Cosmic rays below 15 GeV and the current rising solar activity phase

Abstract

The cosmic ray component in the range of energies below 15 GeV is strongly affected by transient phenomena related to solar activity. Cosmic rays and solar particles with energies between 0.5 and 15 GeV can be observed by neutron monitors at ground level. In absence of solar activity, the background counting rate registered by neutron monitors is dominated by the galactic cosmic ray component, showing only long-term variations correlated with the solar cycle. During active periods, short-term temporal variations can be observed in close association with solar activity phenomena such as flares and coronal mass ejections. Most of these transients can produce a strong response in the magnetosphere. The aim of this work is to study the relationship between neutron monitor measurements and the magnetospheric response observed in Dst index, paying special attention to their connection with solar transient phenomena during the current rising solar activity phase.