Minor Ground Level Enhancements in the Solar Cosmic Rays in the 24th Solar Activity Cycle

Abstract

The first (preliminary) results of a systematic search for minor ground level enhancement (GLEs) in solar cosmic rays (SCRs) in the 24th solar activity cycle are presented. The search was conducted based on the data of the global network of neutron monitors with allowance for the results of direct satellite measurements. The initial assumption is that such increases point to the possible acceleration of solar particles in shock waves, which are generated by coronal mass ejections. The shape of the integral spectrum of the accelerated particles according to observations of neutron monitors and measurements from near-Earth space vehicles could serve as a determinant for checking that hypothesis. Studying the spectra manifests an informativity of our approach to a better understanding of SCR source properties.