Diffusive propagation of fast particles in the presence of a moving shock wave

Based on an analytical model, we determined the temporal dynamics of the spectral shape and spatial distribution of the particles that were impulsively (in time) injected with a specified spectrum in the vicinity of a moving plane shock front. We obtained a condition to determine the influence of the shock front on the particle propagation, where the spatial diffusion coefficient of the particles plays a major role. Diffusive shock acceleration is shown to strongly affect low-energy particles (the intensity maximum coincides spatially with the shock front; hard and soft spectral regions are formed in the spectrum) and weakly affect high-energy particles (the time at which the intensity reaches its maximum is well ahead of the shock arrival time; the spectral shape does not change). In events accompanied by a significant increase in the turbulence level, the influence of the shock front on high-energy particles can change from weak to strong. This change shows up in the spatial distribution and spectral shape of the particles. The dynamics of the particle intensity, calculated with the diffusion coefficients that were determined in accordance with the quasi-linear theory for measured turbulence levels, qualitatively corresponds to the observed solar energetic-particle intensity.     

A brief description of observational results from the supersoft X-ray detector aboard Shenzhou-2

Observational results from the supersoft X-ray detector (SD) aboard the spacecraft Shenzhou-2 are briefly described. The resultspertain to cosmic γ-ray bursts solar x-ray bursts, high-energy charged particles and soft X-ray background radiation. The detector is a proportional counter with a polypropylene thin-film window of 50 mm diameter, it operates in the energy range 0.23–3.0keV covered by six energy channels. Two grades of time resolution are used: 40 ms for recording burst events and 520 ms when there is no triggering signal resulted from a burst event. Figures 1 and 2 show the light curves and energy spectra of two cosmic γ-ray bursts (starting time 2001 Jan 17, 09:37:25.21 UT and 2001 Mar 9, 12:33:55.692 UT), and Figures 3 and 4, the results on two solar X-ray burst (2001 Apr 6, 19:14:09.11 UT, and 2001 May 20, 06:02:12.58 UT). The detector records the ambient high-energy charged particles when there is no burst event and the shutter of the window is closed. 110 data sets of high-energy charged particles along the spacecraft orbit have been collected. As examples, the variations of the particle counting rate along the orbit are shown in Figs. 6a, 6b, 8e, 8f and 7. More than 10 events of particle precipitation induced by solar proton events have also been recorded, some of which are displayed in Figs.6c–6f and 7. Some of the data of soft X-ray background radiation shown in Fig. 8 were obtained when the shutter was open, and they are important for the data processing of the burst events.     

Cosmic-ray fluctuations in interplanetary space

Cosmic-ray (CR) fluctuations in both the drift and diffusion approximations are investigated and the results compared with experimental data. Kinetic equation is used to obtain equations for the second moment of the CR distribution function (the correlation function of the distribution function fluctuations) in both approximations. An application of these approximations to the correlation function equation gives the relations between the CR power spectra and random magnetic fields in interplanetary space. Different magneto-turbulence models are taken in consideration and the relations between the spectral indices are obtained in various frequency intervals.The theoretical results are compared with experimental data obtained by the network of neutron monitors. The CR power spectra observed at the ground level during the years 1978–1981 has been calculated. The investigated frequency range of 3×10^–8 to 10^–4 Hz consists of two parts, with a transient region of 10^–6 to 10^–5 Hz. Together with the background CR fluctuations the contribution of both the periodic and aperiodic phenomena is observed.     

Validity of Power Law for the Distribution of Intensity of Radio Bursts

The intensity distribution of solar radio bursts observed in the frequency band 0.245–17 GHz has heen derived statistically. The distribution law has been found to be quite different from that of a power law as reported by earlier workers. This distribution leads to the error function, when the total number of bursts in any intensity range is found out. The generalized distribution law can be approximated to the power law only in the frequency band 0.65–2.8 GHz.     

SCR Distribution Function in the Radial IMF Approximation

The transport of cosmic rays in the interplanetary medium is considered in terms of the kinetic equation describing the energetic particle scattering by magnetic irregularities and their focusing by the regular interplanetary magnetic field. The analytical expression for solar cosmic ray distribution function in the approximation of radial regular magnetic field is obtained and the evolution of energetic particle angular distribution is analyzed. The obtained results can be used for the analysis of ground-level enhancements of cosmic ray intensity.     

