Proton spectrum of the 2005 January 20 solar flare

An extreme solar cosmic ray event broke out on 2005 January 20.Not only is it the most intensive solar energetic particle (SEP) event,with＞100 MeV particles measured by GOES satellite since 1986,but it has been the largest ground level enhancement (GLE) event recorded by the ground-based neutron monitors since 1956.This work presents the solar proton spectra for this event with data obtained by GOES in multiple energy cbannels.These spectra are well fitted by a modified power-law function.The spectral index of around -1 indicates that the January 20 event has a hard energy spectrum.Possible mechanisms for the acceleration of relativistic protons are discussed.     

Comment on the use of GOES solar proton data and spectra in solar proton dose calculations.

There is a need to understand the calibration and response of the GOES solar particle detectors since the GOES data are being used to evaluate high energy solar particle events. We share some of our experience in utilizing these data in the analysis of solar particle ground-level events (GLEs). For the 29 September 1989 event, we have evaluated the solar proton and alpha particle spectral characteristics throughout the event. The results show that the solar cosmic ray spectrum is extremely hard at low energies with the magnitude of the slope increasing with increasing energy and with time.     

Charge states of heavy ions, as determined from the parameters of solar energetic particle spectra

The charge states of He, C, O, and Fe ions are determined for 51 gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events of solar cycle 23 using the parameters of the particle energy spectra consisting of two power-law regions separated by the so-called knee. Experimental data from the GOES satellites (protons) and ULEIS (all particles) and SIS (H, C, O, Fe ions) instruments are employed. The charge states of the heavy ions are found to be independent of the SEP event magnitude and particle energy (in the interval of 0.3 to 30 MeV/nucleon).     

Spectral peculiarities of high energy X-ray radiation,gamma radiation,and Submillimeter radio emission in the impulsive phase of a solar flare

We analyze experimental data on the temporal behavior of fluxes and energy spectra of hard solar X-ray and gamma radiation in the energy range of 0.015 to 300 MeV, obtained onboard the CORONAS-F satellite during a solar flare on August 25, 2001. These data are compared with measurements of the radio emission fluxes over the wide frequency range of 1–405 GHz. For our analysis, we use data obtained onboard the YOHKOH, TRACE and GOES satellites, along with ground-based observations of this solar event using the Solar Submillimeter Telescope (SST; Argentina). For the first time, we find nearly simultaneous changes in the energy spectra of gamma radiation over the range 10–150 MeV and the frequency spectrum of radio emission at the beginning and during a impulsive phase of this event (whose duration did not exceed three minutes).     

Detailed comparison of observed dose-time profile of October 19-20, 1989 SPE on Mir with model calculations.

The dose rate dynamics of the October 19-20, 1989 solar energetic particle (SPE) event as observed by the Liulin instrument onboard the Mir orbital station was analyzed in light of new calculations of the geomagnetic cutoff and improved estimates of the >100 MeV energy spectra from the GOES satellite instrument. The new calculations were performed using the as-flown Mir orbital trajectory and includes time variations of the cutoff rigidity due to changes in the Kp index. Although the agreement of total event integrated calculated dose to the measured dose is good, it results from some measured dose-time profile being higher and some lower than model calculations. They point to the need to include the diurnal variation of the geomagnetic cutoff and modifications of the cutoffs to variations in Kp in model calculations. Understanding of such events in light of the upcoming construction of the International Space Station during the period of maximum solar activity needs to be vigorously pursued.     

Comparison of the SPE model with proton and heavy ion data.

Proton data from the GOES 6 and 7 satellites and heavy ion data from the IMP-8 satellite have been compared to the expected results of Nymmik's new model for solar particle event fluences. This model calculates the energy spectra of ions for protons through nickel for solar particle events, based upon the observed proton integral fluence above 30 MeV. Based upon 27 observed proton events of solar cycle 22, and three large historical events, with integral fluences above 30 MeV of greater than 10(6) particles/cm2, a reasonable agreement with model predictions is seen for more than half of the events. However, several events show a marked departure from the model predictions, leading to the conclusion that there may exist more than a single class of event, or that it may be necessary to include additional parameters within the model, such as solar disk position of the source flare, or height of disturbance in the solar corona. Data for heavy ions, (oxygen and iron), were limited to a total of six solar particle events, of which only two occurred in solar cycle 22. The agreement between data and the model predictions appeared to be quite good, however this agreement was sensitively dependent upon the value taken for the proton fluence above 30 MeV.     

Derivation of relativistic solar cosmic-ray spectra from the Baksan EAS array data

Fifteen increases in the intensity of solar cosmic rays (SCRs) from 30 investigated ground level enhancement (GLE) events have detected by Baksan EAS arrays in the period from 1981 until now. These data make it possible to refine the high-energy part of the SCR spectra calculated previously according to the data of the world-wide network of neutron monitors. A method for obtaining SCR spectra and calculating the specific yield functions for the Andyrchi, Carpet, and BMD Baksan arrays is briefly described. The SCR spectra for different instants in the GLE event of January 20, 2005 are presented.     

