Abstract
The near-Earth cosmic ray flux has been monitored for more than 70 years by a network of ground-based neutron monitors (NMs). With the ever-increasing importance of quantifying the radiation risk and effects of cosmic rays for, e.g., air and space-travel, it is essential to continue operating the existing NM stations, while expanding this crucial network. In this paper, we discuss a smaller and cost-effective version of the traditional NM, the mini-NM. These monitors can be deployed with ease, even to extremely remote locations, where they operate in a semi-autonomous fashion. We believe that the mini-NM, therefore, offers the opportunity to increase the sensitivity and expand the coverage of the existing NM network, making this network more suitable to near-real-time monitoring for space weather applications. In this paper, we present the technical details of the mini-NM’s design and operation, and present a summary of the initial tests and science results.
Highlights
Cosmic rays, including sporadic solar energetic particle (SEP) events, are the dominant source of hazardous atmospheric radiation at, and above, aviation altitudes, making the long-term monitoring of cosmic ray levels essential
ICAO requires groundbased cosmic ray observations that can serve as a proxy for the levels of radiation at aviation altitudes, making the neutron monitor (NM) a reference space weather instrument for aviation dosimetry studies, and more generally for monitoring the levels of cosmic radiation that may cause unwanted effects, including single-event upsets, in avionics and other sensitive electronics devices
The high altitude polar location makes these mini-NMs exceptionally sensitive to low-energy cosmic rays, which is important for registration of SEPs
Summary
Cosmic rays, including sporadic solar energetic particle (SEP) events, are the dominant source of hazardous atmospheric radiation at, and above, aviation altitudes, making the long-term monitoring of cosmic ray levels essential. The latter is especially important since the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO’s) recent amendments to the meteorological procedures to include space weather warnings and/or predictions as part of. Once the atmospheric yield functions are known, continuous spectral information about cosmic ray modulation (primary spectra above the atmosphere and magnetosphere) can be obtained from neutron monitor differential response functions These response functions can be derived from the count rates of the worldwide neutron monitor network if individual NMs are intercalibrated (e.g., Moraal et al, 2001). We describe the most recent version of the mini-NM, including mechanical design, electronics systems, and software implemented, along with initial tests of the data acquired
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