AT THE GROUND: ANALYSIS OF THE GLOBAL MUON DETECTOR NETWORK DATA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

De Mendonça, R. R. S.; Braga, C. R.; Echer, E.

2016-10-20

The analysis of cosmic ray intensity variation seen by muon detectors at Earth's surface can help us to understand astrophysical, solar, interplanetary and geomagnetic phenomena. However, before comparing cosmic ray intensity variations with extraterrestrial phenomena, it is necessary to take into account atmospheric effects such as the temperature effect. In this work, we analyzed this effect on the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN), which is composed of four ground-based detectors, two in the northern hemisphere and two in the southern hemisphere. In general, we found a higher temperature influence on detectors located in the northern hemisphere. Besides that, we noticedmore » that the seasonal temperature variation observed at the ground and at the altitude of maximum muon production are in antiphase for all GMDN locations (low-latitude regions). In this way, contrary to what is expected in high-latitude regions, the ground muon intensity decrease occurring during summertime would be related to both parts of the temperature effect (the negative and the positive). We analyzed several methods to describe the temperature effect on cosmic ray intensity. We found that the mass weighted method is the one that best reproduces the seasonal cosmic ray variation observed by the GMDN detectors and allows the highest correlation with long-term variation of the cosmic ray intensity seen by neutron monitors.« less

Cosmic PeV neutrinos and the sources of ultrahigh energy protons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kistler, Matthew D.; Stanev, Todor; Yüksel, Hasan

2014-12-01

The IceCube experiment recently detected the first flux of high-energy neutrinos in excess of atmospheric backgrounds. We examine whether these neutrinos originate from within the same extragalactic sources as ultrahigh energy cosmic rays. Starting from rather general assumptions about spectra and flavors, we find that producing a neutrino flux at the requisite level through pion photoproduction leads to a flux of protons well below the cosmic-ray data at ˜1 018 eV , where the composition is light, unless pions/muons cool before decaying. This suggests a dominant class of accelerator that allows for cosmic rays to escape without significant neutrino yields.

Cosmic ray injection spectrum at the galactic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lagutin, Anatoly; Tyumentsev, Alexander; Volkov, Nikolay

The spectra of cosmic rays measured at Earth are different from their source spectra. A key to understanding this difference, being crucial for solving the problem of cosmic-ray origin, is the determination of how cosmic-ray (CR) particles propagate through the turbulent interstellar medium (ISM). If the medium is a quasi-homogeneous the propagation process can be described by a normal diffusion model. However, during a last few decades many evidences, both from theory and observations, of the existence of multiscale structures in the Galaxy have been found. Filaments, shells, clouds are entities widely spread in the ISM. In such a highly non-homogeneous (fractal-like) ISM the normal diffusion model certainly is not kept valid. Generalization of this model leads to what is known as "anomalous diffusion". The main goal of the report is to retrieve the cosmic ray injection spectrum at the galactic sources in the framework of the anomalous diffusion (AD) model. The anomaly in this model results from large free paths ("Levy flights") of particles between galactic inhomogeneities. In order to evaluate the CR spectrum at the sources, we carried out new calculation of the CR spectra at Earth. AD equation in terms of fractional derivatives have been used to describe CR propagation from the nearby (r≤1 kpc) young (t≤ 1 Myr) and multiple old distant (r > 1 kpc) sources. The assessment of the key model parameters have been based on the results of the particles diffusion in the cosmic and laboratory plasma. We show that in the framework of the anomalous diffusion model the locally observed basic features of the cosmic rays (difference between spectral exponents of proton, He and other nuclei, "knee" problem, positron to electron ratio) can be explained if the injection spectrum at the main galactic sources of cosmic rays has spectral exponent p˜ 2.85. The authors acknowledge support from The Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant No. 14-02-31524.

Observation of cosmic-ray anisotropy in the decade below 1 PeV with a pentagon array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghaddam, S. Mortazavi; Bahmanabadi, M.

2018-03-01

The study of the anisotropy of the arrival directions is an essential tool to investigate the origin and propagation of cosmic rays primaries. A pentagon array has been designed to collect data around the knee region of cosmic ray spectrum. The experimental results of this array obtained from October 2016 to October 2017. During this period, more than 5.3 ×105 extensive air shower events at energies in the decade below 1 PeV has been accumulated by this array at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran (3 5 ° 4 3'N , 5 1 ° 2 0'E , 1200m a .s .l =890 g cm-2 ). In analyzing the data set, we have used appropriate techniques of analysis and considered environmental effects. We report the analysis of the sidereal anisotropy of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). In this analysis, in addition to the Compton- Getting effect due to the motion of the earth in the Galaxy, an anisotropy has been observed which is due to a unidirectional anisotropy of cosmic ray flow along the Galactic arms.

Questions and Answers in Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays - a guide to explore the data set of the Pierre Auger Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abreu, P.; Andringa, S.; Diogo, F.; Espírito Santo, M. C.; Pierre Auger Collaboration

2016-04-01

The Pierre Auger Observatory is the largest extensive air shower detector, covering 3000 km2 in Argentina. The Observatory makes available, for educational and outreach purposes, 1% of its cosmic ray data set, corresponding after 10 years of running to more than 35 000 cosmic ray events. Several different proposals of educational activities have been developed within the collaboration and are available. We will focus on the activity guide we developed with the aim of exploring the rich education and outreach potential of cosmic rays with Portuguese high school students. In this guide we use the Auger public data set as a starting point to introduce open questions on the origin, nature and spectrum of high energy cosmic rays. To address them, the students learn about the air-shower cascade development, data reconstruction and its statistical analysis. The guide has been used both in the context of student summer internships at research labs and directly in schools, under the supervision of trained teachers and in close collaboration with Auger researchers. It is now available in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Searching for Dark Matter with Cosmic Rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seo, Eun-Suk

