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NASA NTRS2015

The 2014 KCG Meteor Outburst: Clues to a Parent Body

The Kappa Cygnid (KCG) meteor shower exhibited unusually high activity in 2014, producing ten times the typical number of meteors. The shower was detected in both radar and optical systems and meteoroids associated with the outburst spanned at least five decades in mass. In total, the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar, European Network, and NASA All Sky and Southern Ontario Meteor Network produced thousands of KCG meteor trajectories. Using these data, we have undertaken a new and improved characterization of the dynamics of this little-studied, variable meteor shower. The Cygnids have a di use radiant and a significant spread in orbital characteristics, with multiple resonances appearing to play a role in the shower dynamics. We conducted a new search for parent bodies and found that several known asteroids are orbitally similar to the KCGs. N-body simulations show that the two best parent body candidates readily transfer meteoroids to the Earth in recent centuries, but neither produces an exact match to the KCG radiant, velocity, and solar longitude. We nevertheless identify asteroid 2001 MG1 as a promising parent body candidate.

Moorhead, Althea V.↗

NASA NTRS2016

The Mass Index and Total Mass of the Geminid Meteoroid Stream as Found with Radar, Optical, and Lunar Impact Data

The Geminid meteor shower was observed in 2015 using the Western Meteor Physics Group’s Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), Marshall Space Flight Center’s (MSFC) eight wide-field optical cameras, and MSFC’s lunar impact monitoring. These observations allowed Geminid fluxes to be calculated in three unique mass-ranges, from 1.8 (exponent -4) grams to 30 grams. From these fluxes, a mass index of 1.68 plus or minus 0.04 is found, which is in excellent agreement with past Geminid mass indices such as 1.69 found by Blaauw et al using only radar data and 1.7 found by Arlt and Rendtel using visual data. This mass index, however, is found over five orders of magnitude of mass, which allows a higher level of confidence that this mass index holds over a large portion of the stream. Mass indices are an important quantity to be accurately measured for a shower, indicating the distribution of mass in a well-studied stream in which we know the parent body (3200 Phaethon), improving forecasts of the shower activity, and allow fluxes to be scaled to high and low masses. The quantities derived here, along with a profile of the Geminid meteor shower activity in 2015 from CMOR, permit the total Geminid mass the Earth encountered in 2015 to be found, along with a minimum total mass of the Geminid meteoroid stream. Attempts have been made in the past to measure the mass of meteoroid streams using Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) profiles, but here this new and improved treatment uses empirically derived fluxes and measured mass indices for the 2015 encounter with the meteoroid stream. This is to be compared with other meteoroid stream mass estimates including that of the Perseids, caused by comet Swift Tuttle.

Blaauw, R.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Four years of dust particle measurements in cislunar and selenocentric space from Lunar Explorer 35 and OGO 3.

Since July 1967, knowledge concerning the distributions of picogram size particulate matter in selenocentric space has been obtained from the Lunar Explorer 35 dust particle experiment. For almost 40% of the time, the mean sporadic cumulative flux is quite similar to the flux in interplanetary space. However, there are fluctuations of an order of magnitude during major meteor showers. The coincident increase of the flux in selenocentric space during the shower periods has been observed for the fourth year. The 100-picogram sensor does not show an increase during shower times, indicating a mass threshold of less than 100 picograms for particles with velocities equal to or greater than lunar escape velocity. The flux values from Lunar Explorer 35 are compared to other long-lifetime measurements in selenocentric, cislunar and interplanetary space with excellent agreement for masses less than one nanogram.

Alexander, W. M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

The auroral green line in Perseid spectra near sunspot maximum

Thirty-one spectra photographed during the Perseid showers of 1969 and 1970 are found to exhibit greater ionization and stronger, more frequent appearance of the forbidden oxygen line at 5577 A than Perseid spectra obtained with the same instrument in 1961. Data from 13 Perseid showers indicate a relationship between the frequency of occurrence of the oxygen line and solar activity. In 1969-70, near sunspot maximum, the strength of this auroral green line is greatest near shower maximum, as though the nature of the meteoroids were a function of their distance from the core of the stream, or, alternatively, the strength of the green line were a function of the altitude of the radiant.

Russell, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Installation for the study of the angular distribution of cosmic muons with super-high energies at large zenith angles

An installation consisting of an ionization calorimeter and a counter hodoscope can be used to record cascade showers caused by the electromagnetic interactions of muons with superhigh energies in the cosmic ray horizontal flux. The direction of the muons is determined by a hodoscope consisting of 2196 counters. The information obtained makes it possible to restore the angular and energy distribution of the cosmic muons, which, in turn, makes it possible to determine the mechanism of their generation. The accuracy with which the angle of the passing particle is determined is discussed in detail in addition to the causes which can introduce distortions, such as shower accompaniment of neutrons, escape of shower electrons from the calorimeter, random coincidences, etc.

