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NASA NTRS1978

Effects of particle drift on cosmic ray transport. II - Analytical solution to the modulation problem with no latitudinal diffusion

An analytical solution to a model of the modulation of galactic cosmic rays in the presence of particle drifts is presented and discussed. The solution assumes an energy-independent radial diffusion coefficient proportional to distance and no latitudinal diffusion, and includes energy-independent particle drift velocities similar to those expected in a Parker spiral magnetic field with an equatorial current sheet. The solutions clearly demonstrate the large effects of drifts on the modulated cosmic-ray intensity. For values of the radial diffusion coefficient and particle drift velocity which are plausible for 1-GV-rigidity protons, the logarithmic radial gradient in the inner solar system is reduced by more than a factor of 5 over the value calculated in the absence of drifts. It is found that even for much smaller values of particle drift velocity and radial diffusion coefficient, such as might be expected for protons with energies of the order of 10 MeV, the effects of the drifts can be substantial.

Isenberg, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Neutral particle background in cosmic ray telescopes composed of silicon solid state detectors

The energy loss-spectrum of secondary charged particles produced by the interaction of gamma-rays and energetic neutrons in silicon solid state detectors has been measured with a satellite-borne cosmic ray telescope. In the satellite measurements presented here two distinct neutral background effects are identified: secondary protons and alpha particles with energies of about 2 to 100 MeV produced by neutron interactions, and secondary electrons with energies of about 0.2 to 10 MeV produced by X-ray interactions. The implications of this neutral background for satellite measurements of low energy cosmic rays are discussed, and suggestions are given for applying these results to other detector systems in order to estimate background contamination and optimize detector system design.

Mewaldt, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The cosmic ray record in the San Juan Capistrano meteorite

Measurements of cosmic ray track densities, rare gas concentrations, and radioisotope activities on the same sample of the San Juan Capistrano (SJC) meteorite (March 15, 1973) were combined in order to obtain a consistent picture of the irradiation history of the meteorite. The latter was recovered in two fragments weighing 50.5 and 5.5 g, respectively, which were then sampled according to the objectives set forward. The preatmospheric size of SJC and the depth occupied by the sample in the preatmospheric body were determined within narrow limits. In addition, the study compared estimates of the cosmic ray exposure age as determined by various techniques and evaluated the amount of ablation undergone when SJC penetrated the earth's atmosphere.

Finkel, R. C.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The isotopic composition of cosmic-ray helium from 123 to 279 MeV per nucleon - A new measurement and analysis

A description is given of an experiment which was designed to measure the spectra and composition of cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium isotopes in the interval 120-280 MeV per nucleon to compare with the recent values observed at low energies and also with the only earlier measurement in this high-energy regime. The results presented were obtained during a high-altitude balloon flight from Thompson, Manitoba, in 1973 August. This flight occurred during the period in which the presence of the anomalous component in the helium spectrum became apparent, and provides the opportunity of determining whether this component extends to higher energies than those studied by satellite experiments. The results place an upper limit on the flux of 'anomalous' He-4 (which appeared at low energy in 1972) of at most 15% in the energy range of this experiment, and combined with the low-energy observations of the Chicago group, show an energy dependence of the average ratio of the helium isotopes in the modulated cosmic rays which is difficult to reconcile with current modulation models.

Leech, H. W.↗

NASA NTRS1977

A hard X-ray imaging instrument for solar and cosmic sources

A hard X-ray imaging instrument is described which is capable of high-resolution imaging of solar and cosmic hard X-ray sources between 2 and 80 keV during Shuttle sortie flights. The properties of solar burst sources and the resulting instrument requirements are discussed. The instrument envelope of 1.2 x 1.2 x 3.0 meters includes a tungsten multigrid collimator which has 4-arcsec resolution, a 40-arcmin response envelope and a point-source effective area of 26 sq cm. A combination of periodic fan beams and nonperiodic pencil beams enables a unique deconvolution to be achieved within a 128 x 128 arcsec field without mechanical scanning. The detector system is a set of direct-readout 40 atm-cm xenon-filled proportional counters designed to minimize background. The instrument is capable of refurbishment to optimize the collimator configuration for specific solar or cosmic scientific objectives, to upgrade the angular resolution, or to extend the high-energy response.

