Pierre-Simon Mangeard

Neutron monitors (NMs) are ground-based devices designed to measure cosmic-ray count rates by monitoring atmospheric neutrons from cosmic-ray showers. We present results from new electronics that have recorded cross-counter time delay histograms for the Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor (PSNM) at the summit of Doi Inthanon, Thailand. From these histograms, we have extracted the cross-counter leader fraction ( L ) and corrected it for atmospheric effects. For large counter separation, we measure nearly constant L ≈ 0.997, implying that 0.3% of counts in one counter are temporally associated with later counts on a given distant counter. Monte Carlo simulations confirm that individual secondary particles cannot account for the associated counts at large counter separation, which instead requires a contribution from multiple secondary particles in the same cosmic-ray shower that is apparently independent of distance over 3 to 7.5 m. We infer that ≈4.5% of PSNM counts are associated with a later count in at least one of its 18 counters from a different secondary particle in the same shower. Monte Carlo simulations of atmospheric showers and NM yield functions can be validated using our measurements of neutron multiplicity across counters and the contributions of single and multiple secondary particles. These measurements also improve understanding of the single-counter L , which has been used for precise tracking of cosmic-ray spectral variations and extending the range of NM observations to higher energies.

Observations of temporary Forbush decreases (FDs) in the Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) flux due to the passage of solar storms are useful for space-weather studies and alerts. Here, we introduce techniques that use global networks of ground-based neutron monitors and muon detectors to measure variations of GCR rigidity spectra in space during FDs by (1) fitting count rate decreases for power-law rigidity spectra in space with anisotropy up to second order and (2) using the “leader fraction” derived from a single neutron monitor. We demonstrate that both provide consistent results for hourly spectral index variations for five major FDs, and they agree with daily space-based data when available from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. We have also made the neutron monitor leader fraction publicly available in real time. This work verifies that ground-based observations can be used to precisely monitor GCR spectral variation over a wide range of rigidities during space-weather events, with results in real time or from short-term postanalysis.

Whitepaper #349 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: space weather applications; basic research. Additional topics: space weather research/operations/research loop; space weather research/applications/operations pipeline; […]

Whitepaper #022 in the Decadal Survey for Solar and Space Physics (Heliophysics) 2024-2033. Main topics: space weather applications; basic research. Additional topics: other space weather; user-need-driven basic space weather research.

We analyze the cosmic-ray variations during a significant Forbush decrease observed with worldwide networks of ground-based neutron monitors and muon detectors during 2021 November 3–5. Utilizing the difference between primary cosmic-ray rigidities monitored by neutron monitors and muon detectors, we deduce the rigidity spectra of the cosmic-ray density (or omnidirectional intensity) and the first- and second-order anisotropies separately for each hour of data. A clear two-step decrease is seen in the cosmic-ray density with the first ∼2% decrease after the interplanetary shock arrival followed by the second ∼5% decrease inside the magnetic flux rope (MFR) at 15 GV. Most strikingly, a large bidirectional streaming along the magnetic field is observed in the MFR with a peak amplitude of ∼5% at 15 GV, which is comparable to the total density decrease inside the MFR. The bidirectional streaming could be explained by adiabatic deceleration and/or focusing in the expanding MFR, which have stronger effects for pitch angles near 90°, or by selective entry of GCRs along a leg of the MFR. The peak anisotropy and density depression in the flux rope both decrease with increasing rigidity. The spectra vary dynamically, indicating that the temporal variations of density and anisotropy appear different in neutron monitor and muon detector data.

We report on a new measurement of the cosmic ray (CR) electron and positron spectra in the energy range of 20 MeV–1 GeV. The data were taken during the first flight of the balloon-borne spectrometer Anti Electron Sub Orbital Payload (AESOP-Lite), which was flown from Esrange, Sweden, to Ellesmere Island, Canada, in 2018 May. The instrument accumulated over 130 hr of exposure at an average altitude of 3 g cm⁻² of residual atmosphere. The experiment uses a gas Cerenkov detector and a magnetic spectrometer, consisting of a permanent dipole magnet and silicon strip detectors (SSDs), to identify particle type and measure the rigidity. Electrons and positrons were detected against a background of protons and atmospheric secondary particles. The primary CR spectra of electrons and positrons, as well as the re-entrant albedo fluxes, were extracted between 20 MeV and 1 GeV during a positive solar magnetic polarity epoch. The positron fraction below 100 MeV appears flat, suggesting diffusion-dominated solar modulation at low rigidity. The all-electron spectrum is presented and compared with models from a heliospheric numerical transport code.

