The time profile of relativistic solar particle events as observed by neutron monitors

Abstract

The most energetic particles accelerated in solar eruptive events are protons and nuclei with energies that may reach a few tens of GeV. They can be detected on the Earth through the secondaries they produce when interacting with the atmosphere. Solar energetic particle events where this happens are called Ground-Level Enhancements (GLEs). Their study is relevant on the one hand because the high particle energies pose particularly strong challenges to the understanding of the acceleration processes. On the other hand, the secondary particles constitute a source of radiation in the atmosphere that may temporarily exceed the permanent dose rate from galactic cosmic rays. This makes the monitoring of radiation doses received by aircrew from GLEs one issue of space weather services for civil aviation. This study addresses the time profiles of GLEs, in the search for commonalities that can be used to constrain models of acceleration and propagation and to forecast the evolution of an ongoing event. We investigate historical GLEs (1971–2012) with the worldwide network of neutron monitors, comparing the rise and the decay as observed by the neutron monitor with the strongest response. The sample comprises 23 events. We evaluate statistical correlations between rise time and decay time inferred from fits to the time profiles and compute a normalised median GLE time profile. An empirical correlation reported in earlier work between the observed rise times and decay times of the neutron monitor count rate profiles is confirmed. We find indications of a statistical relationship between the rise times and the parent eruptive activity. We discuss ideas on the mechanisms behind the correlation of rise and decay times and on its usefulness for space weather services.