A Scintillation Hodoscope for Investigating the Muonic Component of Cosmic Rays at the Tien Shan Mountain Station

The IGY and beyond: A brief history of ground-based cosmic-ray detectors

The data of measurements taken near Elbrus in the (600÷1000) mb atmospheric-depth range are used to study the angular distribution and the altitude dependence of the cosmic-ray general and muon components. The measurements were taken with a system of scintillation telescopes at 0°, 30°, 45° and 60° zenith angles and at 100°, 80°, 65° and 40° apertures, respectively. The muon component was isolated with a 10 cm thick lead screen. The angular distribution was set in the formI(θ,h)=I0(h)[cos θ]n(h), where θ is the zenith angle,h is the atmospheric depth. Relations have been obtained which permit the parametern(h) to be plotted on the basis of the measured values of cosmic-ray intensity at various depths by using the above-mentioned four telescopes. It has been found that, ash varies from 600 to 1000 mb,n varies from 0.6 to 1.6 for the muon component and from 1.2 to 1.9 for the general component. The found altitude dependences permit the barometric coefficients to be determined for the various detection directions as functions of the pressure at the observation level.

Large-scale coherent magnetic fields observed in the nearby galaxies are thought to originate by a mean-field dynamo. This is governed via the turbulent electromotive force (EMF, $\overline{{\boldsymbol {\cal E}} {}}$) generated by the helical turbulence driven by supernova (SN) explosions in the differentially rotating interstellar medium (ISM). In this paper, we aim to investigate the possibility of dynamo action by the virtue of buoyancy due to a cosmic ray (CR) component injected through the SN explosions. We do this by analysing the magnetohydrodynamic simulations of local shearing box of ISM in which the turbulence is driven via random SN explosions and the energy of the explosion is distributed in the CR and/or thermal energy components. We use the magnetic field aligned diffusion prescription for the propagation of CR. We compare the evolution of magnetic fields in the models with the CR component to our previous models that did not involve the CR. We demonstrate that the inclusion of CR component enhances the growth of dynamo slightly. We further compute the underlying dynamo coefficients using the test-field method and argue that the entire evolution of the large-scale mean magnetic field can be reproduced with an α − Ω dynamo model. We also show that the inclusion of CR component leads to an unbalanced turbulent pumping between magnetic field components and additional dynamo action by the Rädler effect.

A new generation magnetic spectrometer in space will open the opportunity to investigate the frontiers in direct high-energy cosmic ray measurements and to precisely measure the amount of the rare antimatter component in cosmic rays beyond the reach of current missions. We propose the concept for an Antimatter Large Acceptance Detector In Orbit (ALADInO), designed to take over the legacy of direct measurements of cosmic rays in space performed by PAMELA and AMS-02. ALADInO features technological solutions conceived to overcome the current limitations of magnetic spectrometers in space with a layout that provides an acceptance larger than 10 m2 sr. A superconducting magnet coupled to precision tracking and time-of-flight systems can provide the required matter–antimatter separation capabilities and rigidity measurement resolution with a Maximum Detectable Rigidity better than 20 TV. The inner 3D-imaging deep calorimeter, designed to maximize the isotropic acceptance of particles, allows for the measurement of cosmic rays up to PeV energies with accurate energy resolution to precisely measure features in the cosmic ray spectra. The operations of ALADInO in the Sun–Earth L2 Lagrangian point for at least 5 years would enable unique revolutionary observations with groundbreaking discovery potentials in the field of astroparticle physics by precision measurements of electrons, positrons, and antiprotons up to 10 TeV and of nuclear cosmic rays up to PeV energies, and by the possible unambiguous detection and measurement of low-energy antideuteron and antihelium components in cosmic rays.

The strong variations in cosmic rays observed by the Carpet air shower array at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory (Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences) during thunderstorms are shown to have different origins. One type of event in particular is discussed: when disturbances in the intensities of the muon and electron-photon components of cosmic rays take place simultaneously. The correlations of these disturbances with variations in the geomagnetic field are presented and interpreted as a manifestation of a single physical process in the upper atmosphere. Details of this process are discussed.