The Wide Band Spectrometer on the SOLAR-A

The SOLAR-A spacecraft has spectroscopic capabilities in a wide energy band from soft X-rays to gamma-rays. The Wide Band Spectrometer (WBS), consisting of three kinds of spectrometers, soft X-ray spectrometer (SXS), hard X-ray spectrometer (HXS) and gamma-ray spectrometer (GRS), is installed on SOLAR-A to investigate plasma heating, high-energy particle acceleration, and interaction processes. SXS has two proportional counters and each counter provides 128-channel pulse height data in the 2–30 keV range every 2 s and 2-channel pulse count data every 0.25 s. HXS has a NaI scintillation detector and provides 32-channel pulse height data in the 20–400 keV range every 1 s and 2-channel pulse count data every 0.125 s. GRS has two identical BGO scintillation detectors and each detector provides 128-channel pulse height data in the 0.2–10 MeV range every 4 s and 4-channel pulse count data (0.2–0.7, 0.7–4, 4–7, and 7–10 MeV) every 0.25–0.5 s. In addition, each of the BGO scintillation detectors provides 16-channel pulse height data in the 8–100 MeV range every 4 s and 2-channel pulse count data (8–30 and 30–100 MeV) every 0.5 s. The SXS observations enable one to study the thermal evolution of flare plasma by obtaining time series of electron temperatures and emission measures of hot plasma; the HXS observations enable one to study the electron acceleration and heating mechanisms by obtaining time series of the electron spectrum; and the GRS observations enable one to study the high-energy electron and ion acceleration and interaction processes by obtaining time series of electron and ion spectra.After the launch the name of SOLAR-A has been changed to YOHKOH.     

Diffusion of cosmic rays in a multiphase interstellar medium swept-up by a supernova remnant blast wave

Supernova remnants (SNRs) are one of the most energetic astrophysical events and are thought to be the dominant source of Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). A recent report on observations from the Fermi satellite has shown a signature of pion decay in the gamma-ray spectra of SNRs. This provides strong evidence that high-energy protons are accelerated in SNRs. The actual gamma-ray emission from pion decay should depend on the diffusion of CRs in the interstellar medium. In order to quantitatively analyse the diffusion of high-energy CRs from acceleration sites, we have performed test particle numerical simulations of CR protons using a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of an interstellar medium swept-up by a blast wave. We analyse the diffusion of CRs at a length scale of order a few pc in our simulated SNR, and find the diffusion of CRs is precisely described by a Bohm diffusion, which is required for efficient acceleration at least for particles with energies above 30 TeV for a realistic interstellar medium. Although we find the possibility of a superdiffusive process (travel distance ∝ t^0.75) in our simulations, its effect on CR diffusion at the length scale of the turbulence in the SNR is limited.     

First Energetic Particle Events Observed by the ERNE Instrument

The energetic particle instrument ERNE on-board SOHO started its observations on December 15, 1995. The low-energy sensor of ERNE, LED, is capable of measuring particles in the energy range from 1 to 10 MeV nucl^-1. From the beginning of the year 1996 until May 22, 1996, LED-observations included four energetic particle events above threshold intensities. An energetic particle event caused by a corotating interaction region that accelerated protons upto 10 MeV, was observed during January 20–25. Another similar particle event occured on May 6–12. The events were separated by four solar rotation periods. They had similar time profiles, but the one in May had a harder spectrum and a lower intensity level. The ⁴He-to-proton ratios were in accordance with the solar wind value. Energetic particles observed during April 22–23 and May 14–17 were accelerated at the Sun. The first one was apparently an outcome from an active region observed on the west limb by telescopes on-board SOHO. Protons were detected at energies from 1 to 10 MeV. For this event, the⁴He-to-proton ratio in the range 1.5–5 MeV nucl^-1 was 3%. No ³He ions were detected. The period of May 14–15 was, in contrast, extremely ³He-rich: it had a³He-to-proton ratio of 1.5 ± 0.6 and a ³He-to- ^4He ratio as high as 8. The period of May 14–17 comprised at least three individual, one-day-long events. The first two events were ³He-rich, while the last one seemed to have a normal composition.     

