Contribution to the background rate of a satellite X-ray detector by spallation products in a caesium iodide crystal

The energy spectra observed in a CsI crystal in the 20 keV-2 MeV range, due to the decay of radioactive isotopes produced in the crystal by bombardment with 155 MeV protons, are presented as a function of time after irradiation.It is shown that the large number of decay products produced by spallation can account for these spectra and that these spectra are in quantitative agreement with the predictions of a semi-empirical formula due to Rudstam, which gives the numbers of different isotopes produced. This formula is used to predict the spallation that would occur in such a crystal on board a satellite due to cosmic rays and passages through the South Atlantic Anomaly. Inspection shows that the spallation produced in the latter case is well approximated by that at 155 MeV. Hence the experimental results are used to explain previously observed background rates and to predict the background rates that would occur in the U.K.5 X-ray telescope of Imperial College. Using the Rudstam formula an estimate of cosmic ray induced background is also made.The relative importance of activity resulting from neutron interactions (atmospheric albedo and spacecraft secondaries) is considered.It is suggested that the Rudstam formula provides a general method of predicting induced radio-activity in satellite materials and that observed breaks in the diffuse cosmic X-ray spectrum could be due to inadequate allowance for this source of background.     

Low energy atmospheric gamma rays near geomagnetic equator

Based on the results from three balloon flights, made at Hyderabad(7.6°N geomagnetic latitude) using omnidirectional gamma ray spectrometers, the different aspects of the low energy atmospheric gamma rays at equatorial latitudes in the energy interval 100 keV to 1 MeV are investigated and detailed discussion is presented. The energy loss spectrum in this energy range is found to consist of a continuum superimposed on which is a photopeak due to 0.51 MeV line arising from electron positron annihilation. The continuous background spectrum is similar to that observed at mid and high latitudes. The intensity of 0.51 MeV line is estimated to be 0.079 ± 0.01 photons cm⁻² sec⁻¹ at 6 g cm⁻² over Hyderabad and the altitude dependence of its intensity is established for this low latitude station. The latitude effect of the intensity of this line at 6 g cm⁻² is derived for the first time by comparing the results of the present measurements with those available for mid and high latitudes. The contribution of the cosmic gamma rays to the observed count rates at 6 g cm⁻² is shown to be negligible in the case of the omnidirectional spectrometers of the type used in the present observations even for low latitude stations.     

Diffuse cosmic gamma-ray background in the 28 ke V-4.1 MeV range from Kosmos 461 observations

Diffuse cosmic background and atmospheric gamma-radiation in the range 28 keV-4.1 MeV were studied with a scintillation spectrometer on board of the Kosmos 461 satellite. Separation of the cosmic and atmospheric components was made possible through a reliable determination of the geomagnetic dependences of albedo gamma-radiation: The spectrum of diffuse background in the energy range covered cannot be fitted with a common law. At energies below 400 keV the spectrum follows a power-law $$I = (5.6 \pm 0.5) \times 10^{ - 3} E^{ - (2.80 \pm 0.05)} cm^{ - 2} s^{ - 1} sr^{ - 1} MeV^{ - 1} .$$ Starting from 400 keV, this power-law breaks down; the spectrum revealing a clearly pronounced shoulder. Extrapolation of the power-law spectrum to higher energies shows that the gamma-ray component responsible for the change in the shape of the spectrum is quite strong, becoming predominant in the diffuse background in the range 1–100 MeV. The intensity of excess radiation is maximum in the region of 700–800 keV reaching ～1.8×10^?2 cm^?2s^?1sr^?1 MeV^?1. The shape of the high energy component spectrum of the diffuse background constructed using the data of Kosmos 461 and SAS-2 is in agreement with the hypotheses of the cosmological origin of the radiation.     

A study of solar modulation of medium energy primary cosmic ray nuclei

The energy spectra of primary cosmic rays were studied in the energy interval 150 to 450 MeV/nucl by using balloon-borne cellulose-nitrate solid-state plastic detector. Effects of solar modulation were studied using the theoretical spectrum ofH ₁ nuclei near the solar minimum in 1964 as the demodulated spectrum. The ‘force-field’ potential which fit the experimental results was estimated to be 270 MeV/nucl.     

