COSMIC RAY

Dr. Lev Pustil’nik

Geophysical Department of Tel Aviv University

Israel Cosmic Ray and Space Weather Center

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Cosmic Ray 100-year history

Three faces of Cosmic Ray

Cosmic Ray as part of high energy particle

physics and high energy astrophysics

Cosmic Ray as Space Weather impact factor

(radiation, magnetic storms, …)

Cosmic Ray as Space Weather tool for diagnostic

of nearest space (solar wind, CME, and shock

waves; 3-D Heliosphere and jets; solar cosmic ray

from solar flares)

Cosmic Ray in Israel

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What are Cosmic Rays?

• Corpuscular high energy emission (mostly protons and

nuclear) bombarded Earth from all directions

• Flux of CR is almost isotropy

• Flux of CR is almost constant in time

• Energy of CR are from 0.001 GeV up to 1011 GeV

• Main questions:

– Origin of cosmic ray and CR manifestation in space (synchrotron

radio emission, gamma ray, …)

– Propagation of cosmic ray from sources to the Earth

– CR impact on the Earth environment 3

Pre-history of CR discovery: CR and atmospheric

electricity

• First intimation – from William Gilbert (1600: “Magnet”), father of term

“electricity” and creator of electroscope - first equipment for quantitative

measurements of electricity.

• Discharge of electroscope in dry air – first unexpected fact!!!

• Answer – atmospheric electricity is result of any high energy emanation

what ionize atoms in atmosphere (ions and free electrons)

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What does ionize atmosphere?

• Rentgen (1900) – discovery X-rays and its input

to ionization: accelerated e-=> target =>

secondary emission– “ray’s fever”

• Geitel (1900) – ionization of air has place in all

heights and location, on light and in darkness,

much stronger in grots an mines.

Discussion: what is the source? Natural

radioactivity or external radiation from space

•Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1899) – “radiation of

uranium and thorium is secondary emission caused

by rays, like to X-ray…. The possible source of this

radiation may be Sun”. After tests (absorption, day-

night) CR hypothesis of Uranium emission was

rejected – natural radioactivity! 1900 year –new era! 5

100 year of CR discovery (1912)

• Victor Hess (Nobel Prize 1936)

First attempt – 1911 – balloon 1,100 m – “no essential change” compared with ground level!

Second attempt (without oxygen tanks) during 7 expeditions up to h=5,350 m + included total

solar eclipse phase

Surprisingly, he found: 1) that the radiation levels increased with altitude from h=2 km, 2) it did not

depend on eclipse phase – non-solar origin – external space

Hess interpreted this result to mean that radiation is entering the atmosphere from above. He gave

this phenomenon the name “High Altitude Radiation", which later evolved to "Cosmic Rays" 6

CR tracks – Charles Wilson Chamber Camera –discover CR-

tracks (Nobel Prise 1927 with Arthur Compton)

Chamber camera for 10$ (CERN)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnKvtazt5So

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CR today

• Definition – non-thermal (non-

Maxwell) part of particles population

with power spectrum.

• Source – explosions SuperNova and

solar flares

• Origin – acceleration in electrical

fields of turbulent current sheet and

magnetized shock waves.

• Universal power spectrum is

sequence of equilibrium between

acceleration and run-away (Fermi

acceleration) 9

Three Faces of Cosmic Rays

Vishnu

(the preserver/rajas)

Cosmic Ray as

diagnostic and

forecaster tools,

preserved from

dangerous space

weather storms

Trimurti (meaning ‘having three forms’)

Brahma (the creator/sattva)

Cosmic Ray as Particle Physics – Grand Unification Theory (GUT)

Shiva (the destroyer/tamas)

Cosmic Ray as Impact

Factor-destroyer of

technological,

economics and health

elements

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Energy of Cosmic Rays and input in

Particle Physics

Accelerators

- CERN

Input of high energy CR ito

particle physics:

•Discovery in CR of

positrons (Cameron,

NobelPrize 1936), muons,

pions, hyperons,...

•Expected future result and

possibly Nobel Prize in CR

field – Pier Augre CR

observatory (J. Cronin – Nobel

Prizer 1980 – “violation CPT

symmetry” ) study CR

showers for particles energy

up to 1020 ev

Piere

Augre

CR

showers

collabora

tion

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Two components of CR (Galaxy and solar)

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Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory

• Prof. James Cronin (Nobel Prize 1980) and Alan Watson • Location – Pampa, Argentina.

• 1,600 water tanks that cover an enormous section of the Pampa and serve as

particle detectors. Each 3,000-gallon (12,000 liter) tank, separated from each of

its neighbors by 1.5 kilometers, is completely dark inside - except when

particles from a cosmic ray air shower pass through it. These energetic particles

are traveling faster than the speed of light in water when they reach the detector.

• Area -3,000 km2 = 60*60 km

• Energy of particles – up to 1019 ev – few events in year. 1020 – limit caused by

relic radio emission

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Cosmic Ray as “Writing on the Wall” How does we obtain answer from “almost nothing”:(almost isotropy and

almost non-variable)?

Like to prophet Daniel on banquet hosted by king Belshazzar

…mene, mene, tekel,u parsi =מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסי...