Altitude variation of ultraviolet oxygen night airglow

Night airglow of oxygen 130.4 and 135.6 nm emissions was measured by a spectrophotometer aborad an S520 sounding rocket, launched at 19:50 JST (10:50 UT) on 14 February, 1982 from Kagoshima, Japan. The altitude variation of the emissions was obtained from 110 to 266 km at zenith angles of 35.5°±4°. The emission intensity around 260 km was about 160R and is roughly compatible with model calculations taking account of O⁺+e ^– radiative recombination as well as O⁺–O^– mutual neutralization. Some excess of about 50R, compared to the model calculation, was observed around 200 km. Possible explanations of the excess are: (i) remnant oxygen ions during the transition period from day to night and (ii) diffuse radiation from the background sky. Model calculations taking account of remnant oxygen ions were also performed by adding an excess electron density to the original density profile. However, it was found that an unreasonably large electron density is required around 200 km (5×10⁵ cm^–3) to produce the observed intensity. It is also probable that some contribution from the background sky is present in the observed intensity.     

Gravitational interaction of bodies immersed in fluids

It is shown that Archimedes' principle can be generalized for external gravitational fields due to stationary macroscopic bodies. For instance, a particle immersed in a homogeneous fluid at the centre of spherical symmetry of the fluid, or anywhere in an unbounded homogenous fluid, experiences — in an external field — a force that it would experience in a vacuum if it had an apparent mass less than the actual one by the mass of displaced fluid. Inversely, if one immerses a particle into a symmetrically arranged homogeneous fluid apart from its centre of symmetry, the particle and the fluid produce, at the centre of symmetry of the fluid, a gravitational field that would be produced in vacuo by a particle of the same size and shape but having apparent mass. Simple laboratory experiments, suitable to verify this inverse theorem, are described. On the other hand, the gravitational force between two particles in an infinite homogeneous fluid is reduced by a factor proportional to the product of their apparent masses which can be positive or negative. Two particles with opposite apparent masses repel each other. The results obtained imply corrections to vacuum of the order of (10^–5–10^–4) G of the gravitational constant,G, measured by the common laboratory methods.     

Prompt high-energy particle acceleration during two-current-loop collisions

We present a model of prompt high-energy particle acceleration during two-current-loop collisions. By investigating test proton and test electron motions in the electromagnetic field derived from the MHD equations, we found that high-energy particle acceleration occurs only in the case ofY-type, loop-loop collisions. The results depend strongly on the plasma and initial position of the test particle. When the plasma increases, the particle acceleration rate decreases. The particles near the edge of the collision region can be accelerated to higher energy than the ones inside it. It has been shown that both protons and electrons can be accelerated to 10 GeV within 0.001 s and 5 MeV within 10^–6 s, respectively. In the case ofY-type loop-loop collisions, one may expect that high-energy gamma-ray and neutrons will be generated from interaction between high-energy particles and the low atmospheric plasma.     

First Analysis of Ground-Level Enhancement (GLE) 72 on 10 September 2017: Spectral and Anisotropy Characteristics

Using data obtained with neutron monitors and space-borne instruments, we analyzed the second ground-level enhancement (GLE) of Solar Cycle 24, namely the event of 10 September 2017 (GLE 72), and derived the spectral and angular characteristics of associated GLE particles. We employed a new neutron-monitor yield function and a recently proposed model based on an optimization procedure. The method consists of simulating particle propagation in a model magnetosphere in order to derive the cutoff rigidity and neutron-monitor asymptotic directions. Subsequently, the rigidity spectrum and anisotropy of GLE particles are obtained in their dynamical evolution during the event on the basis of an inverse-problem solution. The derived angular distribution and spectra are discussed briefly.     

The solar particle event of July 16–19, 1966 and its possible association with a flare on the invisible solar hemisphere

An energetic solar proton and electron event was observed by particle detectors aboard Explorer 33 (AIMP-1) and OGO-3 during the period July 16–19, 1966. Optical and radio observations of the sun suggest that these particles were produced by a flare which may have occurred on July 16 near the central meridian of the invisible hemisphere. The active region to which the flare is assigned is known to have produced the energetic particle events of July 7 and 28, 1966. The propagation of the particles in the July 16–19 event over the 180° extent of solar longitude from the flare to the earth is discussed, and it is concluded that there must exist a means of rapidly distributing energetic particles over a large area of the sun. Several possible mechanisms are suggested.     

Additional electron flux detection after magnetic perturbations

An additional electron flux at an energy above 100 MeV was observed in the experiments carried out with high-altitude balloons flown at geomagnetic latitudes 46° and 49°, in the upper layers of the atmosphere, on the days following magnetic perturbations.Its intensity, equal to 6 × 10^–2 cm^–2s^–1 sr^–1, decreased over 20–30 hours. The effect observed confirms the presence of high-energy electrons in the regions of the trapped radiation.     

