GRIF-1 experiment on board the SPEKTR/MIR orbital complex: Study of solar X-ray,gamma-ray,and neutron flares and correlation of magnetosphere-charged particle fluxes with solar activity

The SPEKTR module of the MIR orbital station was launched in May 1995. The multipurpose experiment was based on the GRIF-1 research complex consisting of an oriented X-ray spectrometer, a spectrometer of gamma-quanta and neutrons, a spectrometer of electrons and protons with a large geometrical factor, and a spectrometer of electrons, protons, and nuclei with a small geometrical factor. The solar geophysical aspects of the experiment included the measurements of spectral and temporal parameters of solar hard electromagnetic (0.01–50 MeV) and neutron (>20 MзB) radiation, the study of spectral, temporal, and spatial characteristics of energetic electrons (0.04–1.5 MeV), protons, and nuclei (1–200 MeV/nucleon) in the circumterrestrial space, as well as the correlations of these parameters with solar activity phenomena.     

Some specific features of the decay of solar energetic-particle events

Most events involving solar particles with energies of several megaelectronvolts exhibit exponential decays. Comparison of the observed characteristic decay times τ_obs with the corresponding values τ_theor obtained within theoretical models taking into account convective transport of particles and their adiabatic deceleration showed that the values of τ_theor, depending on the surrounding plasma parameters, are reasonably close (within 25%) to τ_obs in about 50% cases where the solar wind speed V remains constant.     

About Cosmic Ray Sources in Galaxy

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - In the last two decades the new experimental data on cosmic rays concerning energy spectra in a wide energy range up to 10 $${}^{14}$$ eV, isotropy, ratio of positron...     

Kinetics of isothermal nucleation in a supercooled iron melt

An isothermal kinetic diagram for the beginning of homogeneous nucleation is constructed using the molecular-dynamics model of an instantaneously supercooled iron melt near the icosahedral percolation transition temperature identified with the glass transition temperature T _g . This diagram is compared with the theoretical one calculated using quantitative information obtained by analyzing the kinetics of the initial stage of growth of supercritical nuclei at temperatures higher than T _g . A satisfactory coincidence of the theoretical curve with computer simulation data at temperatures higher than T _g and substantial disagreement with these data below T _g , where crystallization is necessarily preceded by the formation of an icosahedral percolation cluster, demonstrate the substantive influence of an icosahedral substructure on the nucleation rate predicted by the classical theory.     

SIMS investigation of the influence of ultraviolet irradiation on amino acids

Results from studies of radiation damage to matrix molecules of amino acids arginine, tryptophan, and glutamic acid inserted into glycerol are presented. It is shown that as a result of the damaging effects of ultraviolet irradiation, the absolute number of intact molecules falls as the specific concentration of molecule fragments rises.     

Production of intense positron beams at the VEPP-5 injection complex

A source of positrons allowing 5 × 10⁸ positrons accelerated to the energy of 70 MeV to be produced per pulse has been developed. The process of electron-positron pair production in an electromagnetic shower is used for production of positrons. The electromagnetic shower is generated in a tantalum target by a beam of 2 × 10¹⁰ electrons with energy 270 MeV. A high efficiency of positron collection (positron yield Y ≈ 0.1 GeV^?1) is ensured by a unique design of the matching device.