Integral Excitation Functions as a Tool to Decipher the Solar Record in Extraterrestrial Matter

Abstract

A large variety of stable and radioactive nuclides is produced by the interaction of cosmic ray particles with extraterrestrial matter. In order to interpret these cosmogenic nuclides in lunar samples, in meteorites and cosmic dust, one has to differentiate between p- and α-induced reactions with solar and galactic cosmic rays. Particularly, for a satisfactory description of the interaction of solar particles with dense matter, a detailed knowledge of the cross section of the respective nuclear reactions is necessary. On the basis of integral excitation functions, model calculations of the depth dependent radionuclide productions by solar protons and α-particles in the lunar surface and in meteorites are presented. Theoretical profiles are compared with experimental data and several cosmochemical applications are discussed, concerning questions about the constancy of the cosmic radiation in time and space.