Solar Energetic Particle Events with Protons Above 500 MeV Between 1995 and 2015 Measured with SOHO/EPHIN

The Sun is an effective particle accelerator that produces solar energetic particle (SEP) events, during which particles of up to several GeVs can be observed. These events, when they are observed at Earth with the neutron monitor network, are called ground-level enhancements (GLEs). Although these events with their high-energy component have been investigated for several decades, a clear relation between the spectral shape of the SEPs outside the Earth’s magnetosphere and the increase in neutron monitor count rate has yet to be established. Hence, an analysis of these events is of interest for the space weather and for the solar event community.In this article, SEP events with protons accelerated to above 500 MeV were identified using data obtained with the Electron Proton Helium Instrument (EPHIN) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) between 1995 and 2015. For a statistical analysis, onset times were determined for the events and the proton energy spectra were derived and fitted with a power law.As a result, we present a list of 42 SEP events with protons accelerated to above 500 MeV measured with the EPHIN instrument onboard SOHO. The statistical analysis based on the fitted spectral slopes and absolute intensities is discussed, with special emphasis on whether an event has been observed as a GLE. Furthermore, we are able to determine that the derived intensity at 500 MeV and the observed increase in neutron monitor count rate are correlated for a subset of events.     

Power Spectrum of Cosmic-ray Fluctuations During Consecutive Solar Minimum and Maximum Periods

Power spectral analysis of cosmic-ray intensity recorded by eight stations was carried out over a wide range of frequencies from 2.3 × 10^–8 Hz to 5.8 × 10^–6 Hz (2–500 days) during the period 1964–1995. Spectrum results of large-scale fluctuations have revealed the existence of a broad peak near 250–285 days and a narrower peak at 45–50 days during the studied epochs as a stable feature in all neutron monitors covering a wide rigidity range. The cosmic-ray power spectrum displayed significant peaks of varying amplitude with the solar rotation period (changed inversely with the particle rigidities) and its harmonics. The amplitudes of 27-day and 13.5-day fluctuations are greater during the positive-polarity epochs of the interplanetary magnetic field (qA>0) than during the qA<0 epochs. The comparison of cosmic-ray power spectra during the four successive solar activity minima have indicated that at the low-rigidity particles the spectrum differences between the qA>0 and qA<0 epochs are significantly large. Furthermore, the spectrum for even solar maximum years are higher and much harder than the odd years. There are significant differences in the individual spectra of solar maxima for different cycles.     

Cyclic Changes in Solar Rotation Inferred From Temporal Changes in the Mean Magnetic Field

Time–frequency variability of the solar mean magnetic field (SMMF) was studied, based on a continuous wavelet analysis. The rotational modulation of the SMMF dominates the wavelet spectrum at 27–30 and 13.5-day time scales. The rotational variation, in turn, is amplitude-modulated by the quasi-biennial periodicity in the SMMF. This is caused by magnetic field eruptions. Rigidly rotating modes appear in the time–longitude distribution of the large-scale magnetic field that is plotted from a deconvolution of the SMMF time series with a Carrington period. These rotational modes coexist and transform into one another over an 11-yr cycle. The modes with periods of 27.8–28.0 days dominate the phase of activity rise, whereas the 27-day rotational mode dominates the declining phase of the 11-yr cycle. The rotational modes with periods of 29–30 days occurred episodically. Most of the features in the time–longitude distribution of the SMMF are identifiable with those in similar diagrams of the solar background magnetic fields. They represent a combined effect of the background magnetic fields from both hemispheres. Eruptions of magnetic fields lead to dramatic changes in the picture of solar rotation and correlate well with the polarity asymmetry in the SMMF signal. The polarity asymmetry in the SMMF time series exhibits both long-term changes and a 22-yr cyclic behaviour, depending on the reversals of the global magnetic field in cycles 20–23.     

