Cosmic Ray Nonlinear Processes in Space Plasma: Applications to the Dynamic Heliosphere

Influence of cosmic ray pressure and kinetic stream instability on space plasma dynamics and magnetic structure are considered. It is shown that in the outer Heliosphere are important dynamics effects of galactic cosmic ray pressure on solar wind and interplanetary shock wave propagation as well as on the formation of terminal shock wave of the Heliosphere and subsonic region between Heliosphere and interstellar medium. Kinetic stream instability effects are important on distances more than 40–60 AU from the Sun: formation of great anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays in about spiral interplanetary magnetic field leads to the Alfven turbulence generation by non isotropic cosmic ray fluxes. Generated Alfven turbulence influences on cosmic ray propagation, increases the cosmic ray modulation, decreases the cosmic ray anisotropy and increases the cosmic ray pressure gradient in the outer Heliosphere (the later is also important for terminal shock wave formation). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmic-ray anisotropy in interplanetary space

The kinetic equation describing cosmic-ray propagation in interplanetary space has been used to construct a consistent theory of cosmic-ray anisotropy including the second spherical harmonic of particle angular distribution. The amplitude and phase of semi-diurnal cosmic-ray variation have been calculated. Expressions describing the relationships of the semi-diurnal variation parameters to helio-latitude distribution of cosmic rays have been derived. The results obtained are compared with observational data.     

Transient perturbations and their effects in the heliosphere, the geo-magnetosphere, and the Earth’s atmosphere: Space weather perspective

We discuss the effects of certain dynamic features of space environment in the heliosphere, the geo-magnetosphere, and the earth’s atmosphere. In particular, transient perturbations in solar wind plasma, interplanetary magnetic field, and energetic charged particle (cosmic ray) fluxes near 1 AU in the heliosphere have been discussed. Transient variations in magnetic activity in geo-magnetosphere and solar modulation effects in the heliosphere have also been studied. Emphasis is on certain features of transient perturbations related to space weather effects. Relationships between geomagnetic storms and transient modulations in cosmic ray intensity (Forbush decreases), especially those caused by shock-associated interplanetary disturbances, have been studied in detail. We have analysed the cosmic ray, geomagnetic and interplanetary plasma/field data to understand the physical mechanisms of two phenomena namely, Forbush decrease and geomagnetic storms, and to search for precursors to Forbush decrease (and geomagnetic storms) that can be used as a signature to forecast space weather. It is shown that the use of cosmic ray records has practical application for space weather predictions. Enhanced diurnal anisotropy and intensity deficit of cosmic rays have been identified as precursors to Forbush decreases in cosmic ray intensity. It is found that precursor to smaller (less than 5%) amplitude Forbush decrease due to weaker interplanetary shock is enhanced diurnal anisotropy. However, larger amplitude (greater than 5%) Forbush decrease due to stronger interplanetary shock shows loss cone type intensity deficit as precursor in ground based intensity record. These precursors can be used as inputs for space weather forecast.     

Cosmic-ray fluctuations and interplanetary magnetic fields

The relations of cosmic-ray fluctuations to those of interplanetary magnetic fields (IMF) and the possible consequences of the magnetic helicity of IMF for the acceleration of cosmic rays are examined using experimental data from two neutron monitors and data on IMF in interplanetary space.The spectral tensor of IMF at two different distances from the Sun is determined for several selected intervals of 10–15 hours duration. Data from IMP-8 and Helios-1 are used. Cross correlations of IMF with cosmic rays measured by the Lomnický tít neutron monitor, based on 5 min data, are estimated. A comparison of spectral slopes of the power spectrum density at the Lomnický tít and Calgary neutron monitors demonstrates the possibility of using a single neutron monitor data point as a representative of the CR fluctuation power spectrum slope. It is shown that the data are not in all cases consistent with model of 3D turbulence in interplanetary space as the cause of the cosmic-ray fluctuation spectrum. Magnetic helicity, kinetic fluctuation energy, and the correlation length of the magnetic field are deduced from the limited amount of data and compared with values obtained by Matthaeus and Goldstein (1982). Based on the theoretical approach by Fedorovet al. (1992) the efficiency of acceleration of cosmic rays due to the presence of anisotropic reflective non-invariant IMF at various heliospheric distances is estimated.     

Heliospheric propagation of galactic cosmic rays depending on the scattering characteristics of the turbulent interplanetary magnetic field

The effect of the solar wind on the spectrum of cosmic rays accelerated in the Galaxy is studied. The coefficient of cosmic-ray diffusion in the interplanetary turbulent magnetic field is assumed to be independent of the particle energy and a power-law function of the distance from the Sun. The particle spectrum at the heliospheric boundary is specified as a power-law function of the total particle energy.     