2015-04-01

One of the most exciting possibilities in cosmic ray research is the potential to discover new phenomena. A number of elementary particles were discovered in cosmic rays before modern-day accelerators became available to study their detailed properties. Since the discovery of cosmic ray antiprotons in 1979 using a balloon-borne magnet spectrometer, a series of magnet spectrometers have been flown to search for the signature of dark matter annihilation in antiprotons and positrons. Being the same as particles except for their opposite charge sign, antiparticles are readily distinguished as they bend in opposite directions in the magnetic field. As long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica became available, not only antiproton to proton ratios but also measurements of antiproton energy spectra became possible. More recently, space missions are also providing precision measurements of electron and position energy spectra. With other measurements to constrain cosmic ray propagation models, these new measurements play key roles in constraining dark-matter models for understanding the nature of dark matter. Recent results, their implications, and outlook for the field will be presented.

Measurement of the Anisotropy of Cosmic-ray Arrival Directions with IceCube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R.; Abdou, Y.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Adams, J.; Aguilar, J. A.; Ahlers, M.; Andeen, K.; Auffenberg, J.; Bai, X.; Baker, M.; Barwick, S. W.; Bay, R.; Bazo Alba, J. L.; Beattie, K.; Beatty, J. J.; Bechet, S.; Becker, J. K.; Becker, K.-H.; Benabderrahmane, M. L.; BenZvi, S.; Berdermann, J.; Berghaus, P.; Berley, D.; Bernardini, E.; Bertrand, D.; Besson, D. Z.; Bissok, M.; Blaufuss, E.; Boersma, D. J.; Bohm, C.; Böser, S.; Botner, O.; Bradley, L.; Braun, J.; Buitink, S.; Carson, M.; Chirkin, D.; Christy, B.; Clem, J.; Clevermann, F.; Cohen, S.; Colnard, C.; Cowen, D. F.; D'Agostino, M. V.; Danninger, M.; Davis, J. C.; De Clercq, C.; Demirörs, L.; Depaepe, O.; Descamps, F.; Desiati, P.; de Vries-Uiterweerd, G.; DeYoung, T.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Dierckxsens, M.; Dreyer, J.; Dumm, J. P.; Duvoort, M. R.; Ehrlich, R.; Eisch, J.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engdegård, O.; Euler, S.; Evenson, P. A.; Fadiran, O.; Fazely, A. R.; Feusels, T.; Filimonov, K.; Finley, C.; Foerster, M. M.; Fox, B. D.; Franckowiak, A.; Franke, R.; Gaisser, T. K.; Gallagher, J.; Geisler, M.; Gerhardt, L.; Gladstone, L.; Glüsenkamp, T.; Goldschmidt, A.; Goodman, J. A.; Grant, D.; Griesel, T.; Groß, A.; Grullon, S.; Gurtner, M.; Ha, C.; Hallgren, A.; Halzen, F.; Han, K.; Hanson, K.; Helbing, K.; Herquet, P.; Hickford, S.; Hill, G. C.; Hoffman, K. D.; Homeier, A.; Hoshina, K.; Hubert, D.; Huelsnitz, W.; Hülß, J.-P.; Hulth, P. O.; Hultqvist, K.; Hussain, S.; Ishihara, A.; Jacobsen, J.; Japaridze, G. S.; Johansson, H.; Joseph, J. M.; Kampert, K.-H.; Karg, T.; Karle, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemming, N.; Kenny, P.; Kiryluk, J.; Kislat, F.; Klein, S. R.; Knops, S.; Köhne, J.-H.; Kohnen, G.; Kolanoski, H.; Köpke, L.; Koskinen, D. J.; Kowalski, M.; Kowarik, T.; Krasberg, M.; Krings, T.; Kroll, G.; Kuehn, K.; Kuwabara, T.; Labare, M.; Lafebre, S.; Laihem, K.; Landsman, H.; Lauer, R.; Lehmann, R.; Lennarz, D.; Lünemann, J.; Madsen, J.; Majumdar, P.; Marotta, A.; Maruyama, R.; Mase, K.; Matis, H. S.; Matusik, M.; Meagher, K.; Merck, M.; Mészáros, P.; Meures, T.; Middell, E.; Milke, N.; Miller, J.; Montaruli, T.; Morse, R.; Movit, S. M.; Nahnhauer, R.; Nam, J. W.; Naumann, U.; Nießen, P.; Nygren, D. R.; Odrowski, S.; Olivas, A.; Olivo, M.; O'Murchadha, A.; Ono, M.; Panknin, S.; Paul, L.; Pérez de los Heros, C.; Petrovic, J.; Piegsa, A.; Pieloth, D.; Porrata, R.; Posselt, J.; Price, P. B.; Prikockis, M.; Przybylski, G. T.; Rawlins, K.; Redl, P.; Resconi, E.; Rhode, W.; Ribordy, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rodrigues, J. P.; Roth, P.; Rothmaier, F.; Rott, C.; Roucelle, C.; Ruhe, T.; Rutledge, D.; Ruzybayev, B.; Ryckbosch, D.; Sander, H.-G.; Santander, M.; Sarkar, S.; Schatto, K.; Schlenstedt, S.; Schmidt, T.; Schukraft, A.; Schultes, A.; Schulz, O.; Schunck, M.; Seckel, D.; Semburg, B.; Seo, S. H.; Sestayo, Y.; Seunarine, S.; Silvestri, A.; Slipak, A.; Spiczak, G. M.; Spiering, C.; Stamatikos, M.; Stanev, T.; Stephens, G.; Stezelberger, T.; Stokstad, R. G.; Stoyanov, S.; Strahler, E. A.; Straszheim, T.; Sullivan, G. W.; Swillens, Q.; Taavola, H.; Taboada, I.; Tamburro, A.; Tarasova, O.; Tepe, A.; Ter-Antonyan, S.; Tilav, S.; Toale, P. A.; Toscano, S.; Tosi, D.; Turčan, D.; van Eijndhoven, N.; Vandenbroucke, J.; Van Overloop, A.; van Santen, J.; Voge, M.; Voigt, B.; Walck, C.; Waldenmaier, T.; Wallraff, M.; Walter, M.; Weaver, Ch.; Wendt, C.; Westerhoff, S.; Whitehorn, N.; Wiebe, K.; Wiebusch, C. H.; Wikström, G.; Williams, D. R.; Wischnewski, R.; Wissing, H.; Wolf, M.; Woschnagg, K.; Xu, C.; Xu, X. W.; Yodh, G.; Yoshida, S.; Zarzhitsky, P.; IceCube Collaboration

