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Results for “PROTON BELT”

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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1965

On the origin of outer-belt protons. i.

Energy spectra variation with pitch angle and L of relatively stable 0.1- to 5-mev protons in outer radiation belt indicate external source

OUTER RADIATION BELT↗
NASA NTRS1980

Middle atmosphere NO/x/ production due to ion propulsion induced radiation belt proton precipitation

The suggestion that keV Ar(+) resulting from ion propulsion operations during solar power satellite construction could cause energetic proton precipitation from the inner radiation belt is examined to determine if such precipitation could cause significant increases in middle atmosphere nitric oxide concentrations thereby adversely affecting stratospheric ozone. It is found that the initial production rate of NO (mole/cu cm-sec) at 50 km is 130 times that due to nitrous oxide reacting with excited oxygen. However, since the time required to empty the inner belt of protons is about 1 sec and short compared to the replenishment time due to neutron decay, precipitation of inner radiation belt protons will have no adverse atmospheric environmental effect.

Aikin, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A study of equatorial inner belt protons from 2 to 200 MeV

The diffusion theory of inner belt protons is extended to lower energies for comparison with the data of Hovestadt et al. The effects of Coulomb energy loss, nuclear inelastic scattering, and the secular decrease of the earth's magnetic field are included. The Farley and Walt solar cycle averaged atmosphere and a neutron source based on the most recent measurements are used. It is found that diffusion theory can account for the observed flux of low-energy protons provided that the diffusion coefficient increases at smaller values of the first invariant. This result is interpreted as additional evidence for the importance of electrostatic field fluctuations in causing radial diffusion.

Claflin, E. S.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Effect of the orbital debris environment on the high-energy Van Allen proton belt

The lifetimes of high-energy (greater than 55 MeV) protons in the Van Allen radiation belt are calculated, assuming that in time the protons will collide with and be absorbed by particulate orbiting material. The calculations are based on the NASA/DoD Civil Needs Database for orbital debris (Gaines, 1966) and moderate assumptions of future space traffic. It is found that the lifetimes of high-energy protons below 1500 km will decrease, leading to a noticeable redution in their fluxes.

Konradi, Andrei↗
NASA NTRS1979

Simultaneous quiet time observations of energetic radiation belt protons and helium ions - The equatorial alpha/p ratio near 1 MeV

Simultaneous monitoring of energetic helium ions and protons in the earth's radiation belts has been conducted with Explorer 45 in the immediate vicinity of the equatorial plane. Protons were measured from less than 1 keV to 1.6 MeV and also above 3.3 MeV in a channel responsive up to 22 MeV; helium ions were monitored in three passbands: 910 keV to 3.15 MeV, 590 to 910 keV, and 2.0 to 3.99 MeV. Alpha/proton flux ratios were found to vary significantly with energy and location in the radiation belts. At equal energy per nucleon a range of variability for alpha/p from 0.0001 to well above 0.001 was found, and at equal energy per ion the corresponding variability was from 0.001 to above 10. The latter findings emphasize the relative importance of the very energetic helium ions in the overall radiation belt ion populations.

Fritz, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2007

Effect of Thermospheric Neutral Density upon Inner Trapped-belt Proton Flux

We wish to point out that a secular change in the Earth's atmospheric neutral density alters charged-particle lifetime in the inner trapped radiation belts, in addition to the changes recently reported as produced by greenhouse gases. Heretofore, changes in neutral density have been of interest primarily because of their effect on the orbital drag of satellites. We extend this to include the orbital lifetime of charged particles in the lower radiation belts. It is known that the charged-belt population is coupled to the neutral density of the atmosphere through changes induced by solar activity, an effect produced by multiple scattering off neutral and ionized atoms along with ionization loss in the thermosphere where charged and neutral populations interact. It will be shown here that trapped-belt flux J is bivariant in energy E and thermospheric neutral density , as J(E,rho). One can conclude that proton lifetimes in these belts are also directly affected by secular changes in the neutral species populating the Earth s thermosphere. This result is a consequence of an intrinsic property of charged-particle flux, that flux is not merely a function of E but is dependent upon density rho when a background of neutrals is present.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Simplified Solar Modulation Model of Inner Trapped Belt Proton Flux As a Function of Atmospheric Density

No simple algorithm seems to exist for calculating proton fluxes and lifetimes in the Earth's inner, trapped radiation belt throughout the solar cycle. Most models of the inner trapped belt in use depend upon AP8 which only describes the radiation environment at solar maximum and solar minimum in Cycle 20. One exception is NOAAPRO which incorporates flight data from the TIROS/NOAA polar orbiting spacecraft. The present study discloses yet another, simple formulation for approximating proton fluxes at any time in a given solar cycle, in particular between solar maximum and solar minimum. It is derived from AP8 using a regression algorithm technique from nuclear physics. From flux and its time integral fluence, one can then approximate dose rate and its time integral dose. It has already been published in this journal that the absorbed dose rate, D, in the trapped belts exhibits a power law relationship, D = A(rho)(sup -n), where A is a constant, rho is the atmospheric density, and the index n is weakly dependent upon shielding. However, that method does not work for flux and fluence. Instead, we extend this idea by showing that the power law approximation for flux J is actually bivariant in energy E as well as density rho. The resulting relation is J(E,rho)approx.(sum of)A(E(sup n))rho(sup -n), with A itself a power law in E. This provides another method for calculating approximate proton flux and lifetime at any time in the solar cycle. These in turn can be used to predict the associated dose and dose rate.

Wilson, Thomas L.↗