Spectrum of the cosmic X- and gamma ray background in the energy range 1 keV-1 MeV

Available satellite, rocket and balloon observations on cosmic X- and gamma ray background are critically examined to understand the spectral characteristics of the radiation. Appropriate corrections have been applied to the balloon observations to account for the multiple Compton scattering of X-rays in the atmosphere. It is shown that within the experimental uncertainties, all the available observations of cosmic X- and gamma ray background in the energy range 1 keV-1 MeV are consistent with a single spectrum of type $${\text{d}}N/{\text{d}}E = 30 E^{ - 2.0 \pm 0.2} {\text{photons cm}}^{{\text{ - 2}}} {\text{s}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} {\text{sr}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} {\text{keV}}^{{\text{ - 1}}} $$ .     

Spectra of radioactivity induced in caesium iodide scintillator crystals by 155 MeV protons

Previous work has shown the importance of induced radioactivity as a source of background counts in X- and -ray astronomy experiments which use scintillation detectors. Comprehensive data on the decay spectra observed in Caesium Iodide crystals following irradiation by 155 MeV protons has been obtained by the Imperial College group and is presented here. The spectra cover the energy loss range from 20 keV to 3.4 MeV and were collected at times after irradiation ranging from 1 min until 200 d. A sufficient selection of spectra is given to enable calculations to be made of the time variations in radioactivity which would be observed in similar space-borne detectors subjected to irradiation by inner belt and cosmic ray protons. Examples of such calculations are given.     

Cosmic flux of low energy gamma rays

Measurements have been made on the cosmic gamma rays of energy between 0.25 and 4.2 MeV from a balloon experiment made near the geomagnetic equator using a collimated 7.6 cm×7.6 cm NaI(T1) crystal assembly. The depth-intensity curves obtained were used to estimate the contribution due to the diffuse cosmic gamma rays in the above energy interval; an unfolding of the counting rates was then performed to obtain the energy spectrum. It is found that a power law fitted to the present data points has a spectral index of –1.8±0.2. A critical examination is then made of all the observational data between 1 keV and 100 MeV to deduce information on the spectral shape in this energy region. Upper limits on low energy gamma ray fluxes from Sco X-1 and the Galactic centre region are also reported.     

Production of krypton and xenon isotopes in thick stony and iron targets isotropically irradiated with 1600 MeV protons

Abstract— Two spherical targets made of gabbro with a radius of 25 cm and of steel with a radius of 10 cm were irradiated isotropically with 1600 MeV protons at the SATURNE synchrotron at Laboratoire National Saturne (LNS)/CEN Saclay, in order to simulate the production of nuclides in meteorites induced by galactic cosmic‐ray protons in space. These experiments supply depth‐dependent production rate data for a wide range of radioactive and stable isotopes in up to 28 target elements. In this paper, we report results for ⁷⁸Kr, ^80–86Kr isotopes in Rb, Sr, Y and Zr and for ¹²⁴Xe, ¹²⁶Xe, ^128–132Xe, ¹³⁴Xe, ¹³⁶Xe isotopes in Ba and La. Krypton and xenon concentrations have been measured at different depths in the spheres by using conventional mass spectrometry. Based on Monte‐Carlo techniques, theoretical production rates are calculated by folding depth‐dependent spectra of primary and secondary protons and secondary neutrons with the excitation functions of the relevant nuclear reactions. The comparison of the model calculation results with experimental data in the thick target experiments performed at LNS and previously at CERN have allowed adjustments of the poorly known excitation functions of neutron‐induced reactions. Thus, for the two experiments at SATURNE, excellent agreement is obtained between experimental and calculated production rates for most Kr and Xe isotopes in all investigated target elements. Only Xe production in Ba in the gabbro is underestimated by the calculations by ?25%. This work validates the approach of the thin‐target model calculations of cosmogenic nuclide production rates in the attempt of modeling the interaction of galactic cosmic‐ray protons with stony and iron meteorites in space as well as with lunar samples.     