Hurford, G. J.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Ames collaborative study of cosmic ray neutrons - Mid-latitude flights

Three aircraft flights at 12.5 km have yielded data on cosmic-ray neutron-flux densities, neutron dose equivalent rates, and exposure rates for ionizing radiation. The data, collected at 45, 38, and 48 degrees N, indicate: (1) neutron dose equivalent rates of 0.20, 0.14, and 0.22 mrem/hour, (2) exposure rates from the ionizing component of 0.37, 0.31, and 0.41 mR/hour, (3) that the dose equivalent from 3-13-MeV neutrons is 30% of the total for all neutrons, (4) that exposure rates decrease exponentially with decreasing pressure altitude with a 140 g/sq cm attenuation length at 43 degrees N geomagnetic latitude, and (5) that the ionizing component of cosmic ray secondaries is less sensitive to latitude changes than the neutron component.

Hewitt, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

ISEE-C HKH high energy cosmic rays

The paper describes the ISEE-C multidetector cosmic ray telescope experiment. The HKH particle identifier sensor array is designed to identify the charge and mass of incident cosmic ray nuclei from H-1 to Ni-64 over the energy range of approximately 20 to 500 MeV/nucleon. Particle identification is based on the multiple energy loss technique. The scientific aspects of the experiment are briefly reviewed and consideration is given to the flight hardware, including sensors, event encoding, buffer memory, redundancy and commandability, and packaging.

Greiner, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1978

A measurement of cosmic-ray beryllium isotopes from 200 to 1500 MeV per nucleon

A balloon-borne superconducting magnetic spectrometer was used in the measurement of cosmic-ray isotopic abundances from lithium through oxygen in the energy range 200-1500 MeV per nucleon. Except for Be-7 all isotopic composition is essentially energy-independent. Be-10 is nearly absent, indicating a mean cosmic-ray age of 6(-3, +10) x 10 to the 6th years. Above about 500 MeV per nucleon, Be-7 drops dramatically in abundance relative to Be-9 and C. By 1500 MeV per nucleon, the relative abundance of Be-7 has become one-half of its lower-energy value. Since Be-7 is the only isotope measured which decays by electron capture, this result is interpreted as indicating that higher-energy Be-7 had an appreciable probability of not being stripped of all its electrons before entering interstellar space where electron pickup is negligible.

Buffington, A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Abundances and spectra for cosmic-ray nuclei from lithium to iron for 2 to 150 GeV per nucleon

Measurements of primary cosmic-ray composition and energy spectra made with a balloon-borne superconducting magnetic spectrometer are described. Results for both 6.7 g/sq cm equivalent vertical atmospheric depth and the top of the atmosphere are presented for the absolute and relative integral abundances, the differential energy spectra, and the spectral indices for cosmic-ray nuclei from Li to Fe and energies of 2 to 50 GeV/n. It is found that propagation effects can explain essentially all the elemental abundances, that the abundances of Li, Be, and B for rigidities below 10 GV/c are consistent with an energy-independent mean interstellar path length of 4.5 + or - 0.5 g/sq cm for the 'leaky box' propagation model, that the abundances of all elements above 10 GV/c are consistent with a path length that decreases as the inverse n-th power of rigidity, and that n equals 0.6 (+0.4, -0.3) for the simplest assumptions made in fitting the source spectra.

Orth, C. D.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The charge and energy spectra of heavy cosmic-ray nuclei

A charged-particle detector array flown on a high-altitude balloon has detected and measured some 30,000 cosmic-ray nuclei with Z of at least 12. The charge spectrum at the top of the atmosphere for nuclei with energies greater than 650 MeV/n and the energy spectrum for energies between 650 and 1800 MeV/n are reported and compared with previously published results. The charge spectrum at the 'source' of cosmic rays is deduced from these data and compared with a recent compilation of 'galactic' abundances.

Scarlett, W. R.↗

NASA NTRS1979

The energy spectrum of cosmic ray electrons between 9 and 300 GeV

The high-energy cosmic-ray electron spectrum between 9 and 300 GeV has been measured using an instrument consisting of a combination of a transition-radiation detector and a shower detector. The instrument has been calibrated at accelerators over the energy range 5-300 GeV and has been exposed in a balloon flight for 9.3 sq m sr hr. The design of the instrument and the data analysis procedures are described. It is found that the electron spectrum is significantly steeper than the proton spectrum. If the spectrum is fitted to a single power law, a spectral index of 3.35 is obtained. This suggests the influence of radiative energy losses on galactic electrons at low energies. The results are interpreted in the context of the homogeneous model for galactic cosmic rays.

