36. The 27-day variation in cosmic ray intensity and in geomagnetic activity

Abstract

The amplitude of the average 27-day wave in cosmic ray intensity, at Huancayo, Peru, and its phase relative to that for the 27-day wave in international magnetic character figure (ICF) is determined from results of harmonic analysis of data for each of 246 intervals (or solar rotations) of 27 days. From these data, the variability of which is essential for tests of statistical significance, the amplitude of the average 27-day wave in cosmic ray intensity and its phase relative to that in geomagnetic activity is determined for each of three groups of solar rotations selected according to the average of the amplitudes of the 27-day waves in magnetic activity. A fourth group contained only 27-day intervals in which large cosmic ray decreases occurred. Relative to that in magnetic activity, the phase of the 27-day wave in cosmic ray intensity is found for the averages, to be the same for the four groups.The maxima of the average cosmic ray waves occur about 1·5 days after the minima of the corresponding waves in ICF. In general, the amplitude of the average 27-day wave in cosmic ray intensity, in the co-ordinate system in which its phase is relative to that of the 27-day wave in ICF tends to be greater for the selected groups of rotations with larger average ICF amplitudes. For most years near sunspot minimum the amplitude of the 27-day cosmic ray wave does not differ significantly from zero.Bartels found for 27-day waves in ICF the effective number of statistically independent 27-day waves for N successive solar rotations to be N/3; the number found for cosmic ray intensity is N/2. Thus, on the average the 27-day recurrence tendency is less for cosmic ray intensity than for magnetic activity.