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Results for “Cosmic ray composition & spectra”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Charge composition and energy spectra of cosmic-ray nuclei at energies above 5 GeV per nucleon

A scintillation-Cerenkov counter telescope, with three gas Cerenkov counters for energy determination between 5 and 90 GeV per nucleon, has been exposed for a net total of 4.5 sq m sr hr in two balloon flights in 1974. The measurement yields the chemical composition and energy spectra of cosmic-ray nuclei in the charge range 5-28. The differential spectral indices of oxygen and of the iron group are measured to be 2.67 plus or minus 0.04 and 2.5 plus or minus 0.08 above 5.4 GeV per nucleon, respectively. The results are interpreted in the context of the 'leaky-box' model of cosmic-ray confinement and propagation.

Caldwell, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Anomalous composition and energy spectra of cosmic rays below 20 MeV/nucleon

The relative abundances and energy spectra of C, N, O, Ne, and Fe are investigated as a function of the interplanetary low energy proton intensity using observations obtained over a 17-month period by IMP-8. The oxygen intensity was enhanced when proton activity was at its lowest level, while all other heavy elements almost disappeared. Nuclei of less than 3 MeV/nucleon showed a strong intensity fluctuation strongly correlated with the interplanetary proton flux and displayed a velocity anisotropy along the garden-hose angle, indicating that they are of solar origin. The anomalous oxygen hump between 3 and 20 MeV is apparently not of solar origin. The observations are compatible with the model proposed by Fisk et al. (1974), in which these oxygen nuclei are considered to be interstellar neutral oxygen atoms which are ionized and accelerated to the observed energies by magnetic field irregularities in the outer solar system.

Klecker, B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Cosmic ray charge and energy spectra above 10 GeV

The composition and energy spectra of cosmic rays above 1.6 nJ (10 GeV) on balloons and ultimately on the HEAO satellite is discussed. Some results from a balloon flight in November of 1970 are presented. The instrument is shown schematically. It is designed to identify cosmic ray electrons, protons, and nuclei up through iron and to measure their energies.

Ormes, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Superbubbles and Local Cosmic Rays

We consider the possibility that distinctive features of the local cosmic ray spectra and composition are influenced by the Solar system being embedded within the cavity of an ancient superbubble. Shifts in the measured cosmic ray composition between 10(exp 11) and 10(exp 20) eV as well as the "knee" and "second knee" may be understood in this picture.

Streitmatter, Robert E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spectra, composition, and interactions of nuclei with magnet interaction chambers

Emulsion chambers will be flown in the Astromag Facility to measure the cosmic ray composition and spectra to 10 exp 15 eV total energy and to definitively study the characteristics of nucleus-nucleus interactions above 10 exp 12 eV/n. Two configurations of emulsion chambers will be flown in the SCIN/MAGIC experiment. One chamber has an emulsion target and a calorimeter similar to those recently flown on balloons for composition and spectra measurements. The other has an identical calorimeter and a low-density target section optimized for performing rigidity measurements on charged particles produced in interactions. The transverse momenta of charged and neutral mesons, direct hadronic pairs from resonance decays and interference effects, and possible charge clustering in high-density states of matter will be studied.

Parneil, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Status of LDEF ionizing radiation measurements and analysis

