Solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their associated high-energy particles can harm astronauts and instrumentations in space. CMEs can also impact the Earth's magnetosphere and create colorful aurora. Energy of solar particles to be investigated ___by AMS is much higher than energy of particles visualized by the aurora.

AURINGON TUTKIMUS AMS-SPEKTROMETRILLÄ FINNISH CONSORTIUM FOR SOLAR RESEARCH WITH ALPHA MAGNETIC SPECTROMETER ON

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Space Research Laboratory Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory University of Turku University of Oulu

CME

Coronal wave

ABSTRACT

The project is aimed at investigating the poorly understood origin of relativistic solar particles. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) on the International Space Station (ISS) makes possible the precise direct measurement of these particles in space for the first time. The very large collecting power of AMS combined with an operational energy range extending to very high energies with excellent ion identification capabilities makes AMS an exceptional instrument.

Many observations indicate that the widely accepted hypothesis explaining the origin of solar particle events by simply dividing them in two classes corresponding to solar flares and interplanetary shock waves is not a sufficient explanation. The sources of relativistic particles may differ from those of the lower energy ones. To investigate the acceleration mechanisms of relativistic solar particles, AMS observations are combined with those of the ERNE instrument on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, with observations of the world-wide network of neutron monitors and with measurements of electromagnetic radiation at various wavelengths.

J. Torsti, L. Kocharov, M. Teittinen, and B. J. Thompson (1999) Astrophysical J., 510, 460.

L. Kocharov, M. J. Reiner, A. Klassen, B. J. Thompson, and E. Valtonen, (2010) Astrophysical J, 725, 2262.

THE CORE TEAM IN FINLAND

Prof. Eino Valtonen, consortium leader, University of Turku

Prof. Ilya Usoskin, sub-project PI, University of Oulu

Prof. Leon Kocharov, SGO, University of Oulu

Dr. Markus Battarbee, SRL, University of Turku

MSc Esa Riihonen, SRL, University of Turku

MSc Timo Eronen, SRL, University of Turku

MAIN COLLABORATORS ABROAD

INFN & Perugia University, Perugia, ITALY

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, U.S.A.

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, U.S.A.

Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto, California, U.S.A.

Max-Planck Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Katlenburg-Lindau, GERMANY

Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, GERMANY

Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, FRANCE

Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daejeon, KOREA

AURINGON TUTKIMUS AMS-SPEKTROMETRILLÄ

KANSAINVÄLISELLÄ AVARUUSASEMALLA

Tutkimme Auringon relativististen hiukkasten alkuperää, jota ei toistaiseksi ymmärretä. AMS (Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer) tarjoaa ensimmäisen kerran mahdollisuuden näiden hiukkasten suoraan mittaamiseen avaruudessa. AMS:n suuri hiukkasten keräyskyky ja tarkka, suuriin energioihin yltävä toiminta-alue yhdistettynä erinomaiseen hiukkasten tunnistamiskykyyn tekevät AMS:ista täysin poikkeuksellisen Auringon hiukkasten tutkimuslaitteen.

Monet havainnot viittaavat siihen, että nykyään laajalti hyväksytty Auringon hiukkapurkausten luokittelu ei ole riittävä. Relativistisen energia-alueen hiukkasten lähteet voivat olla erilaiset verrattuna pienienergiaisempien hiukkasten lähteisiin. Relativististen hiukkasten kiihdytysmekanismien ymmärtämiseksi yhdistämme AMS:n havainnot Turun yliopiston SOHO/ERNE-instrumentin havaintoihin, maailmanlaajuisen neutronimonitoriverkoston havaintoihin sekä eri aallonpituuksilla tehtäviin sähkömagneettisen säteilyn mittauksiin.

The newly-installed Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS). NASA astronauts A. Feustel and G. Chamitoff (space shuttle STS-134 mission) appear tiny when compared to their surroundings during the mission's first spacewalk outside the International Space Station on May 20, 2011.

AMS

ISS

AMS particle instrument on International Space Station

Solar energetic particles (SEPs)

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections can trigger both global coronal waves (Moreton waves) on the Sun and CME-driven shock waves in the interplanetary medium. Both of them may be responsible for emission of high-energy protons, helium and other ions affecting the Earth’s space environment. The ERNE particle instrument on Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft can detect particles in the ~1-100 MeV energy range. The new AMS instrument on International Space Station enables high-resolution measurements at much higher energies, up to ~1000 MeV and beyond. Thus, the explored energy range extends now through high-energy limit of the solar particle spectrum.

SEPs: protons

SOHO/ERNE

SEP event of September 24,1997

SPACE WEATHER: Effect of coronal mass ejections

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Solar eruptions and major solar energetic particle events

AMS is an international collaboration of 16 countries and more than 60

institutes, led by Nobel-prize winner professor Samuel C. C. Ting.