2010-08-01

We report the first observation of an anisotropy in the arrival direction of cosmic rays with energies in the multi-TeV region in the Southern sky using data from the IceCube detector. Between 2007 June and 2008 March, the partially deployed IceCube detector was operated in a configuration with 1320 digital optical sensors distributed over 22 strings at depths between 1450 and 2450 m inside the Antarctic ice. IceCube is a neutrino detector, but the data are dominated by a large background of cosmic-ray muons. Therefore, the background data are suitable for high-statistics studies of cosmic rays in the southern sky. The data include 4.3 billion muons produced by downward-going cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere; these events were reconstructed with a median angular resolution of 3° and a median energy of ~20 TeV. Their arrival direction distribution exhibits an anisotropy in right ascension with a first-harmonic amplitude of (6.4 ± 0.2 stat. ± 0.8 syst.) × 10-4.

First cosmic-ray images of bone and soft tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mrdja, Dusan; Bikit, Istvan; Bikit, Kristina; Slivka, Jaroslav; Hansman, Jan; Oláh, László; Varga, Dezső

2016-11-01

More than 120 years after Roentgen's first X-ray image, the first cosmic-ray muon images of bone and soft tissue are created. The pictures, shown in the present paper, represent the first radiographies of structures of organic origin ever recorded by cosmic rays. This result is achieved by a uniquely designed, simple and versatile cosmic-ray muon-imaging system, which consists of four plastic scintillation detectors and a muon tracker. This system does not use scattering or absorption of muons in order to deduct image information, but takes advantage of the production rate of secondaries in the target materials, detected in coincidence with muons. The 2D image slices of cow femur bone are obtained at several depths along the bone axis, together with the corresponding 3D image. Real organic soft tissue, polymethyl methacrylate and water, never seen before by any other muon imaging techniques, are also registered in the images. Thus, similar imaging systems, placed around structures of organic or inorganic origin, can be used for tomographic imaging using only the omnipresent cosmic radiation.

Recent Results of the Telescope Array Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Dmitri

2015-04-01

The Telescope Array (TA) is the largest cosmic ray experiment in the northern hemisphere and covers 10 PeV to 100 EeV range. TA is a hybrid detector that uses air fluorescence detectors combined with a ground array. TA consists of 507 plastic scintillation counters on a 1.2km square grid, overlooked by 3 fluorescence detector stations, and measures cosmic rays above 1 EeV. TA has collected 6.5 years of data. Results from the TA low energy extension (TALE), which sees cosmic rays down to 10 PeV, will also be shown. This contribution will consist of three parts. First, we will present the cosmic ray energy spectrum measured over 4 decades in energy. Next, we will discuss the latest results of the measurements of cosmic ray mass composition by the TA fluorescence detectors. Finally, we will show the latest results of the TA anisotropy measurements at the highest energies, where we have seen a concentration of events, called the ``hotspot,'' centered in the Ursa Major. For the Telescope Array Collaboration. Done...processed 1261 records...10:46:59 Beginning APS data extraction...10:47:48

Galactic Cosmic-Ray Anistropy During the Forbush Decrease Starting 2013 April 13

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tortermpun, U.; Ruffolo, D.; Bieber, J. W.

2018-01-01

The flux of Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) can undergo a Forbush decrease (FD) during the passage of a shock, sheath region, or magnetic flux rope associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). Cosmic-ray observations during FDs can provide information complementary to in situ observations of the local plasma and magnetic field, because cosmic-ray distributions allow remote sensing of distant conditions. Here we develop techniques to determine the GCR anisotropy before and during an FD using data from the worldwide network of neutron monitors, for a case study of the FD starting on 2013 April 13. We find that at times with strong magnetic fluctuations and strong cosmic-ray scattering, there were spikes of high perpendicular anisotropy and weak parallel anisotropy. In contrast, within the CME flux rope there was a strong parallel anisotropy in the direction predicted from a theory of drift motions into one leg of the magnetic flux rope and out the other, confirming that the anisotropy can remotely sense a large-scale flow of GCRs through a magnetic flux structure.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abe, K.; Itazaki, A.; Kusumoto, A.

The BESS-Polar Collaboration measured the energy spectra of cosmic-ray protons and helium during two long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica in 2004 December and 2007 December at substantially different levels of solar modulation. Proton and helium spectra probe the origin and propagation history of cosmic rays in the galaxy, and are essential to calculations of the expected spectra of cosmic-ray antiprotons, positrons, and electrons from interactions of primary cosmic-ray nuclei with the interstellar gas, and to calculations of atmospheric muons and neutrinos. We report absolute spectra at the top of the atmosphere for cosmic-ray protons in the kinetic energy range 0.2–160more » GeV and helium nuclei in the range 0.15–80 GeV/nucleon. The corresponding magnetic-rigidity ranges are 0.6–160 GV for protons and 1.1–160 GV for helium. These spectra are compared to measurements from previous BESS flights and from ATIC-2, PAMELA, and AMS-02. We also report the ratio of the proton and helium fluxes from 1.1 to 160 GV and compare this to the ratios from PAMELA and AMS-02.« less

Cosmic Rays in the "Urusvati" Institute from Archives of Nicolas Roerich Centre-Museum (Moscow)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miroshnichenko, L. I.; Sidorov, V. I.