At this symposium significant new data and analyses were reported in cosmic ray research, radiation dosimetry, induced radioactivity, and radiation environment modeling. Measurements of induced radioactivity and absorbed dose are nearly complete, but much analysis and modeling remains. Measurements and analyses of passive nuclear track detectors (PNTD), used to derive the cosmic ray composition and spectra, and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra, are only a few percent complete, but important results have already emerged. As one might expect at this stage of the research, some of the new information has produced questions rather than answers. Low-energy heavy nuclei detected by two experiments are not compatible with known solar or cosmic components. Various data sets on absorbed dose are not consistent, and a new trapped proton environment model does not match the absorbed dose data. A search for cosmogenic nuclei other than Be-7 on Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) surfaces has produced an unexpected result, and some activation data relating to neutrons is not yet understood. Most of these issues will be resolved by the analysis of further experiment data, calibrations, or the application of the large LDEF data set that offers alternate data or analysis techniques bearing on the same problem. The scope of the papers at this symposium defy a compact technical summary. I have attempted to group the new information that I noted into the following groups: induced radioactivity; absorbed dose measurements; LET spectra and heavy ion dosimetry; environment modeling and three dimensional shielding effects; cosmogenic nuclei; and cosmic rays and other heavy ions. The papers generally are expository and have excellent illustrations, and I refer to their figures rather than reproduce them here. The general program and objectives of ionizing radiation measurements and analyses on LDEF has been described previously.

Parnell, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Composition and spectra of primary cosmic-ray electrons and nuclei above 10 GeV

Recent experiments have extended the knowledge of the flux and energy spectra of individual cosmic-ray components to much higher energies than had previously been accessible. Both electron and nuclear components show a behavior at high energy which is unexpected, and which carries information regarding the sources and the propagation of particles between sources and observer. Electromagnetic interactions which are suffered by the electrons in interstellar space should steepen their spectrum, a steepening that would reveal the average lifetime a cosmic-ray particle spends in the galaxy. Measurements up to 1000 GeV show no such steepening. It was discovered that the composition of the nuclear species which is now measured up to 100 GeV/nucleon changes with energy. This change indicates traversal of less interstellar matter by the high energy particles than by those of lower energy.-

Meyer, P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Cosmic ray spectrum of protons plus helium nuclei between 6 and 158 TeV from HAWC data

Here, a measurement with high statistics of the differential energy spectrum of light elements in cosmic rays, in particular, of primary H plus He nuclei, is reported. The spectrum is presented in the energy range from 6 to 158 TeV per nucleus. Data was collected with the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory between June 2015 and June 2019. The analysis was based on a Bayesian unfolding procedure, which was applied on a subsample of vertical HAWC data that was enriched to 82% of events induced by light nuclei. To achieve the mass separation, a cut on the lateral age of air shower data was set guided by predictions of CORSIKA/QGSJET-II-04 simulations. The measured spectrum is consistent with a broken power-law spectrum and shows a kneelike feature at around E = 24.0$^{+3.6}_{-3.1}$ TeV , with a spectral index γ = -2.51 ± 0.02 before the break and with γ = -2.83 ± 0.02 above it. The feature has a statistical significance of 4.1σ. Within systematic uncertainties, the significance of the spectral break is 0.8σ.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Deep Space Test Bed for Radiation Studies

A key factor affecting the technical feasibility and cost of missions to Mars or the Moon is the need to protect the crew from ionizing radiation in space. Some analyses indicate that large amounts of spacecraft shielding may be necessary for crew safety. The shielding requirements are driven by the need to protect the crew from Galactic cosmic rays (GCR). Recent research activities aimed at enabling manned exploration have included shielding materials studies. A major goal of this research is to develop accurate radiation transport codes to calculate the shielding effectiveness of materials and to develop effective shielding strategies for spacecraft design. Validation of these models and calculations must be addressed in a relevant radiation environment to assure their technical readiness and accuracy. Test data obtained in the deep space radiation environment can provide definitive benchmarks and yield uncertainty estimates of the radiation transport codes. The two approaches presently used for code validation are ground based testing at particle accelerators and flight tests in high-inclination low-earth orbits provided by the shuttle, free-flyer platforms, or polar-orbiting satellites. These approaches have limitations in addressing all the radiation-shielding issues of deep space missions in both technical and practical areas. An approach based on long duration high altitude polar balloon flights provides exposure to the galactic cosmic ray composition and spectra encountered in deep space at a lower cost and with easier and more frequent access than afforded with spaceflight opportunities. This approach also results in shorter development times than spaceflight experiments, which is important for addressing changing program goals and requirements.