Prince, T. A.↗

NASA NTRS1979

An instrument to measure the spectrum of cosmic ray iron and other nuclei to above 100 GeV/nucleon

A balloon-borne instrument system for the study of cosmic ray composition in the energy region beyond 100 GeV/nucleon is described. The large area detector incorporates an ionization spectrometer or calorimeter to determine the energy of the incident particles which is calibrated in flight by a gas Cerenkov counter filled with freon 12 at 20 psi. Calibration of calorimeter response indicates that the effects of ionization energy loss and nucleon fragmentation are correctly accounted for in a Monte Carlo simulation. A charge measuring module consisting of five scintillators and a lucite Cerenkov counter is used to determine the charge and position of the incoming particles. A spatial resolution of 5 to 10 cm has been obtained by using the ratios of pulse heights in different photomultiplier tubes aimed at the same scintillators within the module. The detector represents the heaviest cosmic ray experiment that can be flown over 30 km using the dynamic launching technique commonly employed.

Arens, J. F.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The relative abundances of the elements silicon through nickel in the low energy galactic cosmic rays

Measurements of the relative abundances of the elements Si through Ni in galactic cosmic rays in the energy interval 72 to 450 MeV/nucleon are reported based on data collected by a cosmic-ray telescope on the IMP 8 satellite. The measured abundances are compared with propagation calculations using various distributions of path lengths. It is found that the measurements favor an exponential distribution of path lengths truncated at short path lengths. The source abundances of Si, Ca, Fe, and Ni derived by extrapolating the measured abundances back to the source are shown to be comparable to the solar-system abundances. The relevance of the measurements of Sc through Mn to the Mn-54 radioactive decay is examined.

Garcia-Munoz, M.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Cosmic ray electrons - A discussion of recent observations

A recent measurement of the spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons has provided statistically significant evidence for a spectral shape that is much steeper than that of protons. The electron spectrum does not fit well to a single power law, and the abundance of electrons relative to that of protons decreases from approximately 1% at 10 GeV to approximately 0.1% at 300 GeV. This result is consistent with a galactic escape lifetime for electrons exceeding 10 million years. The data are discussed in light of current models for the propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy, and conclusions are drawn concerning the consistency of various models with the observations.

Mueller, D.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Cosmic ray intensity gradients in the outer solar system measured by Pioneer 10 and 11

Earlier results are extended to include data from Pioneer 10 to a radial range of 11.3 AU, and from Pioneer 11 inward from 5 AU to 3.75 AU after Jupiter encounter, and to a maximum heliographic latitude of 17 deg. The data include the period from March 1972 through October 1976, during which time the neutron monitor cosmic ray intensity was, except for a few significant excursions, near solar minimum level. It is shown that the radial gradients of all particle species considered are small and positive throughout the period of study. On a shorter time scale, the data indicate transient decreases in the value of the differential gradient associated with major decreases in the cosmic ray intensity in the inner solar system. The observations are consistent with a modulating region whose radius is large compared to 11 AU. The 'anomalous' helium component, present since 1972 at earth orbit, is observed continuously at all radial distances.

Mckibben, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The response of an RC line MWPC to primary cosmic rays

A simple 50 x 50 sq cm MWPC plane was arranged as an RC-line and flown on a balloon flight with the MSFC-UAH Cosmic Ray experiment. Positions of primary cosmic ray tracks in the RC-line were determined by the risetime method and compared with the expected position as indicated by a best line fitted through four planes of the conventional MWPC hodoscope. Mean errors were estimated for sea-level muons, and CNO group and iron group particles. It is believed that the delta-rays accompanying the primaries degraded the position resolution. Measured standard deviations allowing for uncertainty in the true track position are of the order of 1 cm or less in the primary charge region between 7 and 26.

Gregory, J. C.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Effects of secondary electrons from heavy primary cosmic rays in a MWPC hodoscope

A multi-wire proportional counter hodoscope, efficient for both primary track recovery and reading out all wires set by secondary electrons, was flown in a balloon flight experiment covering the range of cosmic ray charge from 4 to 28 and kinetic energy T greater than 0.5 GeV/nucleon. Data on the secondary electron effects in the hodoscope is presented for primary nuclei between C and Fe and kinetic energies between 0.6 and 7.0 GeV/nucleon. The total number of affected anodes in the hodoscope is seen to increase linearly with the cosmic ray change, with a slope that depends strongly on energy over this limited primary energy range.

Derrickson, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Propagation of a Forbush decrease in cosmic ray intensity to 15.9 AU

By observation of the large Forbush decrease in cosmic-ray intensity of April-May 1978 at heliocentric radial distances of 1.01, 6.97, and 15.91 AU, it is found that the causative magnetized plasma cloud moved outward from the sun at an apparent radial speed of about 960 km/s, independent of radial distance over this range. Recovery from the impulsive decrease in intensity was markedly slower at the larger distances. On the basis of this fact and other considerations, several tentative suggestions are made as to the large-scale nature of Forbush decreases and their relationship to the 11-year solar modulation of galactic cosmic-ray intensity.

Van Allen, J. A.↗