2013-02-01

The history of cosmic ray study by means of ground-based methods in the 1930s contains some gaps. The press barely covered the study of cosmic rays at the "Urusvati» Himalayan Research Institute that functioned in the Indian Himalayas in 1928-1939. Archival materials of the "Urusvati" Institute now stored at the International Centre-Museum named after N.K. Roerich (Moscow), give evidence to the active participation of the Institute staff in the study of cosmic rays. By the initiative of A.H. Compton, in 1932 several expeditions on the studies of cosmic rays were organized in different parts of the world. One of these expeditions passed through the Himalayas in the region of the South-Eastern Ladakh. The report on this highland expedition which took place at the altitude of 19,500 feet above the sea level was published by J.M. Benade in the "Urusvati Journal" (was issued during 1931-1933). Cooperation between George Roerich, the Institute Director, and Prof. J.M. Benade in expedition to Ladakh has been documented.

Simulations of a Thin Sampling Calorimeter with GEANT/FLUKA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Jeongin; Watts, John; Howell, Leonard; Rose, M. Franklin (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Advanced Cosmic-ray Composition Experiment for the Space Station (ACCESS) will investigate the origin, composition and acceleration mechanism of cosmic rays by measuring the elemental composition of the cosmic rays up to 10(exp 15) eV. These measurements will be made with a thin ionization calorimeter and a transition radiation detector. This paper reports studies of a thin sampling calorimeter concept for the ACCESS thin ionization calorimeter. For the past year, a Monte Carlo simulation study of a Thin Sampling Calorimeter (TSC) design has been conducted to predict the detector performance and to design the system for achieving the ACCESS scientific objectives. Simulation results show that the detector energy resolution function resembles a Gaussian distribution and the energy resolution of TSC is about 40%. In addition, simulations of the detector's response to an assumed broken power law cosmic ray spectra in the region where the 'knee' of the cosmic ray spectrum occurs have been conducted and clearly show that a thin sampling calorimeter can provide sufficiently accurate estimates of the spectral parameters to meet the science requirements of ACCESS. n