Multi-frequency survey of background radiations of the Universe. The “Cosmological Gene” project. First results

The results of the first stage of the “Cosmological Gene” project of the Russian Academy of Sciences are reported. These results consist in the accumulation of multi-frequency data in 31 frequency channels in the wavelength interval 1–55 cm with maximum achievable statistical sensitivity limited by the noise of background radio sources at all wavelengths exceeding 1.38 cm. The survey region is determined by constraints 00 ^h < RA < 24 ^h and 40°30′ < DEC < 42°30′. The scientific goals of the project are refined in view of recent proposals to use cosmological background radiation data for the development of a unified physical theory. Experimental data obtained with the RATAN-600 radio telescope are used to refine the contribution of the main “screens” located between the observer and the formation epoch of cosmic background radiation (z = 1100). Experimental data for synchrotron radiation and free-free noise on scales that are of interest for the anisotropy of cosmic microwave background are reported as well as the contribution of these noise components in millimeter-wave experiments to be performed in the nearest years. The role of dipole radio emission of fullerene-type dust nanostructures is shown to be small. The most precise estimates of the role of background radio sources with inverted spectra are given and these sources are shown to create no serious interference in experiments. The average spectral indices of the weakest sources of the NVSS and FIRST catalogs are estimated. The “saturation” data for all wavelengths allowed a constraint to be imposed on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich noise (the SZ noise) at all wavelengths, and made it possible to obtain independent estimates of the average sky temperature from sources, substantially weaker than those listed in the NVSS catalog. These estimates are inconsistent with the existence of powerful extragalactic synchrotron background associated with radio sources. Appreciable “quadrupole” anisotropy in is detected in the distribution of the spectral index of the synchrotron radiation of the Galaxy, and this anisotropy should be taken into account when estimating the polarization of the cosmic microwave background on small l. All the results are compared to the results obtained by foreign researchers in recent years.     

Cosmic and Galactic neutrino backgrounds from thermonuclear sources

We estimate energy spectra and fluxes at the Earth’s surface of the cosmic and Galactic neutrino backgrounds produced by thermonuclear reactions in stars. The extra-galactic component is obtained by combining the most recent estimates of the cosmic star formation history and the stellar initial mass function with accurate theoretical predictions of the neutrino yields all over the thermonuclear lifetime of stars of different masses. Models of the structure and evolution of the Milky Way are used to derive maps of the expected flux generated by Galactic sources as a function of sky direction. The predicted neutrino backgrounds depend only slightly on model parameters. In the relevant 50 keV–10 MeV window, the total flux of cosmic neutrinos ranges between 20 and 65 cm⁻² s⁻¹. Neutrinos reaching the Earth today have been typically emitted at redshift z2. Their energy spectrum peaks at E0.1–0.3 MeV. The energy and entropy densities of the cosmic background are negligible with respect to the thermal contribution of relic neutrinos originated in the early universe. In every sky direction, the cosmic background is outnumbered by the Galactic one, whose integrated flux amounts to 300–1000 cm⁻² s⁻¹. The emission from stars in the Galactic disk contributes more than 95% of the signal.     

Observation of the energy spectrum of cosmic diffuse X-rays in the energy range 20 keV-4 MeV

Balloon observations of the cosmic diffuse component of hard X-rays were conducted with two independent directional counters in two energy bands, from 20 keV to 120 keV and from 90 keV to 4 MeV. The build-up effect of primary X-rays and the altitude dependence of atmospheric X-rays were properly taken into account in the analysis of the growth curves. These two experiments gave consistent results in the overlapping energy region. If the differential energy spectrum of the photon flux is represented by a power lawE ^?α, the value of α is 2.3 up to 100 keV, gradually increases to 2.8 at about 500 keV, and decreases to 2.0 thereabove. The spectrum above 300 keV is in parallel to the Apollo-15 spectrum, whereas the absolute intensity is somewhat smaller. The shape of the spectrum suggests the necessity of a multi-component theory on the origin of cosmic diffuse X-rays.     

Cosmogenic activation in germanium and copper for rare event searches

Experiments looking for rare events like the direct detection of dark matter particles or the nuclear Double Beta Decay are operated in deep underground locations, to suppress or very effectively reduce the effect of cosmic rays; but cosmogenic activation produced at sea level in detectors and other materials can become a serious hazard for them. Copper and germanium are very frequently used in this kind of experiments requiring an ultra-low radioactive background and therefore have been chosen as activation targets in this work. First, the excitation functions for relevant induced long-lived radioactive isotopes have been estimated; special care has been taken in using those calculations giving the best agreement with measured production cross-sections and in distinguishing production by neutrons or by protons when relevant and possible. Then, the corresponding rates of production of the nuclides in natural and enriched (86% ⁷⁶Ge and 14% ⁷⁴Ge) germanium and copper have been evaluated considering two different cosmic ray spectra. Comparison of the obtained activation yields at surface with all the known previous results (based either on calculations or experiments) has allowed to draw conclusions on the general methodology for evaluating cosmogenic activation.     