On the Analysis of the Complex Forbush Decreases of January 2005

In this work an analysis of a series of complex cosmic ray events that occurred between 17 January 2005 and 23 January 2005 using solar, interplanetary and ground based cosmic ray data is being performed. The investigated period was characterized both by significant galactic cosmic ray (GCR) and solar cosmic ray (SCR) variations with highlighted cases such as the noticeable series of Forbush effects (FEs) from 17 January 2005 to 20 January 2005, the Forbush decrease (FD) on 21 January 2005 and the ground level enhancement (GLE) of the cosmic ray counter measurements on 20 January 2005. The analysis is focusing on the aforementioned FE cases, with special attention drawn on the 21 January 2005, FD event, which demonstrated several exceptional features testifying its uniqueness. Data from the ACE spacecraft, together with GOES X-ray recordings and LASCO CME coronagraph images were used in conjunction to the ground based recordings of the Worldwide Neutron Monitor Network, the interplanetary data of OMNI database and the geomagnetic activity manifestations denoted by K _p and D _st indices. More than that, cosmic ray characteristics as density, anisotropy and density gradients were also calculated. The results illustrate the state of the interplanetary space that cosmic rays crossed and their corresponding modulation with respect to the multiple extreme solar events of this period. In addition, the western location of the 21 January 2005 solar source indicates a new cosmic ray feature, which connects the position of the solar source to the cosmic ray anisotropy variations. In the future, this feature could serve as an indicator of the solar source and can prove to be a valuable asset, especially when satellite data are unavailable.     

The nature of cosmic ray sources

The limitations on the nature of cosmic ray acceleration regions and processes, as deduced from cosmic ray measurements and propagation studies, are reviewed. The power requirements for these acceleration regions are estimated from measurements of the local cosmic ray energy density, anisotropy and spallation-deduced pathlength. Possible constraints on the acceleration spectrum of the cosmic rays and on a charge dependence of the acceleration process, implied by the measured cosmic ray spectrum and composition, are considered. Various suggested sources and processes of cosmic ray acceleration are discussed in the light of these limitations.Astrophysics and Space Science Review Paper.     

Propagation of galactic cosmic rays in the outer heliosphere

The propagation of galactic cosmic rays in heliospheric magnetic fields is studied. An approximate solution to the cosmic ray transport equation has been derived on the basis of a method that takes into account the small value of anisotropy of particle angular distribution. The spatial and energy distributions of the cosmic ray intensity and anisotropy have been investigated, and estimates of cosmic ray energy flux have been carried out.     

Spectrum and anisotropy of cosmic rays at TeV–PeV-energies and contribution of nearby sources

The role of nearby galactic sources, the supernova remnants, in formation of observed energy spectrum and large-scale anisotropy of high-energy cosmic rays is studied. The list of these sources is made up based on radio, X-ray and gamma-ray catalogues. The distant sources are treated statistically as ensemble of sources with random positions and ages. The source spectra are defined based on the modern theory of cosmic ray acceleration in supernova remnants while the propagation of cosmic rays in the interstellar medium is described in the frameworks of galactic diffusion model. Calculations of dipole component of anisotropy are made to reproduce the experimental procedure of “two-dimensional” anisotropy measurements. The energy dependence of particle escape time in the process of acceleration in supernova remnants and the arm structure of sources defining the significant features of anisotropy are also taken into account. The essential new trait of the model is a decreasing number of core collapse SNRs being able to accelerate cosmic rays up to the given energy, that leads to steeper total cosmic ray source spectrum in comparison with the individual source spectrum. We explained simultaneously the new cosmic ray data on the fine structure of all particle spectrum around the knee and the amplitude and direction of the dipole component of anisotropy in the wide energy range 1 TeV–1 EeV. Suggested assumptions do not look exotic, and they confirm the modern understanding of cosmic ray origin.     

Study of intensity fluctuations in cosmic rays during Forbush-decreases on the basis of the data obtained with the inzmiran scintillation supertelescope

The one-minute, five-minute, and hourly values of cosmic-ray intensity obtained with a scintillation telescope at Izmiran have been used to carry out the correlational and spectral analysis of large Forbush-decreases of cosmic rays in 1978. The spectra of power obtained for the periods of interplanetary disturbances are characterized by individual spectral lines whose amplitude exceeds at least a 95% interval of reliability.     

Interplanetary Transients and Cosmic-Ray Anisotropy

Cosmic-ray intensity data recorded with the ground-based neutron monitor at Deep River have been investigated taking into account the associated interplanetary magnetic field and solar-wind plasma data during 1981 – 1994. A large number of days having abnormally high or low amplitudes for five or more successive days as compared to the annual average amplitude of diurnal anisotropy have been taken as high- or low-amplitude anisotropic wave-train events. The amplitude of the diurnal anisotropy of these events is found to increase on days with a magnetic cloud as compared to the days prior to the event, and it is found to decrease during the later period of the event as the cloud passes the Earth. The high-speed solar-wind streams do not play any significant role in causing these types of events. However, corotating solar-wind streams produce significant deviations in cosmic-ray intensity during high- and low-amplitude events. The interplanetary disturbances (magnetic clouds) are also effective in producing cosmic-ray decreases. Hα solar flares have a good positive correlation with both the amplitude and direction of the anisotropy for high-amplitude events, while the principal magnetic storms have a good positive correlation with both amplitude and direction of the anisotropy for low-amplitude events. The source responsible for these unusual anisotropic wave trains in cosmic rays has been proposed.     

Pulsars and the origin of cosmic rays

The capabilities and limitations of pulsars as sources of cosmic rays are reviewed in the light of experimental observations. Pulsars can supply the cosmic ray power if they have rotational velocities in excess of 700 rad s^?1 at birth. Though this is theoretically possible, there is no experimental proof for the same. Pulsars can accelerate particles to the highest energies of 10²⁰ eV, but in general, the spectra on simple considerations, turn out to be flatter than the observed cosmic ray spectrum. At the highest energies, absorption processes due to fragmentation and photodisintegration dominate for heavy nuclei. The existence of a steady flux of cosmic rays of energy greater than 10¹⁷ eV demands acceleration of particles to last over fifty years, the time interval between supernovae outbursts, whereas the expected period of activity is less than a few years. Finally, the problem of anisotropy with relevance to pulsars as sources and the possibility of observing pulsar accelerated particles from galactic clusters is considered.     

Cosmic ray anisotropy analysis with a full-sky observatory

A cosmic ray observatory with full-sky coverage can exploit standard anisotropy analysis methods that do not work if part of the celestial sphere is never seen. In particular, the distribution of arrival directions can be fully characterized by a list of spherical harmonic coefficients. The dipole vector and quadrupole tensor are of special interest, but the full set of harmonic coefficients constitutes the anisotropy fingerprint that may be needed to reveal the identity of the cosmic ray sources. The angular power spectrum is a coordinate-independent synopsis of that fingerprint. The true cosmic ray anisotropy can be measured despite non-uniformity in celestial exposure, provided the observatory is not blind to any region of the sky. This paper quantitatively examines how the accuracy of anisotropy measurement depends on the number of arrival directions in a data set.     

The Global Survey Method Applied to Ground-level Cosmic Ray Measurements

The global survey method (GSM) technique unites simultaneous ground-level observations of cosmic rays in different locations and allows us to obtain the main characteristics of cosmic-ray variations outside of the atmosphere and magnetosphere of Earth. This technique has been developed and applied in numerous studies over many years by the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radiowave Propagation (IZMIRAN). We here describe the IZMIRAN version of the GSM in detail. With this technique, the hourly data of the world-wide neutron-monitor network from July 1957 until December 2016 were processed, and further processing is enabled upon the receipt of new data. The result is a database of homogeneous and continuous hourly characteristics of the density variations (an isotropic part of the intensity) and the 3D vector of the cosmic-ray anisotropy. It includes all of the effects that could be identified in galactic cosmic-ray variations that were caused by large-scale disturbances of the interplanetary medium in more than 50 years. These results in turn became the basis for a database on Forbush effects and interplanetary disturbances. This database allows correlating various space-environment parameters (the characteristics of the Sun, the solar wind, et cetera) with cosmic-ray parameters and studying their interrelations. We also present features of the coupling coefficients for different neutron monitors that enable us to make a connection from ground-level measurements to primary cosmic-ray variations outside the atmosphere and the magnetosphere. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the current version of the GSM as well as further possible developments and improvements. The method developed allows us to minimize the problems of the neutron-monitor network, which are typical for experimental physics, and to considerably enhance its advantages.     

Measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field in relation to the modulation of cosmic rays

Field strength distributions and low frequency power spectra are derived from interplanetary field measurements made by the HEOS-1 and HEOS-2 satellites during the years 1969–1973. The spectral analysis involved the use of a technique which is shown to allow correctly for missing data. Comparison spectra, derived by the same technique, are presented for the years 1963–1968. The use of mear-field-aligned co-ordinates enabled the easy separation of the transverse and longitudinal fluctuation spectra. A power law function involving a ‘break point’-frequency was fitted to each spectrum by a least squares technique. The total power level, the power spectral density at zero frequency and the correlation length are found to vary significantly and in a similar way over the solar cycle. The magnitude and phase of these variations are compared with measurements of the cosmic ray neutron monitor rate and the coronal green line intensity and the influence of mid-latitude solar phenomena on the character of the interplanetary field in the ecliptic is demonstrated. The correlation length and zero frequency power density are found to be considerably larger than previously estimated and, contrary to the usual assumption in modulation theory, the rms amplitude of the perturbation field is comparable to the mean field experienced by the high rigidity particles. Although the mean interplanetary field strength is found to be independent of the level of solar activity, during higher activity the most probable vector average decreases by approximately 0.5 γ due to the enhanced directional fluctuation in the field. Power anisotropy measurements suggest that Alfvénic disturbances in the solar wind have fluctuation spectra confined mainly to frequencies larger than 10^?3 Hz. The data are interpreted as indicating that the cosmic ray intensity in the Galaxy is some 75% larger than the intensity recorded by neutron monitors on Earth. Previous failure to find a correlation between neutron monitor intensity and interplanetary field parameters is attributed to a lack of statistical accuracy in the field data. The measured power spectra are used to estimate the magnitude of the parallel diffusion coefficient using the relationships derived by Klimas and Sandri, Jokipii, and Quenby et al.     

Tensor anisotropy of cosmic rays

Long-termobservations of the muon intensity of galactic cosmic rays at the Nagoya (35°10′ N, 136°58′ E) and Yakutsk (62°01′ N, 129°43′ E) stations have revealed amplitude-phase annual and semiannual oscillations of the semidiurnal variation. These oscillations are attributable to the properties of the cosmic-ray anisotropy tensor that result from shielding by the interplanetary magnetic field and solar-wind shear flow. The mentioned tensor is also shown to have a north-south asymmetry.     

Intensity of Cosmic Rays at the Initial Stage of a Solar Flare

The propagation of solar cosmic rays in the interplanetary space is analyzed by solving the Fokker–Planck equation in the small-angle approximation. The particle source is assumed to be instantaneous and point-like. The spatiotemporal distribution of density of energetic particles in the anisotropic phase of a solar cosmic-ray enhancement is examined. Prolonged particle injection into the interplanetary medium is also discussed.     

Charged particle acceleration in the front of the shock wave bounding supersonic solar wind

The process of cosmic ray acceleration in the front of the spherical shock wave bounding the supersonic solar wind is studied. On the basis of our analytical solution of the transport equation, the energy and spatial distributions of cosmic ray intensity and anisotropy are investigated. It is shown that the shape of accelerated particle spectrum is determined by the medium compressibility at the shock front and by cosmic ray modulation parameters.     

Introduction to Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO)

Since the century discovery of cosmic ray, the origin of cosmic ray is always a mystery. The study on the origin of high-energy cosmic ray is in an interdiscipline between the very high-energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy and the cosmic ray physics. The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) is a unique and new generation cosmic-ray station with the advantages of high altitude, all-weather, and large-scale. It takes the function of hybrid technology to detect cosmic rays and to upgrade greatly the resolving power between gamma rays and cosmic rays. The LHAASO is expected to make the full-sky survey to find new gamma-ray sources, to obtain the highest sensitivity of gamma-ray detection at the high energy band of > 30 TeV, and to make the very high precision measurement on the component energy spectra of cosmic rays in a broad energy range of 5 orders of magnitude, in order to provide the evidence for revealing the mystery of the origin of cosmic ray. This paper describes the detector structure, performance superiority and scientific motivation of the LHAASO.     

Interplanetary magnetic clouds and cosmic ray modulation

We studied the cosmic ray intensity variation due to interplanetary magnetic clouds during an unusual class of low amplitude anisotropic wave train events. The low amplitude anisotropic wave train events in cosmic ray intensity have been identified using the data of ground based Deep River neutron monitor and studied during the period 1981–1994. Even though the occurrence of low amplitude anisotropic wave trains does not depend on the onset of interplanetary magnetic clouds, but the possibility of occurrence of these events cannot be overlooked during the periods of the interplanetary magnetic cloud events. It is observed that the solar wind velocity remains higher (> 300) than normal and the interplanetary magnetic field B remains lower than normal on the onset of the interplanetary magnetic cloud during the passage of low amplitude wave trains. It is also noted that the proton density remains significantly low during high solar wind velocity, which is expected. The north south component of interplanetary magnetic field Bz turns southward to one day before the arrival of cloud and remains in the southward direction after the arrival of a cloud. During these events the cosmic ray intensity is found to increase with increase of solar wind velocity. The superposed epoch analysis of cosmic ray intensity for these events during the onset of interplanetary magnetic clouds reveals that the decrease in cosmic ray intensity starts not at the onset of the cloud but after a few days. The cosmic ray intensity increases on arrival of the magnetic cloud and decreases gradually after the passage of the magnetic cloud.