Studies of the performance of the ATLAS detector using cosmic-ray muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Abdelalim, A. A.; Abdesselam, A.; Abdinov, O.; Abi, B.; Abolins, M.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Acharya, B. S.; Adams, D. L.; Addy, T. N.; Adelman, J.; Adomeit, S.; Adragna, P.; Adye, T.; Aefsky, S.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Aharrouche, M.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahles, F.; Ahmad, A.; Ahsan, M.; Aielli, G.; Akdogan, T.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akimoto, G.; Akimov, A. V.; Aktas, A.; Alam, M. S.; Alam, M. A.; Albrand, S.; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexandre, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Aliyev, M.; Allport, P. P.; Allwood-Spiers, S. E.; Almond, J.; Aloisio, A.; Alon, R.; Alonso, A.; Alviggi, M. G.; Amako, K.; Amelung, C.; Amorim, A.; Amorós, G.; Amram, N.; Anastopoulos, C.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Anduaga, X. S.; Angerami, A.; Anghinolfi, F.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antonaki, A.; Antonelli, M.; Antonelli, S.; Antos, J.; Antunovic, B.; Anulli, F.; Aoun, S.; Arabidze, G.; Aracena, I.; Arai, Y.; Arce, A. T. H.; Archambault, J. P.; Arfaoui, S.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, T.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnault, C.; Artamonov, A.; Arutinov, D.; Asai, M.; Asai, S.; Silva, J.; Asfandiyarov, R.; Ask, S.; Åsman, B.; Asner, D.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astvatsatourov, A.; Atoian, G.; Auerbach, B.; Augsten, K.; Aurousseau, M.; Austin, N.; Avolio, G.; Avramidou, R.; Ay, C.; Azuelos, G.; Azuma, Y.; Baak, M. A.; Bach, A. M.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Badescu, E.; Bagnaia, P.; Bai, Y.; Bain, T.; Baines, J. T.; Baker, O. K.; Baker, M. D.; Baker, S.; Dos Santos Pedrosa, F. Baltasar; Banas, E.; Banerjee, P.; Banerjee, Sw.; Banfi, D.; Bangert, A.; Bansal, V.; Baranov, S. P.; Barashkou, A.; Barber, T.; Barberio, E. L.; Barberis, D.; Barbero, M.; Bardin, D. Y.; Barillari, T.; Barisonzi, M.; Barklow, T.; Barlow, N.; Barnett, B. M.; Barnett, R. M.; Baroncelli, A.; Barr, A. J.; Barreiro, F.; Barreiro Guimarães da Costa, J.; Barrillon, P.; Bartoldus, R.; Bartsch, D.; Bates, R. L.; Batkova, L.; Batley, J. R.; Battaglia, A.; Battistin, M.; Bauer, F.; Bawa, H. S.; Beare, B.; Beau, T.; Beauchemin, P. H.; Beccherle, R.; Bechtle, P.; Beck, G. A.; Beck, H. P.; Beckingham, M.; Becks, K. H.; Beddall, A. J.; Beddall, A.; Bednyakov, V. A.; Bee, C.; Begel, M.; Harpaz, S. Behar; Behera, P. K.; Beimforde, M.; Belanger-Champagne, C.; Bell, P. J.; Bell, W. H.; Bella, G.; Bellagamba, L.; Bellina, F.; Bellomo, M.; Belloni, A.; Belotskiy, K.; Beltramello, O.; Ami, S. Ben; Benary, O.; Benchekroun, D.; Bendel, M.; Benedict, B. H.; Benekos, N.; Benhammou, Y.; Benjamin, D. P.; Benoit, M.; Bensinger, J. R.; Benslama, K.; Bentvelsen, S.; Beretta, M.; Berge, D.; Bergeaas Kuutmann, E.; Berger, N.; Berghaus, F.; Berglund, E.; Beringer, J.; Bernat, P.; Bernhard, R.; Bernius, C.; Berry, T.; Bertin, A.; Besana, M. I.; Besson, N.; Bethke, S.; Bianchi, R. M.; Bianco, M.; Biebel, O.; Biesiada, J.; Biglietti, M.; Bilokon, H.; Bindi, M.; Bingul, A.; Bini, C.; Biscarat, C.; Bitenc, U.; Black, K. M.; Blair, R. E.; Blanchard, J.-B.; Blanchot, G.; Blocker, C.; Blondel, A.; Blum, W.; Blumenschein, U.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bocci, A.; Boehler, M.; Boek, J.; Boelaert, N.; Böser, S.; Bogaerts, J. A.; Bogouch, A.; Bohm, C.; Boisvert, V.; Bold, T.; Boldea, V.; Bondioli, M.; Boonekamp, M.; Bordoni, S.; Borer, C.; Borisov, A.; Borissov, G.; Borjanovic, I.; Borroni, S.; Bos, K.; Boscherini, D.; Bosman, M.; Boterenbrood, H.; Bouchami, J.; Boudreau, J.; Bouhova-Thacker, E. V.; Boulahouache, C.; Bourdarios, C.; Boveia, A.; Boyd, J.; Boyko, I. R.; Bozovic-Jelisavcic, I.; Bracinik, J.; Braem, A.; Branchini, P.; Brandt, A.; Brandt, G.; Brandt, O.; Bratzler, U.; Brau, B.; Brau, J. E.; Braun, H. M.; Brelier, B.; Bremer, J.; Brenner, R.; Bressler, S.; Britton, D.; Brochu, F. M.; Brock, I.; Brock, R.; Brodet, E.; Brooijmans, G.; Brooks, W. K.; Brown, G.; Bruckman de Renstrom, P. A.; Bruncko, D.; Bruneliere, R.; Brunet, S.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruschi, M.; Bucci, F.; Buchanan, J.; Buchholz, P.; Buckley, A. G.; Budagov, I. A.; Budick, B.; Büscher, V.; Bugge, L.; Bulekov, O.; Bunse, M.; Buran, T.; Burckhart, H.; Burdin, S.; Burgess, T.; Burke, S.; Busato, E.; Bussey, P.; Buszello, C. P.; Butin, F.; Butler, B.; Butler, J. M.; Buttar, C. M.; Butterworth, J. M.; Byatt, T.; Caballero, J.; Cabrera Urbán, S.; Caforio, D.; Cakir, O.; Calafiura, P.; Calderini, G.; Calfayan, P.; Calkins, R.; Caloba, L. P.; Calvet, D.; Camarri, P.; Cameron, D.; Campana, S.; Campanelli, M.; Canale, V.; Canelli, F.; Canepa, A.; Cantero, J.; Capasso, L.; Capeans Garrido, M. D. M.; Caprini, I.; Caprini, M.; Capua, M.; Caputo, R.; Caramarcu, C.; Cardarelli, R.; Carli, T.; Carlino, G.; Carminati, L.; Caron, B.; Caron, S.; Carrillo Montoya, G. D.; Carron Montero, S.; Carter, A. A.; Carter, J. R.; Carvalho, J.; Casadei, D.; Casado, M. P.; Cascella, M.; Castaneda Hernandez, A. M.; Castaneda-Miranda, E.; Castillo Gimenez, V.; Castro, N. F.; Cataldi, G.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Cattani, G.; Caughron, S.; Cavalleri, P.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Ceradini, F.; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, K.; Chapman, J. D.; Chapman, J. W.; Chareyre, E.; Charlton, D. G.; Chavda, V.; Cheatham, S.