Observations of solar gamma ray continuum between 360 keV and 7 MeV on August 4, 1972

Measurements were made of the time-averaged gamma ray energy loss spectrum in the energy range 360 keV to 7 MeV by the gamma ray detector on the OSO-7 satellite during the 3B flare on August 4, 1972. The differential photon spectrum unfolded from this spectrum after subtracting the background spectrum and contributions from gamma ray lines is best described by a power law with spectral index of 3.4±0.3 between 360–700 keV and by an exponential law of the form exp (-E/E ₀) with E ₀ = 1.0±0.1 MeV above 700 keV. It is suggested that this spectrum is due to nonthermal electron bremsstrahlung from a population of electrons, with a strong break in the spectrum at 2 MeV. Since the observational data indicates that the matter number density must be n _H ? 5 × 10¹⁰ cm^-3 in the production region, the number of electrons above 100 keV required to explain the results is ?2 × 10³⁴.     

Shock acceleration of solar cosmic rays

We investigated the acceleration of solar cosmic rays (SCRs) by the shock waves produced by coronal mass ejections. We performed detailed numerical calculations of the SCR spectra produced during the shock propagation in the solar corona in terms of a model based on the diffusive transport equation using a realistic set of physical parameters for the corona. The resulting SCR energy spectrum N(ε) ∝ ε^?γ exp [? (ε/ε_max)^α] is shown to include a power-law portion with an index γ?2 that ends with an exponential tail with α ? 2.5 ? β, where β is the spectral index of the background Alfvén turbulence. The maximum SCR energy lies within the range ε_max = 1–300 MeV, depending on the shock velocity. Because of the steep spectrum of the SCRs, their backreaction on the shock structure is negligible. The decrease in the Alfvén Mach number of the shock due to the increase in the Alfvén velocity with heliocentric distance r causes the efficient SCR acceleration to terminate when the shock reaches a distance of r = 2–3R_⊙. Since the diffusive SCR propagation in this case is faster than the shock expansion, SCR particles intensively escape from the shock vicinity. A comparison of the calculated SCR fluxes expected near the Earth’s orbit with available experimental data indicates that the theory satisfactorily explains all of the main observed features.     

Observations of enhanced sub-iron (Sc-Cr) to iron abundance ratios in the low energy galactic cosmic rays in Spacelab-3 and their implications

The Anuradha cosmic ray experiment in Spacelab-3, flown in the orbit at 350 km with an inclination of 57° for about six days, was used to measure the low energy galactic cosmic ray (GCR) heavy ions using a specially designed CR-39 detector module incorporating the arrival time information of the particles. The abundances of sub-iron (Sc-Cr) and iron particles in the low energy interval of 30–300 MeV/N were determined from the measurements made in four different depths of the CR-39 detector module of 150 layers. From these studies we obtained sub-iron (Sc-Cr) to iron abundance ratios of 0.8 to 1.2 in 30–300 MeV/N energy range. It is found that these ratios are enhanced by a factor of two as compared to interplanetary ratios of about 0.5. It is shown that the enhancement of the ratio inside the earth’s magnetosphere is probably due to the degree of ionization of low energy Sc to Cr and Fe ions in the galactic cosmic rays and to the rigidity filtering effects of the geomagnetic field. Further studies are needed to understand fully the phenomena and their implications.     