Inflections (knees) in wide-range spectra of solar energetic protons and heavy ions: Their form,parameters, and regularities

An analysis of fluences of solar cosmic rays (SCRs), measured by the ACE (ULEIS, SIS) and GOES satellites for 1998–2006 over the wide energy range of 0.05 to 500 MeV/nucleon, is performed. It is shown that the energy spectra of the fluences have two sections described by power functions of the energy per nucleon: a hard spectrum at low energies (E < 1–10 MeV/nucleon) and a soft spectrum at high energies (E > 10–30 MeV/nucleon). The main regularities inherent to the parameters of the spectra of different particles are determined.     

Observation of the 2005 January 20 GLE Event Using Yangbajing Solar Neutron Telescope & Neutron Monitor

A solar cosmic rays Ground Level Enhancement(GLE) event associated with a X7.1/2b solar flare in 2005 January 20 was observed by the Yangbajing solar neutron telescope(SNT) and neutron monitor(NM), located at Yangbajing Tibet(90.53°E, 30.11°N, 4310m a.s.l) with the highest vertical geomagnetic cut-off rigidity of 14.1GV in NM network. The statistical significance of the counting rate enhancement recorded by solar neutron telescope in >40MeV channel was 3.7σ in the time window of 07:00—07:05UT and 6.0σ in the time window of 07:00—07:20UT, respectively. The onset time of 06:51—06:52UT for this GLE event was clearly observed by the Yangbajing NM. Our observation indicates that solar protons have been accelerated up to energies of >10GeV during this solar event.     

Evaluation of the energy spectrum of solar protons according to the balloon measurement data and Monte Carlo simulation

The method for evaluating the energy spectra of solar protons at the boundary of the Earth’s atmosphere according to the data of balloon measurements carried out at the Lebedev Institute of Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the results of Monte Carlo simulation of the processes of proton interaction in the Earth’s atmosphere has been developed. The balloon measurements during solar proton events make it possible to determine the absorption spectra of solar cosmic rays in the atmosphere. Comparison of the experimental data with the results of the simulation of propagation of solar protons (E _p = 10 MeV-10 GeV) in the atmosphere, based on GEANT-4, allows determination of the energy spectra of solar protons at the atmospheric boundary. The results of the determination of the energy spectra of solar protons in a number of solar proton events in the current (23th) solar activity cycle are reported.     

Cosmic ray variations recorded by the CARPET facility on March 7, 2011

The CARPET cosmic ray detector was installed in 2006 in the Argentinean Andes at an altitude of 2550 m at the El Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO) in San Juan, Argentina (S31.8, W69.3; R _c = 9.659.65 GV). This instrument was developed at the Lebedev Physical Institute (LPI) in Russia as part of an international collaboration between the LPI, Brazil’s Mackenzie Center for Radioastronomy and Astrophysics (CRAAM), and the CASLEO. This work presents the results from analyzing variations in cosmic ray intensity recorded by the CARPET facility during the solar proton event of March 7, 2011. Also used in our analysis were the experimental data obtained by the GOES, FERMI, and ISS spacecraft during this solar event.     

Single event upsets of spacecraft microelectronics exposed to solar cosmic rays

The technique for evaluating the SEU rate induced by solar particle incidence on spacecraft microelectronics is described, including the contributions from the primary (heavy ion-induced) and secondary (proton-induced) SEU mechanisms. The technique is based on original computational models for solar particle energy spectra and for SEU occurrence in electronics. The technique was used to analyze the data of the TDRS-1 Fairchild 93L422 IC exposed to protons and ions during the solar cosmic ray event of September–October 1989. The analysis included the distribution of the microcircuit shielding. A strong dependence of solar proton-to-ion ratio on the shielding thickness was indicated by the calculations.     

A source of solar protons: The temperature of flare plasma and injection moments

The relationship between injection moments of solar protons of ∼100 MeV in the heliosphere and the temperature of flare plasma in six long events of the 23d cycle is considered. Injection moments are evaluated by the arrival time of first protons to an observer in the ecliptic plane (GOES), and the temperature is assessed by the ratio of X-ray intensities in two energy channels of GOES. The temperature of the flare plasma depends on the efficiency of heating (the spectrum of accelerated electrons and properties of the target) and cooling. Time profiles of gamma radiation and moments of particle injection into the heliosphere in the ecliptic plane indicate that the acceleration of particles with the most rigid spectrum can occur under different physical conditions, i.e., during a temperature increase or decline. The phase of a temperature decline corresponds to the increase in the altitude of the acceleration region (for a coronal source) and a reduction in plasma density. At this time, the intensity of gamma radiation is usually below the threshold of modern detectors.     

Measurement of the cosmic-ray antiproton spectrum at solar minimum with a long-duration balloon flight over antarctica

The energy spectrum of cosmic-ray antiprotons (p's) from 0.17 to 3.5 GeV has been measured using 7886 p's detected by BESS-Polar II during a long-duration flight over Antarctica near solar minimum in December 2007 and January 2008. This shows good consistency with secondary p calculations. Cosmologically primary p's have been investigated by comparing measured and calculated p spectra. BESS-Polar II data show no evidence of primary p's from the evaporation of primordial black holes.     