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chen, H.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Cheplakov, A.; Chepurnov, V. F.; Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; Tcherniatine, V.; Chesneanu, D.; Cheu, E.; Cheung, S. L.; Chevalier, L.; Chevallier, F.; Chiefari, G.; Chikovani, L.; Childers, J. T.; Chilingarov, A.; Chiodini, G.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choudalakis, G.; Chouridou, S.; Christidi, I. A.; Christov, A.; Chromek-Burckhart, D.; Chu, M. L.; Chudoba, J.; Ciapetti, G.; Ciftci, A. K.; Ciftci, R.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Ciobotaru, M. D.; Ciocca, C.; Ciocio, A.; Cirilli, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, P. J.; Cleland, W.; Clemens, J. C.; Clement, B.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Coggeshall, J.; Cogneras, E.; Colijn, A. P.; Collard, C.; Collins, N. J.; Collins-Tooth, C.; Collot, J.; Colon, G.; Conde Muiño, P.; Coniavitis, E.; Conidi, M. C.; Consonni, M.; Constantinescu, S.; Conta, C.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper, B. D.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cooper-Smith, N. J.; Copic, K.; Cornelissen, T.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Corso-Radu, A.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Cortiana, G.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Costin, T.; Côté, D.; Coura Torres, R.; Courneyea, L.; Cowan, G.; Cowden, C.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Cranshaw, J.; Cristinziani, M.; Crosetti, G.; Crupi, R.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Almenar, C. Cuenca; Cuhadar Donszelmann, T.; Curatolo, M.; Curtis, C. J.; Cwetanski, P.; Czyczula, Z.; D'Auria, S.; D'Onofrio, M.; D'Orazio, A.; da Via, C.; Dabrowski, W.; Dai, T.; Dallapiccola, C.; Dallison, S. J.; Daly, C. H.; Dam, M.; Danielsson, H. O.; Dannheim, D.; Dao, V.; Darbo, G.; Darlea, G. L.; Davey, W.; Davidek, T.; Davidson, N.; Davidson, R.; Davies, M.; Davison, A. R.; Dawson, I.; Daya, R. K.; de, K.; de Asmundis, R.; de Castro, S.; de Castro Faria Salgado, P. E.; de Cecco, S.; de Graat, J.; de Groot, N.; de Jong, P.; de Mora, L.; de Oliveira Branco, M.; de Pedis, D.; de Salvo, A.; de Sanctis, U.; de Santo, A.; de Vivie de Regie, J. B.; Dean, S.; Dedovich, D. V.; Degenhardt, J.; Dehchar, M.; Del Papa, C.; Del Peso, J.; Del Prete, T.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Della Pietra, M.; Della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delsart, P. A.; Deluca, C.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demirkoz, B.; Deng, J.; Deng, W.; Denisov, S. P.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dewilde, B.; Dhaliwal, S.; Dhullipudi, R.; di Ciaccio, A.; di Ciaccio, L.; di Girolamo, A.; di Girolamo, B.; di Luise, S.; di Mattia, A.; di Nardo, R.; di Simone, A.; di Sipio, R.; Diaz, M. A.; Diblen, F.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Dietzsch, T. A.; Diglio, S.; Dindar Yagci, K.; Dingfelder, J.; Dionisi, C.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djilkibaev, R.; Djobava, T.; Do Vale, M. A. B.; Doan, T. K. O.; Dobos, D.; Dobson, E.; Dobson, M.; Doglioni, C.; Doherty, T.; Dolejsi, J.; Dolenc, I.; Dolezal, Z.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Dohmae, T.; Donega, M.; Donini, J.; Dopke, J.; Doria, A.; Dotti, A.; Dova, M. T.; Doxiadis, A. D.; Doyle, A. T.; Drasal, Z.; Dris, M.; Dubbert, J.; Dube, S.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Dudarev, A.; Dudziak, F.; Dührssen, M.; Duflot, L.; Dufour, M.-A.; Dunford, M.; Yildiz, H. Duran; Duxfield, R.; Dwuznik, M.; Düren, M.; Ebke, J.; Eckweiler, S.; Edmonds, K.; Edwards, C. A.; Egorov, K.; Ehrenfeld, W.; Ehrich, T.; Eifert, T.; Eigen, G.; Einsweiler, K.; Eisenhandler, E.; Ekelof, T.; El Kacimi, M.; Ellert, M.; Elles, S.; Ellinghaus, F.; Ellis, K.; Ellis, N.; Elmsheuser, J.; Elsing, M.; Emeliyanov, D.; Engelmann, R.; Engl, A.; Epp, B.; Eppig, A.; Erdmann, J.; Ereditato, A.; Eriksson, D.; Ernst, J.; Ernst, M.; Ernwein, J.; Errede, D.; Errede, S.; Ertel, E.; Escalier, M.; Escobar, C.; Espinal Curull, X.; Esposito, B.; Etienvre, A. I.; Etzion, E.; Evans, H.; Fabbri, L.; Fabre, C.; Facius, K.; Fakhrutdinov, R. M.; Falciano, S.; Fang, Y.; Fanti, M.; Farbin, A.; Farilla, A.; Farley, J.; Farooque, T.; Farrington, S. M.; Farthouat, P.; Fassnacht, P.; Fassouliotis, D.; Fatholahzadeh, B.; Fayard, L.; Febbraro, R.; Federic, P.; Fedin, O. L.; Fedorko, W.; Feligioni, L.; Felzmann, C. U.; Feng, C.; Feng, E. J.; Fenyuk, A. B.; Ferencei, J.; Ferland, J.; Fernandes, B.; Fernando, W.; Ferrag, S.; Ferrando, J.; Ferrara, V.; Ferrari, A.; Ferrari, P.; Ferrari, R.; Ferrer, A.; Ferrer, M. L.; Ferrere, D.; Ferretti, C.; Fiascaris, M.; Fiedler, F.; Filipčič, A.; Filippas, A.; Filthaut, F.; Fincke-Keeler, M.; Fiolhais, M. C. N.; Fiorini, L.; Firan, A.; Fischer, G.; Fisher, M. J.; Flechl, M.; Fleck, I.; Fleckner, J.; Fleischmann, P.; Fleischmann, S.; Flick, T.; Flores Castillo, L. R.; Flowerdew, M. J.; Martin, T. Fonseca; Fopma, J.; Formica, A.; Forti, A.; Fortin, D.; Fournier, D.; Fowler, A. J.; Fowler, K.; Fox, H.; Francavilla, P.; Franchino, S.; Francis, D.; Franklin, M.; Franz, S.; Fraternali, M.; Fratina, S.; Freestone, J.; French, S. T.; Froeschl, R.; Froidevaux, D.; Frost, J. A.; Fukunaga, C.; Fullana Torregrosa, E.; Fuster, J.; Gabaldon, C.; Gabizon, O.; Gadfort, T.; Gadomski, S.; Gagliardi, G.; Gagnon, P.; Galea, C.; Gallas, E. J.; Gallo, V.; Gallop, B. J.; Gallus, P.; Galyaev, E.; Gan, K. K.; Gao, Y. S.; Gaponenko, A.; Garcia-Sciveres, M.; García, C.; Navarro, J. E. García; Gardner, R. W.; Garelli, N.; Garitaonandia, H.; Garonne, V.; Gatti, C.; Gaudio, G.; Gauzzi, P.; Gavrilenko, I. L.; Gay, C.; Gaycken, G.; Gazis, E. N.; Ge, P.; Gee, C. N. P.; Geich-Gimbel, Ch.; Gellerstedt, K.; Gemme, C.; Genest, M. H.; Gentile, S.; Georgatos, F.; George, S.; Gershon, A.; Ghazlane, H.; Ghodbane, N.; Giacobbe, B.; Giagu, S.; Giakoumopoulou, V.; Giangiobbe, V.; Gianotti, F.; Gibbard, B.; Gibson, A.; Gibson, S. M.; Gilbert, L. M.; Gilchriese, M.; Gilewsky, V.; Gingrich, D. M.; Ginzburg, J.; Giokaris, N.; Giordani, M. P.; Giordano, R.