Borog, V. V.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Trajectories and orbits from the NASA-NMSU meteor observatory. I

Reduced trajectory data and orbital elements are reported for 20 double-station meteors photographed at the NASA-NMSU meteor observatory during the winter of 1974/75. The objects photographed include 10 sporadic meteors and 10 members of the Geminid shower. The data for the sporadic meteors indicate that their magnitudes range from 0 to -4, all have eccentricities greater than 0.4, all but three are in direct orbits, and one is probably a member of the Coma Berenicid shower. The elements for the Geminids are obtained using times of appearance chosen by adopting 34.6 km/s as the heliocentric velocity of the shower. The results are compared with previous orbital determinations, and it is concluded that there is no evidence for significant evolution of the Geminid-stream orbit over a period of several decades.

Tedesco, E. F.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Comet Tempel-Tuttle and the Leonid meteors

The distribution of dust surrounding periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle has been mapped by analyzing the associated Leonid meteor shower data over the 902-1969 interval. The majority of dust ejected from the parent comet evolves to a position lagging the comet and outside the comet's orbit. Hence, it appears that radiation pressure and planetary perturbations, rather than ejection processes, control the dynamic evolution of the Leonid particles. Significant Leonid meteor showers are possible roughly 2500 days before or after the parent comet reaches perihelion, but only if the comet passes closer than 0.025 AU inside or 0.010 AU outside the earth's orbit. Although the conditions in 1998-1999 are optimum for a significant Leonid meteor shower, the event is not certain because the dust particle distribution near the comet is far from uniform. The orbit of comet Tempel-Tuttle has been redetermined for the 1366-1966 observed interval.

Yeomans, D. K.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Search for ultra high energy gamma-rays from various sources

The hypothesis that there exists an excess of showers from the Galactic plane on the level 1 to 2% at energies just above 10 to the 16th power eV is explored. The excess shower from the Galactic plane seems to be very similar in properties to excess showers from the point sources/flat spectrum, deficit of low energy muons. Those facts suggest that the excess from the Galactic plane are probably due to summing up of the contribution from individual point sources. That in turn suggest that those sources are rather numerous.

Dzikowski, T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Estimation of composition of cosmic rays with E sub zero approximately equals 10(17) - 10(18) eV

Fluctuations of the shower maximum depth obtained from analysis of electron and muon fluctuations and the extensive air showers (EAS) Cerenkov light on the Yakutsk array data and data of other arrays are considered. On the basis of these the estimation of composition of primaries with E sub 0 = 5.10 to the 17th power eV is received. Estimation of gamma-quanta flux with E sub 0 10 to the 17th power eV is given on the poor-muon showers.

Glushkov, A. V.↗

NASA NTRS1985

All particle energy spectrum of cosmic rays in 10 to the 15th power - 10 to the 20th power eV region

Average estimations of the shower energy components are presented and their sum gives E sub 0 (Rho sub 600) - an average function of the relation of E sub 0 with the shower size parameter Rho sub 600 measured at the Yakutsk extensive air showers (EAS) array. Using this relation to the EAS spectrum obtained at the Akeno and Yakutsk arrays the energy spectrum of the cosmic ray total flux within 15 lg (E sub 0,eV) 20 by the EAS methods is recovered.

Krasilnikov, D. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

EAS Cerenkov measurements of the composition of the cosmic ray flux around 10 to the 16th power eV

Information can be obtained about the nature of a primary cosmic ray by looking at the way in which an extensive air shower (EAS) develops in the atmosphere. Heavy nuclei give rise to showers that develop high in the atmosphere and the depth of maximum development is subjected to much smaller fluctuations than is the case for showers originating from protons. This development is followed by optical methods based on the observations of Cerenkov light or fluorescence light. The Cerenkov observations have two complementary techniques: measurement of the time profile of the Cerenkov pulse with resolution of a few nanoseconds and measurement of the lateral distribution of the Cerenkov light. In each case the measured quantities must be related to some characteristic development parameters.

Dawson, B. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Anisotropy of cosmic rays of energy 10 (15) eV to 10 (17) eV observed at Akeno

Anisotropy of cosmic rays is studied with extensive air showers (EAS) data by muon trigger. The present results support those obtained by electron trigger which suggest the significant anisotropy of second harmonics with phase around 100 deg in right ascension for showers of 10 to the 16th power - 10 to the 17th power eV, and predominant arrival direction of 230 deg in right ascension for muon-rich showers. It seems that the phase of the first harmonics in the energy range below 10 to the 11th power eV is about 300 deg in right ascension and the second harmonics near 6 x 10 to the 14th power eV is statistically significant with an amplitude of 0.39 + or - 0.13% in direction of 83 + or - 10 deg in right ascension.