Direct detection of p+, p−, e+, e−, muons, d and He

Studies of the isotopic composition of nuclei in the cosmic radiation are reviewed, including abundances of the isotopes of elements from H to Ni (nuclear charge 1<Z<28), and their implications for cosmic ray origin, acceleration, and transport in the Galaxy. The review focuses on determinations of the composition of cosmic ray source material, and the extent to which the isotopic composition of this material is different from, or similar to, typical solar system material and other samples of Galactic matter. Theoretical models that have been advanced to explain the observed overabundance of neutron‐rich isotopes in cosmic rays are described. Also discussed are studies of various radioactive ‘‘clocks’’ that record the time‐scales associated with the nucleosynthesis, acceleration, and transport of cosmic ray nuclei, and studies of the so‐called ‘‘anomalous’’ cosmic ray component, thought to represent a sample of the neutral interstellar medium. Finally, the goals and prospects for future cosmic ray isotope spectrometers are described.

Centauro as probe of deeply penetrating component in cosmic rays

Supernova explosions of massive stars and cosmic rays

Correction of meteorological effects on muon component of secondary cosmic rays significantly extends the usability of muon monitors. We propose a new data driven empirical method for correction of meteorological effects on muon component of secondary cosmic rays, based on multivariate analysis. Several multivariate algorithms implemented in Toolkit for Multivariate Data Analysis with ROOT framework are trained and then applied to correct muon count rate for barometric and temperature effects. The effect of corrections on periodic and aperiodic cosmic ray variations is analyzed and compared with integral correction method, as well as with neutron monitor data. The best results are achieved by the application of linear discriminant method, which increases sensitivity of our muon detector to cosmic ray variations beyond other commonly used methods.

Recent measurements of the spectra and anisotropy of cosmic rays (CRs) show a fine structure that reflects the spectral hardenings of CRs nuclei at the rigidity R ∼ 200 GV followed by softenings at R ∼ 10 TV, and reveal complicated energy dependence of the amplitude and phase of anisotropy from 100 GeV to PeV. Numerous studies have shown that the existence of nearby CR sources and a local interstellar magnetic field (LIMF) near the solar system are crucial for such CR spectral and anisotropic patterns. In this work, we analyze the CR spectra of different CR components and the anisotropy considering the nearby Geminga supernova remnants (SNRs) source. In the calculation process, we also introduce the anisotropic diffusion of CRs induced by the LIMF based on the spatial-dependent propagation (SDP) model. As a result, our model can simultaneously account for the CR spectra and the anisotropy from 100 GeV to PeV. Future high-precision measurements of the CR anisotropy, for example, by the LHAASO experiment, would be of the essence in the assessment of our proposed model.

This document provides a detailed study of materials used to shield against the hadronic particles from cosmic ray showers at Earth’s surface. This work was motivated by the need for a shield that minimizes activation of the enriched germanium during transport for the MAJORANA collaboration. The materials suitable for cosmic-ray shield design are materials such as lead and iron that will stop the primary protons, and materials like polyethylene, borated polyethylene, concrete and water that will stop the induced neutrons. The interaction of the different cosmic-ray components at ground level (protons, neutrons, muons) with their wide energy range (from kilo-electron volts to giga-electron volts) is a complex calculation. Monte Carlo calculations have proven to be a suitable tool for the simulation of nucleon transport, including hadron interactions and radioactive isotope production. The industry standard Monte Carlo simulation tool, Geant4, was used for this study. The result of this study is the assertion that activation at Earth’s surface is a result of the neutronic and protonic components of the cosmic-ray shower. The best material to shield against these cosmic-ray components is iron, which has the best combination of primary shielding and minimal secondary neutron production.

A time-independent linear stability analysis is performed on a self-gravitating, plane-parallel, isothermal layer of nonrotating gas with magnetic and cosmic-ray components. The gas layer is immersed in a rigid plane-stratified isothermal layer of stars which supply a self-consistent gravitational field. The stability analysis is confined to disturbances which propagate along the magnetic field. The principal result to emerge from this study is that the magnetic field and cosmic-ray gas hinder gravitational instability, increasing the minimum length necessary to produce instability approximately by the factor (1 + a + )112, where a is the ratio of magnetic pressure to gas pressure and P is the ratio of cosmic-ray pressure to gas pressure. The author has recently shown that a similar result applies when disturbances propagate across the magnetic field. Subject headings: cosmic rays - hydromagnetics - instabilities

Identification of the light nuclei component of cosmic rays with the PAMELA experiment

The experimental confirmation of the presence of a penetrating component in cosmic rays is presented. Unlike previous experiments, it is shown that the component is not born in the lead of the detectors, but is present in the primary radiation. In this case, the particles forming the penetrating component must be stable. Among the nuclear-active particles, there are only two stable variants. These are nuclei, among which the most penetrating are protons, and hypothetical particles of strange quark matter—strangelets (quasi-nuclei). The analysis of the muon component is not consistent with the proton variant.