HR: 0800h
AN: SM31A-0242    [Abstracts]
TI: Neutron Monitors as a Tool for Specifying Solar Energetic Particle Effects on Earth and in Near-Earth Space
AU: * Bieber, J W
EM: jwbieber@bartol.udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Clem, J
EM: clem@bartol.udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Evenson, P
EM: evenson@udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Kuwabara, T
EM: takao@bartol.udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Pyle, R
EM: pyle@bartol.udel.edu
AF: University of Delaware, Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Newark, DE 19716, United States
AU: Ruffolo, D
EM: david_ruffolo@yahoo.com
AF: Mahidol University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 00000, Thailand
AU: Saiz, A
EM: asaizrivera@gmail.com
AF: Mahidol University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 00000, Thailand
AB: Neutron monitors are ground-based instruments that record the byproducts of collisions between cosmic rays and molecules in Earth's atmosphere. When linked together in real-time coordinated arrays, these instruments can make valuable contributions to the specification of major solar energetic particle events. Neutron monitors can provide the earliest alert of elevated radiation levels in Earth's atmosphere caused by the arrival of relativistic solar particles (Ground Level Enhancement or GLE). Early detection of GLE is of interest to the aviation industry because of the associated radiation hazard for pilots and air crews, especially for those flying polar routes. Network observations can also be used to map, in principle in real time, the distribution of radiation in Earth's atmosphere, taking into account the particle anisotropy which can be very large in early phases of the event. Observations from the large GLE of January 20, 2005 and December 13, 2006 will be used to illustrate these applications of neutron monitors. Supported by NSF grant ATM-0527878, the Thailand Research Fund, and the Mahidol University Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
UR: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu/
DE: 2104 Cosmic rays
DE: 7514 Energetic particles (2114)
DE: 7984 Space radiation environment
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting