Long-term (50 years) measurements of cosmic ray fluxes in the atmosphere
Section snippets
Brief history
In the 1950s academician S.N. Vernov (Fig. 1) suggested to perform the regular balloon borne measurements of cosmic ray (CR) fluxes in the Earth’s atmosphere. The main goals of the experiment included a study of galactic CR modulation processes, acceleration mechanism of charged particles in powerful solar flares and propagation of solar particles in the interplanetary space. In the middle of 1957 S.N. Vernov together with his friend professor A.N. Charakhchyan (Fig. 2) started this experiment.
Devices for cosmic ray flux monitoring in the atmosphere
The devices used in the measurements of charged particles in the atmosphere include detectors of particles, standard radiosondes, ground-based facility for receiving of radio signals from sounds, and installations to calibrate particle detectors and pressure sensors.
The method of radio pulse transmission from each particle registered with detectors is used to get the information on particle flux in the atmosphere. Also we have got the information from the pressure sensor at the several
Sites and time intervals of regular measurements: the experimental data
In each flight of a radiosonde we obtain the data on omnidirectional and vertical fluxes of charged particles versus altitude (the atmospheric pressure) from the ground level up to 30–35 km. The measurements are carried out at the latitudes with different geomagnetic cutoff Rc. For the data analysis we use the atmosphere as a natural calorimeter for particles. At each level of pressure in the atmosphere the count rate of detectors is defined by primary particles with rigidity above some cutoff Ra
Galactic cosmic rays
It is useful to analyze CR fluxes at the maximum of absorption curves Nm where we have high statistics and avoid possible uncertainties from pressure sensors. In Fig. 9 the time dependences of monthly averaged values of omnidirectional flux Nm are depicted for the northern and southern polar regions (Rc = 0.6 and 0.03 GV correspondingly) and for the middle latitude (Rc = 2.4 GV). The CR variations due to 11-year cycles of solar activity and 22-year solar magnetic cycles are distinctly seen.
The
Solar cosmic rays
One of the first achievements of regular balloon measurements of charged particles in the atmosphere was the discovery of rather frequent intrusions of solar CRs in the Earth’s atmosphere (Rymko et al., 1959, Charakhchyan et al., 1960). During the periods of high solar activity the rate of solar CR events at polar latitudes in the stratosphere appeared to be around 5 per year, whereas only six events were recorded by the ground-based installations in 1942–1956. The balloon measurements were the
Observations of energetic electron precipitation into the polar atmosphere
It is known that during geomagnetic disturbances the electrons trapped and accelerated in the Earth’s magnetosphere can precipitate into the atmosphere. The main physical processes of energy deposition in the atmosphere by electrons are bremsstrahlung, elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons. So the precipitating electrons are practically absorbed at altitudes ∼70–100 km (in about 1 g cm−2 of atmospheric depth). However, the bremsstrahlung X-rays generated by these electrons penetrate inward
Cosmic rays and atmospheric processes
The main part of energy of CRs (∼65%) falling on the top of the atmosphere is absorbed in it. But in comparison with the solar electromagnetic energy flux the value of CR energy flux is less by a factor of ∼108. So, at first glance everybody can say that it is not necessary to take into account CRs when atmospheric processes are analyzed. However, such point of view is wrong. Cosmic rays provide a main part of ionization in the bulk of the atmosphere, and thus are main contributors to all
Conclusion
The long-term sets of data obtained from the regular balloon measurements of CR fluxes in the atmosphere from the middle of 1957 up to present time allow to study various natural phenomena such as modulation processes of cosmic rays with energy 0.1–20 GeV, interplanetary propagation of charged particles accelerated during explosive energy releases on the Sun, precipitation of high-energy magnetosphere electrons into the atmosphere, to control radiation in the atmosphere, to investigate a role of
Acknowledgments
This work is partly supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grants Nos. 07-02-01019, 08-02-01018k, 08-02-00054, and 08-02-91006.
The authors thank the reviewers for their helpful comments and remarks on this manuscript.
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