Implications for space radiation environment models from CREAM & CREDO measurements over half a solar cycle.

Flight data obtained between 1990 and 1997 from the Cosmic Radiation Environment Monitors CREAM & CREDO carried on UoSAT-3, Space Shuttle, STRV-1a (Space Technology Research Vehicle) and APEX (Advanced Photovoltaic and Electronics Experiment Spacecraft) provide coverage over half a solar cycle. The modulation of cosmic rays and evolution of the South Atlantic Anomaly are observed, the former comprising a factor of three increase at high latitudes and the latter a general increase accompanied by a north-westward drift. Comparison of particle fluxes and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra is made with improved environment & radiation transport calculations which account for shield distributions and secondary particles. While there is an encouraging convergence between predictions and observations, significant improvements are still required, particularly in the treatment of locally produced secondary particles. Solar-particle events during this time period have LET spectra significantly below the October 1989 event which has been proposed as a worst case model.     

Probabilistic model for fluences and peak fluxes of solar energetic particles.

The model is intended for calculating the probability for solar energetic particles (SEP), i.e., protons and Z=2-28 ions, to have an effect on hardware and on biological and other objects in the space. The model describes the probability for the > or = 10 MeV/nucleon SEP fluences and peak fluxes to occur in the near-Earth space beyond the Earth magnetosphere under varying solar activity. The physical prerequisites of the model are as follows. 1. The occurrence of SEP is a probabilistic process. 2. The mean SEP occurrence frequency is a power-law function of solar activity (sunspot number). 3. The SEP size (taken to be the > or = 30 MeV proton fluence size) distribution is a power-law function within a 10(5)-10(11) proton/cm2 range. 4. The SEP event particle energy spectra are described by a common function whose parameters are distributed log-normally. 5. The SEP mean composition is energy-dependent and suffers fluctuations described by log-normal functions in separate events.     

IMP-8 observations of the spectra, composition, and variability of solar heavy ions at high energies relevant to manned space missions.

In more than 25 years of almost continuous observations, the University of Chicago's Cosmic Ray Telescope (CRT) on IMP-8 has amassed a unique database on high-energy solar heavy ions of potential relevance to manned spaceflight. In the very largest particle events, IMP-8/CRT has even observed solar Fe ions above the Galactic cosmic ray background up to approximately 800 MeV/nucleon, an energy sufficiently high to penetrate nearly 25 g/cm2 of shielding. IMP-8/CRT observations show that high-energy heavy-ion spectra are often surprisingly hard power laws, without the exponential roll-offs suggested by stochastic acceleration fits to lower energy measurements alone. Also, in many solar particle events the Fe/O ratio grows with increasing energy, contrary to the notion that ions with higher mass-to-charge ratios should be less abundant at higher energies. Previous studies of radiation hazards for manned spaceflight have often assumed heavy-ion composition and steeply-falling energy spectra inconsistent with these observations. Conclusions based on such studies should therefore be re-assessed. The significant event-to-event variability observed in the high-energy solar heavy ions also has important implications for strategies in building probabilistic models of solar particle radiation hazards.     

The ACE-FTS atlas of the infrared solar spectrum

The ACE-FTS is a space-borne Fourier transform spectrometer onboard SCISAT-1. The satellite was launched in August 2003 and since February 2004 the ACE-FTS has been performing solar occultation measurements in order to infer the chemical composition of the terrestrial atmosphere. The individual spectra recorded at the highest limb tangent altitudes (above 160 km) are by definition “high sun” spectra and contain no atmospheric contribution. In this work, an empirical solar spectrum covering the 700 to 4430 cm⁻¹ spectral range has been constructed from an average of 224,782 individual ACE-FTS solar spectra. Line assignments have been made for about 12,000 lines. The spectrum and two line lists are provided in the supplemental material attached to this work. Due to the excellent noise level achieved in the ACE-FTS solar atlas presented here, numerous weak absorption features are assigned which were not detectable in the ATMOS solar observations.     

Solar neutrons and entropy criterion

The start times of solar X-ray flares of class higher than M1, recorded at the GOES satellite, were superimposed on the time series of experimental data obtained at the high-altitude Alma-Ata neutron monitor during 1976–2005. A search for direct solar neutrons by means of the entropy criterion has been performed in the vicinity of the start times of X-ray flares in the monitor data and a statistically significant effect has been found.     

Interoccurrence times in the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile model: a comparison with the observed statistics of solar flares

A sequence of bursts observed in an intermittent time series may be caused by a single avalanche, even though these bursts appear as distinct events when noise and/or instrument resolution impose a detection threshold. In the Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld sandpile, the statistics of quiet times between bursts switches from Poissonian to scale invariant on raising the threshold for detecting instantaneous activity, since each zero-threshold avalanche breaks into a hierarchy of correlated bursts. Calibrating the model with the time resolution of GOES data, qualitative agreement with the interoccurrence time statistics of solar flares at different intensity thresholds is found.