Ground‐based neutron counters are a standard tool for detecting atmospheric showers from GeV range primary cosmic rays of either solar or galactic origin. Bare neutron counters, a type of lead‐free neutron monitor, function much like standard neutron monitors but have different yield functions primarily because they are more sensitive to neutrons of lower energy. When operated together with standard monitors, the different yield functions allow estimates to be made of the energy spectrum of galactic or solar particles. In 2010 a new array of 12 bare neutron detectors was installed at the South Pole to operate together with the neutron monitor there. Prior to installation, two of the detectors were operated on a ship that traveled from Sweden to Antarctica and back from November 2009 to April 2010. The purpose of this latitude survey was to use Earth's magnetic field as a spectrometer, blocking cosmic rays below the local cutoff rigidity (momentum per unit charge), from which we determined the response function versus rigidity of these bare counters. By comparing that measured response function to direct measurements of the cosmic ray spectrum taken by the PAMELA spacecraft, we were able to make a direct determination of the yield function for these detectors.

The energy spectrum of Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) ions at Earth varies with solar activity as these ions cross the heliosphere. Thus, this “solar modulation” of GCRs provides remote sensing of heliospheric conditions throughout the ∼11 yr sunspot cycle and ∼22 yr solar magnetic cycle. A neutron monitor (NM) is a stable ground-based detector that measures cosmic-ray rate variations above a geomagnetic or atmospheric cutoff rigidity with high precision (∼0.1%) over such timescales. Furthermore, we developed electronics and analysis techniques to indicate variations in the cosmic-ray spectral index using neutron time-delay data from a single station. Here we study solar modulation using neutron time-delay histograms from two high-altitude NM stations: (1) the Princess Sirindhorn Neutron Monitor at Doi Inthanon, Thailand, with the world’s highest vertical geomagnetic cutoff rigidity, 16.7 GV, from 2007 December to 2018 April; and (2) the South Pole NM, with an atmosphere-limited cutoff of ∼1 GV, from 2013 December to 2018 April. From these histograms, we extract the leader fraction L, i.e., inverse neutron multiplicity, as a proxy of a GCR spectral index above the cutoff. After correction for pressure and precipitable water vapor variations, we find that L roughly correlates with the count rate but also exhibits hysteresis, implying a change in spectral shape after a solar magnetic polarity reversal. Spectral variations due to Forbush decreases, 27 day variations, and a ground-level enhancement are also indicated. These methods enhance the high-precision GCR spectral information from the worldwide NM network and extend it to higher rigidity.

Neutron monitors of standard design (IGY or NM64) are employed worldwide to study variations in the flux of galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles in the GeV range. The design minimizes detector response to neutrons below ∼10 MeV produced by cosmic ray interactions in the ambient medium. Increasingly, however, such neutrons are of interest as a means of obtaining spectral information on cosmic rays, for studies of soil moisture, and for nuclear threat detection. Bare neutron counters, a type of lead‐free neutron monitor, can detect such neutrons, but comparatively little work has been done to characterize the dependence of their count rate on cutoff rigidity. We analyze data from three bare neutron counters operated on a ship together with a three‐tube NM64 monitor from November 1995 to March 1996 over a wide range of magnetic latitude, that is, a latitude survey. The bare counter design used foamed‐in‐place polyurethane insulation to keep the temperature uniform and to some extent moderate high‐energy neutrons. When the ship was near land, the bare/NM64 count rate ratio was dramatically higher. Considering only data from open sea, the bare and NM64 pressure coefficients are not significantly different. We determine the response function of these bare counters, which is weighted to Galactic cosmic rays of lower energy than the NM64. This measurement of the response function may improve determination of the spectral index of solar energetic particles and Galactic cosmic rays from a comparison of bare and NM64 count rates.