Kifune, T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

A method to improve observations of gamma-ray sources near 10 (15) eV

Now that sources of gamma rays near 10 to the 15th power eV have been identified, there is a need for telescopes which can study in detail the high energy gamma ray emissions from these sources. The capabilities of a Cerenkov detector which can track a source at large zenith angle (small elevation angle) are analyzed. Because the observed showers must then develop far from the detector, the effective detection area is very large. During a single half-hour hot phase of Cygnus X-3, for example, it may be possible to detect 45 signal showers compared with 10 background showers. Time structure within the hot phase may then be discernible. The precise capabilities of the detector depend on its mirror size, angular acceptance, electronic speed, coincidence properties, etc. Calculations are presented for one feasible design using mirrors of an improved Fly's Eye type.

Sommers, P.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Angular Resolution of an EAS Array for Gamma Ray Astronomy at Energies Greater Than 5 x 10 (13) Ev

A 24 detector extensive air shower array is being operated at Ootacamund (2300 m altitude, 11.4 deg N latitude) in southern India for a study of arrival directions of showers of energies greater than 5 x 10 to the 13th power eV. Various configurations of the array of detectors have been used to estimate the accuracy in determination of arrival angle of showers with such an array. These studies show that it is possible to achieve an angular resolution of better than 2 deg with the Ooty array for search for point sources of Cosmic gamma rays at energies above 5 x 10 to the 13th power eV.

Apte, A. R.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Mini-clusters

Experimental results of mini-clusters observed in Chacaltaya emulsion chamber no.19 are summarized. The study was made on 54 single core shower upper and 91 shower clusters of E(gamma) 10 TeV from 30 families which are visible energy greater than 80 TeV and penetrate through both upper and lower detectors of the two-story chamber. The association of hadrons in mini-cluster is made clear from their penetrative nature and microscopic observation of shower continuation in lower chamber. Small P sub t (gamma) of hadrons in mini-clusters remained in puzzle.

Chinellato, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

LPM effect and primary energy estimations

The distortion of the electron cascade development under LPM effects is now admitted; it consists of an increase of depth of showers origin, of shower maximum T sum max, a decrease of the number of particles at maximum N sub max and results in a flattening and a widening of the cascade transition curve. Connected with the influence of multiple Coulomb scattering on basic electromagnetic processes (bremsstrahlung, pair production), this effect appears at high energy with a threshold dependent on the density of the medium (more than 10 TeV for lead, more than 10 sup 6 TeV in air). Consequently, the electromagnetic components of hadron induced showers in lead and EAS in air calculated for the same hadronic cascades in the different alternative, including or not the LPM effect are examined here.

Bourdeau, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Sensitivity of depth of maximum and absorption depth of EAS to hadron production mechanism

Comparison of experimental data on depth of extensive air showers (EAS) development maximum in the atmosphere, T sub M and path of absorption, lambda, in the lower atmosphere of EAS with fixed particle number in the energy region eV with the results of calculation show that these parameters are sensitive mainly to the inelastic interaction cross section and scaling violation in the fragmentation and pionization region. The data are explained in a unified manner within the framework of a model in which scaling is violated slightly in the fragmentation region and strongly in the pionization region at primary cosmic rays composition close to the normal one and a permanent increase of inelastic interaction cross section. It is shown that, while interpreting the experimental data, disregard of two methodical points causes a systematic shift in T sub M: (1) shower selection system; and (2) EAS electron lateral distribution when performing the calculations on basis of which the transfer is made from the Cerenkov pulse FWHM to the depth of shower maximum, T sub M.

Antonov, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Measurement of energy muons in EAS at energy region larger thean 10(17) eV

A measurement of low energy muons in extensive air showers (EAS) (threshold energies are 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.38 GeV) was carried out. The density under the concrete shielding equivalent to 0.25 GeV at core distance less than 500 m and 0.5 GeV less than 150 m suffers contamination of electromagnetic components. Therefore the thickness of concrete shielding for muon detectors for the giant air shower array is determined to be 0.5 GeV equivalence. Effects of photoproduced muons are found to be negligible in the examined ranges of shower sizes and core distances. The fluctuation of the muon density in 90 sq m is at most 25% between 200 m and 600 m from the core around 10 to the 17th power eV.

Matsubara, Y.↗