Adams, James H.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Results from the Helios galactic and solar cosmic ray experiment (E7)

Energy spectra, charge composition, and flow patterns of solar and galactic cosmic rays were investigated using three nuclear-particle telescopes on Helios to measure electrons (50 keV to 8 MeV) protons (100 eV to 800 MeV) alpha particles (to 600 MeV per nucleon) heavier elements up to neon, (to 200 MeV per nucleon). The experiment includes a proportional counter to monitor solar X-rays in the range 2 to 8 keV. A collection of solar flare associated particle events are observed whereby coronal effects and spatial distribution of flare particles are determined over almost a whole solar cycle; a typical solar particle events are also observed. Earlier explanations concerning corotating energetic particle streams in the inner and outer solar system are confirmed. Solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays is identified. Gamma ray bursts are detected and the sources in the sky are precisely determined, proving the suspected galactic origin.

Trainor, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Abundances and spectra for cosmic-ray nuclei from lithium to iron for 2 to 150 GeV per nucleon

Measurements of primary cosmic-ray composition and energy spectra made with a balloon-borne superconducting magnetic spectrometer are described. Results for both 6.7 g/sq cm equivalent vertical atmospheric depth and the top of the atmosphere are presented for the absolute and relative integral abundances, the differential energy spectra, and the spectral indices for cosmic-ray nuclei from Li to Fe and energies of 2 to 50 GeV/n. It is found that propagation effects can explain essentially all the elemental abundances, that the abundances of Li, Be, and B for rigidities below 10 GV/c are consistent with an energy-independent mean interstellar path length of 4.5 + or - 0.5 g/sq cm for the 'leaky box' propagation model, that the abundances of all elements above 10 GV/c are consistent with a path length that decreases as the inverse n-th power of rigidity, and that n equals 0.6 (+0.4, -0.3) for the simplest assumptions made in fitting the source spectra.

Orth, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1995

SAMPEX studies of anomalous cosmic rays using the geomagnetic field

We report new measurements of the composition and energy spectra of anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs) made with the MAST instrument of SAMPEX. The 82 deg orbit on SAMPEX allows MAST to survey the magnetic latitude distribution of energetic particles with greater than 15 MeV/nuc. Because ACRs are singly-charged, they have a much greater magnetic rigidity than solar energetic particles or galactic cosmic rays with the same energy/nuc, and can be observed to much lower latitude. This allows SAMPEX to employ the Earth's field as a magnetic filter to obtain a 'pure' sample of ACR nuclei, uncontaminated by solar particles or galactic cosmic rays. We report new measurements of the composition and energy spectra of 'anomalous' nuclei from He to Fe observed by this 'double spectrometer' approach. In particular, the energy spectrum of ACR oxygen is observed to extend to approximately 100 MeV/nucleon, which has implications for the ACR acceleration mechanism.

Mewaldt, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The Spacelab 2 mission - An overview

A summary is presented of the results of experiments on the Spacelab 2 mission, which was flown on the Shuttle Orbiter between July 29 and August 6, 1985. The background and flight of the mission and the payload configuration are examined. The experiments include the Ejectable Plasma Diagnostics Package, Vehicle Charging and Potential Experiment, and plasma detection experiments. Life science experiments include studies of the effects of spaceflight on the growth of plant tissues and perturbations of bone and calcium homeostasis in flight crew members. Solar studies include the Solar UV Spectral Irradiance Monitor, the Coronal Helium Abundance Spacelab Experiment, the High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph, the Solar Magnetic and Velocity Field Measurement System, and the Solar Optical Universal Polarimeter. Additional experiments include observations with a small He-cooler IR telescope, Hard X-ray imaging of galaxy clusters and extended X-ray sources, the composition and energy spectra of cosmic ray nuclei, and the properties of superfluid He in zero gravity.

Urban, Eugene W.↗