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Cosmic Ray impacts on the Earth • Radiation impact on electronic equipment (up to loss of

satellites).

• Ionization of atmosphere with influence on weather and GPS

navigation

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What is necessity of Space Weather Centers?

High price of space weather knowledge for space technology

1. Price of space technology (include space

stations) in 2013 is about 1000,000,000,000$

Only insurance claims is about 1 billion$/yearly

2. For example: 2014 year – more then

400 communication satellites provide above

2*109 users by mobile communication + GPS

As example of Space Weather impacts –

crash of SkyLab mission 25 m* 7 m with loss 600 millions $$

Impact 1- Satellites malfunction: Cosmic Rays

and magnetic storms generates malfunctions

(satellite’s anomalies) up to shut-down

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Impact 1. Probability of satellite's malfunction in dependence of

protons flux for high altitude – high inclination satellites for

different energies of protons (10 MeV and 60 MeV|)

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Impact 2: Cosmic rays influence on atmospheric processes

and global climate change Cosmic Ray and Cloudiness

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Situation in the Maunder minimum: a) variation in

reconstructed solar irradiance from Lean et al. (1995); b)

variation in concentration from Beer et al. (1991); c)

reconstructed air surface temperature for the northern

hemisphere from Jones et al. (1998). According to

Swensmark (2000).

Impact 2. Cosmic Rays and ground

temperature for the northern

hemisphere

1. During Maunder Minimum cosmic ray

modulation (from Be10) correlate with

surface temperature in northern

hemisphere.

2. In opposite solar irradiation is very

stable and has not correlation with

surface temperature

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Asymmetry in wheat prices during Maunder Minimum. White diamonds show prices averaged for three-year intervals centred on

moments of minimum CR intensity (maximum solar activity);

Black diamonds show the same for minimum solar activity. White and black triangles show prices at moments of minimum and maximum CR

intensity. 21

Impact 3. Atmospheric lightning - role of Cosmic Rays in

formation of breakthrough for electrical discharge’s

(lightnings) in the Earth’s atmosphere

1. Secondary CR electrons in atmospheric

avalanches of accelerated particles

initiate electrical discharge – lightning

(Gureveich et.al, 2000)

2. Without CR our Earth would not has

lightning!

Gurevich model’s maximal electric field

lead to discharge on different heights and

experimental results (L-lightning events)

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Cosmic Ray in Israel

• Israel Cosmic Ray Observatory on the Mount Hermon organized

by Prof. Yuval Neeman and Prof Lev Dorman in 1998.

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SPACE WEATHER and COSMIC RAYS –

factors of space influence on the Earth civilization 1. Radiation impact:

• safety of electronics and astronauts in

space;

• safety of crew and passengers in

high-altitude flights (cosmic rays).

2. Magnetosphere impact=“magnetic storms”:

• extra atmospheric drag of satellites and

space platform;

• failure of magnetic navigation and

altitude control;

• Electricity grids disruption by extra-currents

with global black-out on large territories;

• Telecommunication cable disruption.

3. Ionosphere impact:

• ionosphere currents and plasma bubbles

disturb GPS navigation and radio wave

communication (signal scintillation)

4. Atmospheric impact:

• disturbance of atmosphere by magnetic

storms;

• influence of cosmic ray on cloudiness

(precipitations) and on weather/climate

PARTICIPANTS and

EQUIPMENT

Israel Cosmic Ray and Space Weather

Center (ICRSWC) of Tel Aviv University

Prof. Lev. Dorman – Cosmic Rays

Geophysics and Planetary Sciences

Department (GPSD) of Tel Aviv University

Prof. Colin Price – Ionosphere

Research Department of Survey Of

Israel (SOI) - magnetometry group of

Dr. Boris Shirman – Magnetosphere

Departm. of Natural Science of Open

University (DNSOU)

Prof. Yoav Yair – Ionosphere

Wise Observatory of Tel Aviv University

(WOTAU) - ConCam meteors patrol

Prof. Noah Brosh – Meteors

Kinneret Limnological Laboratory (KLL)

team of Dr. Alon Rimmer - atmosphere

CR as tools for space weather diagnostic and

forecasting

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4. FORECASTING OF EXPECTED FEP FLUXES AND

COMPARISON WITH OBSERVATIONS (2-nd CASE:

K(R, r) DEPENDS FROM DISTANCE TO THE SUN)

Fig. 2 . Calculation on line parameters , RK1 , RNo and forecasting

of total neutron intensity (time t is in minutes after 10.00 UT of September 29, 1989; curves – forecasting, circles – observed total neutron intensity) .

Fig. 2 . Calculation on line parameters , RK1 RK1 , RNo RNo and forecasting

of total neutron intensity (time t is in minutes after 10.00 UT of September 29, 1989; curves – forecasting, circles – observed total neutron intensity) .

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Illustration of physical nature

of CR anisotropy formation in

result of scattering of galactic

CR on magnetic mirrors

before Coronal Mass Ejection

Above – scattering of GCR on

magnetic mirror, right –

manifestation of the scatters

particles as source of sporadic

anisotropy (x – dates, y –

asymptotic longitude.