Gamma rays from cosmic radioactivities

Abstract— Gamma rays from radioactive byproducts of cosmic nucleosynthesis are direct messengers from nuclear processes taking place in various cosmic sites, and can be measured with telescopes operated in space. Due to low detector sensitivity, up until now, only a handful of sources have been detected in that electromagnetic window. Cobalt lines from SN1987A and ⁴⁴Ti lines from the Cassiopeia A (Cas A) supernova remnant offer unique constraints on the properties of the innermost regions of core collapse supernovae. Diffuse gamma‐ray lines from the decay of radioactive ²⁶Al and the annihilation of positrons are bright enough for mapping the Milky Way in the MeV regime, and are both measured by recent spaceborne spectrometers with unprecedented precision. This constrains the sources of Al production and the state of interstellar gas in the vicinity of these sites: the total mass of ²⁶Al produced by stellar sources throughout the Galaxy is estimated to be ～3 M_⊙ per Myr, and the interstellar medium near those sources appears to be characterized by velocities of ～100 km s^?1. Positron annihilation must occur in a modestly ionized, warm phase of the interstellar medium, but at present the major positron production site(s) remain unknown. The spatial distribution of the annihilation gamma‐ray emission constrains positron production sites and positron propagation in the Galaxy. ⁶⁰Fe radioactivity has been clearly detected recently; the flux ratio relative to ²⁶Al of about 15% is on the lower side of predictions from massive star and supernova nucleosynthesis models. Those views at nuclear and astrophysical processes in and around cosmic sources by space‐based gamma‐ray telescopes offer invaluable information on cosmic nucleosynthesis.     

The baryon-symmetric domain cosmology and the cosmic X-ray background

The baryon-symmetric domain cosmology (BSDC) of Steckeret al. (1971) have explained the diffuse -ray background. However, evidence has shown that active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are likely contributors to the diffuse -ray background, so there are some problems with the original formulations. We have reviewed the original formulations and have modified the expressions for the matter temperature and the redshifts at which the cosmic radiation from the BSDC becomes significantly absorbed. In this way, we show that the cosmic radiation from the BSDC agrees remarkably with the cosmic X-ray background from 1 keV to 100 keV. We have also shown that AGNs contribute significantly to the cosmic background beyond 100 keV. Therefore, we have arrived at a consistent model in which the BSDC model and AGN model together can explain the cosmic background from 1 keV to 1 MeV.     

Origin of low energy cosmic ray positrons at energies ≳2 MeV

It is shown that an appreciable flux of positrons below a few MeV in the cosmic radiation could arise from the decay of cobalt nuclei in the decay chain⁵⁶Ni⁵⁶Co⁵⁶Fe, which occurs in the silicon burning shells of supernovae just after their ejection at relativistic velocities. The equilibrium spectrum of positrons in the interstellar space has been calculated on the assumption that the observed abundance of iron nuclei in the cosmic radiation is the result of the above process. It is found that the observation below about 10 MeV can be well explained with a moderate acceleration of the positrons in the expanding envelope of supernovae prior to their propagation in the interstellar space. The total⁵⁶Ni content in the shells of supernova necessary to account for the observed positrons is in agreement with that required to explain the peak luminosity during the supernova outburst. Since this model deals with positrons created at the time of injection of cosmic rays into the interstellar space, it becomes possible to study the shape of the injection spectrum of cosmic rays.On leave from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India.     

Tracing low‐energy cosmic‐rays by charge exchange X‐ray emission

Hadronic cosmic rays of energies below about 100 MeV nucleon^–1 are thought to be an important component of the Galactic ecosystem. However, since these particles cannot be detected near Earth due to the solar modulation effect, their composition and flux in the interstellar medium are very uncertain. Atomic interactions of low‐energy cosmic rays with interstellar gas can produce a characteristic nonthermal X‐ray emission comprising very broad lines from de‐excitations in fast ions following charge exchange. We suggest that broad lines at ∼0.57 and ∼0.65 keV could be detected from a dark molecular cloud in the local interstellar medium. These lines would be produced by fast oxygen ions of kinetic energies around 1 MeV nucleon^–1 (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Quiet-time periods observed by EPHIN/SOHO during the minimum of the 22nd solar cycle

An analysis of the hydrogen and helium isotopic composition from EPHIN data, during the quiet-time period from January 1 to June 1, 1996, is presented. An isotopic discrimination and background rejection have been applied and relationships between the abundances of ²H/¹H, ³He/⁴He, and ⁴He/¹H have been calculated. The energy spectra in the 4–50 MeV nucl^–1 range have been obtained and the contribution of the different spectral components have been analysed in this energy range. We conclude that the main contribution to the ⁴He spectrum is of anomalous origin, while the proton and ³He spectra have contributions mainly from particles of solar origin at low energies and from the galactic cosmic radiation modulated by the heliosphere at high energies. The deuterium spectrum is mainly of galactic origin.