Solar flare injection and propagation of low-energy protons and electrons in the event of 7–9 July, 1966

Simultaneous observations of the 7–9 July 1966 solar particle event by energetic particle detectors on three satellites, IMP-III, OGO-III and Explorer 33 are utilized to show that large spatial gradients are present in the fluxes of 0.5–20 meV protons and 45 keV electrons. The event is divided into three parts: the ordinary diffusive component, the halo, and the core. The core corotates with the interplanetary field, and therefore it and the surrounding halo are interpreted as spatial features which are connected by the interplanetary magnetic field lines to the vicinity of the flare region. Upper limits to the interplanetary transverse diffusion coefficient for 4–20 meV protons at 1 AU are derived from the width of the halo. These are at least two orders of magnitude less than the parallel diffusion coefficient for the same energy particles.It is argued that the observed flux variations cannot be explained by an impulsive point source injection for any physically reasonable diffusion model. Instead, since the interplanetary transverse-diffusion coefficient is small for these low-energy particles, the observed spatial features are interpreted as the projection to 1 AU by the interplanetary field lines of an extensive injection profile at the sun. The geometry of the injection mechanism is discussed and it is suggested that some temporary storage of the flare particles occurs near the sun.Now at NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., U.S.A.     

The synergy of the cosmic ray and high energy atmospheric physics: Particle bursts observed by arrays of particle detectors

Particle bursts detected on the earth's surface during thunderstorms by various particle detectors originated from the relativistic runaway electron avalanches (RREAs) initiated by free electrons accelerated in the strong atmospheric electric fields. Two oppositely directed dipoles in the thundercloud accelerate electrons in the direction of the earth's surface, and to the open space. The particle bursts observed by orbiting gamma ray observatories are called terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs, with energies of several MeV, only sometimes reaching tens of MeV); ones registered by particle detectors located on the ground – are called thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs, with energies, usually reaching 40-50 MeV). Balloons and aircraft in the troposphere register gamma ray glows (with energies of several MeV). Recently, high-energy atmospheric physics includes also, so-called, downward TGFs (DTGFs), intense particle bursts with a duration of a few milliseconds.Well-known extensive air showers (EASs) originate from the interactions of galactic protons and fully-stripped nuclei with the atmosphere atoms. EAS particles have very dense cores around the shower axes. However, high-energy particles in the EAS cores comprise a very thin disc of (a few tens of ns), and a particle detector traversed by an EAS core will not register a particle burst, but only one very large pulse. Only neutron monitor, by collecting delayed thermal neutrons from EAS core particle interactions with soil, can register particle bursts. We discuss the relation between short particle bursts available from the largest particle arrays with EAS phenomena. We demonstrate that the neutron monitors can extend the EAS “lifetime” up to a few milliseconds, a time comparable with DTGFs duration. The possibility to use the network of neutron monitors for high-energy cosmic ray research is also deliberated.Plain Language Summary: Short and extended particle bursts are registered in space, the troposphere, and the earth's surface. Coordinated monitoring of the particle fluxes, near-surface electric fields, and lightning flashes makes it possible to formulate a hypothesis on the origin of intense bursts and their relation to extensive air showers and atmospheric discharges. Analysis of the observational data and possible origination scenarios of particle bursts allows us to conclude that the bursts can be explained by the electron acceleration in the thunderous atmosphere and by gigantic showers developed in the terrestrial atmosphere by high-energy protons and fully-stripped nuclei accelerated in Galaxy.     

Relativistic electrons from the Sun observed by IMP-4

Data are presented from the IMP-4 satellite of 0.3–12 MeV electrons from the Sun between May 24, 1967 and May 2, 1969. Correlations with contemporary proton intensity increases at energies above 1 MeV are studied. Classical solar flare events such as those frequently observed from 30°W–60°W in solar longitude are not discussed. Categories of unusual events are defined and examples of each type are given. Discussion of these events centers around the emission and propagation of energetic particles from the point of origin on the Sun to the Earth. The results of this study are the following: (1) The differential electron energy spectrum (0.3–12 keV) from solar flares appears to be a constant of the flare process, with the spectral index = (-)3.0 ± 0.2. (2) Particle emission from solar flares contains a prompt component, which is injected into the interplanetary medium beyond the Sun and which is responsible for the diffusion characteristics of solar particle events, and a delayed component which is effectively contained in the lower solar atmosphere where it diffuses typically ± 100° in longitude and gradually escapes into interplanetary space. The delayed component gives rise to the corotating features commonly observed after the impulsive and diffusive onset from the prompt component. This is not the same as the two component model discussed by Lin (1970a) in which 40 keV electrons are often observed as a separate phenomenon and frequently precede higher energy particles observed at 1 AU. (3) Storage of electrons > 300 keV and protons > 1 MeV is essential to explain emission and propagation characteristics of solar particle events. In some rare cases the storage mechanism appears to be very efficient, culminating in a catastrophic decay of the trapping region. (4) The events with low proton/electron ratios all occur at least three weeks after the previous relativistic electron producing flare.