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giovannini, P.; Giraud, P. F.; Giugni, D.; Giusti, P.; Gjelsten, B. K.; Gladilin, L. K.; Glasman, C.; Glazov, A.; Glitza, K. W.; Glonti, G. L.; Godfrey, J.; Godlewski, J.; Goebel, M.; Göpfert, T.; Goeringer, C.; Gössling, C.; Göttfert, T.; Goldfarb, S.; Goldin, D.; Golling, T.; Gomes, A.; Fajardo, L. S. Gomez; Gonçalo, R.; Gonella, L.; Gong, C.; González de La Hoz, S.; Silva, M. L. Gonzalez; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Goodson, J. J.; Goossens, L.; Gordon, H. A.; Gorelov, I.; Gorfine, G.; Gorini, B.; Gorini, E.; Gorišek, A.; Gornicki, E.; Gosdzik, B.; Gosselink, M.; Gostkin, M. I.; Eschrich, I. Gough; Gouighri, M.; Goujdami, D.; Goulette, M. P.; Goussiou, A. G.; Goy, C.; Grabowska-Bold, I.; Grafström, P.; Grahn, K.-J.; Grancagnolo, S.; Grassi, V.; Gratchev, V.; Grau, N.; Gray, H. M.; Gray, J. A.; Graziani, E.; Green, B.; Greenshaw, T.; Greenwood, Z. D.; Gregor, I. M.; Grenier, P.; Griesmayer, E.; Griffiths, J.; Grigalashvili, N.; Grillo, A. A.; Grimm, K.; Grinstein, S.; Grishkevich, Y. V.; Groh, M.; Groll, M.; Gross, E.; Grosse-Knetter, J.; Groth-Jensen, J.; Grybel, K.; Guicheney, C.; Guida, A.; Guillemin, T.; Guler, H.; Gunther, J.; Guo, B.; Gusakov, Y.; Gutierrez, A.; Gutierrez, P.; Guttman, N.; Gutzwiller, O.; Guyot, C.; Gwenlan, C.; Gwilliam, C. B.; Haas, A.; Haas, S.; Haber, C.; Hadavand, H. K.; Hadley, D. R.; Haefner, P.; Haider, S.; Hajduk, Z.; Hakobyan, H.; Haller, J.; Hamacher, K.; Hamilton, A.; Hamilton, S.; Han, L.; Hanagaki, K.; Hance, M.; Handel, C.; Hanke, P.; Hansen, J. R.; Hansen, J. B.; Hansen, J. D.; Hansen, P. H.; Hansson, P.; Hara, K.; Hare, G. A.; Harenberg, T.; Harrington, R. D.; Harris, O. M.; Harrison, K.; Hartert, J.; Hartjes, F.; Harvey, A.; Hasegawa, S.; Hasegawa, Y.; Hassani, S.; Haug, S.; Hauschild, M.; Hauser, R.; Havranek, M.; Hawkes, C. M.; Hawkings, R. J.; Hayakawa, T.; Hayward, H. S.; Haywood, S. J.; Head, S. J.; Hedberg, V.; Heelan, L.; Heim, S.; Heinemann, B.; Heisterkamp, S.; Helary, L.; Heller, M.; Hellman, S.; Helsens, C.; Hemperek, T.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Henke, M.; Henrichs, A.; Correia, A. M. Henriques; Henrot-Versille, S.; Hensel, C.; Henß, T.; Hernández Jiménez, Y.; Hershenhorn, A. D.; Herten, G.; Hertenberger, R.; Hervas, L.; Hessey, N. P.; Higón-Rodriguez, E.; Hill, J. C.; Hiller, K. H.; Hillert, S.; Hillier, S. J.; Hinchliffe, I.; Hines, E.; Hirose, M.; Hirsch, F.; Hirschbuehl, D.; Hobbs, J.; Hod, N.; Hodgkinson, M. C.; Hodgson, P.; Hoecker, A.; Hoeferkamp, M. R.; Hoffman, J.; Hoffmann, D.; Hohlfeld, M.; Holy, T.; Holzbauer, J. L.; Homma, Y.; Horazdovsky, T.; Horn, C.; Horner, S.; Hostachy, J.-Y.; Hou, S.; Hoummada, A.; Howe, T.; Hrivnac, J.; Hryn'ova, T.; Hsu, P. J.; Hsu, S.-C.; Huang, G. S.; Hubacek, Z.; Hubaut, F.; Huegging, F.; Huffman, T. B.; Hughes, E. W.; Hughes, G.; Huhtinen, M.; Hurwitz, M.; Husemann, U.; Huseynov, N.; Huston, J.; Huth, J.; Iacobucci, G.; Iakovidis, G.; Ibragimov, I.; Iconomidou-Fayard, L.; Idarraga, J.; Iengo, P.; Igonkina, O.; Ikegami, Y.; Ikeno, M.; Ilchenko, Y.; Iliadis, D.; Ince, T.; Ioannou, P.; Iodice, M.; Irles Quiles, A.; Ishikawa, A.; Ishino, M.; Ishmukhametov, R.; Isobe, T.; Issever, C.; Istin, S.; Itoh, Y.; Ivashin, A. V.; Iwanski, W.; Iwasaki, H.; Izen, J. M.; Izzo, V.; Jackson, B.; Jackson, J. N.; Jackson, P.; Jaekel, M. R.; Jain, V.; Jakobs, K.; Jakobsen, S.; Jakubek, J.; Jana, D. K.; Jankowski, E.; Jansen, E.; Jantsch, A.; Janus, M.; Jarlskog, G.; Jeanty, L.; Jen-La Plante, I.; Jenni, P.; Jež, P.; Jézéquel, S.; Ji, W.; Jia, J.; Jiang, Y.; Belenguer, M. Jimenez; Jin, S.; Jinnouchi, O.; Joffe, D.; Johansen, M.; Johansson, K. E.; Johansson, P.; Johnert, S.; Johns, K. A.; Jon-And, K.; Jones, G.; Jones, R. W. L.; Jones, T. J.; Jorge, P. M.; Joseph, J.; Juranek, V.; Jussel, P.; Kabachenko, V. V.; Kaci, M.; Kaczmarska, A.; Kado, M.; Kagan, H.; Kagan, M.; Kaiser, S.; Kajomovitz, E.; Kalinin, S.; Kalinovskaya, L. V.; Kama, S.; Kanaya, N.; Kaneda, M.; Kantserov, V. A.; Kanzaki, J.; Kaplan, B.; Kapliy, A.; Kaplon, J.; Kar, D.; Karagounis, M.; Karagoz, M.; Karnevskiy, M.; Kartvelishvili, V.; Karyukhin, A. N.; Kashif, L.; Kasmi, A.; Kass, R. D.; Kastanas, A.; Kataoka, M.; Kataoka, Y.; Katsoufis, E.; Katzy, J.; Kaushik, V.; Kawagoe, K.; Kawamoto, T.; Kawamura, G.; Kayl, M. S.; Kazanin, V. A.; Kazarinov, M. Y.; Keates, J. R.; Keeler, R.; Kehoe, R.; Keil, M.; Kekelidze, G. D.; Kelly, M.; Kenyon, M.; Kepka, O.; Kerschen, N.; Kerševan, B. P.; Kersten, S.; Kessoku, K.; Khakzad, M.; Khalil-Zada, F.; Khandanyan, H.; Khanov, A.; Kharchenko, D.; Khodinov, A.; Khomich, A.; Khoriauli, G.; Khovanskiy, N.; Khovanskiy, V.; Khramov, E.; Khubua, J.; Kim, H.; Kim, M. S.; Kim, P. C.; Kim, S. H.; Kind, O.; King, B. T.; King, M.; Kirk, J.; Kirsch, G. P.; Kirsch, L. E.; Kiryunin, A. 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2011-03-01

Muons from cosmic-ray interactions in the atmosphere provide a high-statistics source of particles that can be used to study the performance and calibration of the ATLAS detector. Cosmic-ray muons can penetrate to the cavern and deposit energy in all detector subsystems. Such events have played an important role in the commissioning of the detector since the start of the installation phase in 2005 and were particularly important for understanding the detector performance in the time prior to the arrival of the first LHC beams. Global cosmic-ray runs were undertaken in both 2008 and 2009 and these data have been used through to the early phases of collision data-taking as a tool for calibration, alignment and detector monitoring. These large datasets have also been used for detector performance studies, including investigations that rely on the combined performance of different subsystems. This paper presents the results of performance studies related to combined tracking, lepton identification and the reconstruction of jets and missing transverse energy. Results are compared to expectations based on a cosmic-ray event generator and a full simulation of the detector response.

Overview of galactic cosmic ray solar modulation in the AMS-02 era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindi, V.; Corti, C.; Consolandi, C.; Hoffman, J.; Whitman, K.

2017-08-01

A new era in cosmic rays physics has started thanks to the precise and continuous observations from space experiments such as PAMELA and AMS-02. Invaluable results are coming out from these new data that are rewriting the theory of acceleration and propagation of cosmic rays. Both at high energies, where several new behaviors have been measured, challenging the accuracy of theoretical models, and also at low energies, in the region affected by the solar modulation. Precise measurements are increasing our knowledge of the effects of solar modulation on low energy cosmic rays, allowing a detailed study of propagation and composition as it has never been done before. These measurements will serve as a high-precision baseline for continued studies of GCR composition, GCR modulation over the solar cycle, space radiation hazards, and other topics. In this review paper, the status of the latest measurements of the cosmic rays in the context of solar modulation are presented together with the current open questions and the future prospects. How new measurements from the AMS-02 experiment will address these questions is also discussed.

Contribution from individual nearby sources to the spectrum of high-energy cosmic-ray electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedrati, R.; Attallah, R.

2014-04-01

In the last few years, very important data on high-energy cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from high-precision space-born and ground-based experiments have attracted a great deal of interest. These particles represent a unique probe for studying local comic-ray accelerators because they lose energy very rapidly. These energy losses reduce the lifetime so drastically that high-energy cosmic-ray electrons can attain the Earth only from rather local astrophysical sources. This work aims at calculating, by means of Monte Carlo simulation, the contribution from some known nearby astrophysical sources to the cosmic-ray electron/positron spectra at high energy (≥ 10 GeV). The background to the electron energy spectrum from distant sources is determined with the help of the GALPROP code. The obtained numerical results are compared with a set of experimental data.