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A predictive analytic model for the solar modulation of cosmic rays

Ilias Cholis, Dan Hooper, and Tim Linden
Phys. Rev. D 93, 043016 – Published 23 February 2016
Physics logo See Synopsis: Blocking out the Sun

Abstract

An important factor limiting our ability to understand the production and propagation of cosmic rays pertains to the effects of heliospheric forces, commonly known as solar modulation. The solar wind is capable of generating time- and charge-dependent effects on the spectrum and intensity of low-energy (10GeV) cosmic rays reaching Earth. Previous analytic treatments of solar modulation have utilized the force-field approximation, in which a simple potential is adopted whose amplitude is selected to best fit the cosmic-ray data taken over a given period of time. Making use of recently available cosmic-ray data from the Voyager 1 spacecraft, along with measurements of the heliospheric magnetic field and solar wind, we construct a time-, charge- and rigidity-dependent model of solar modulation that can be directly compared to data from a variety of cosmic-ray experiments. We provide a simple analytic formula that can be easily utilized in a variety of applications, allowing us to better predict the effects of solar modulation and reduce the number of free parameters involved in cosmic-ray propagation models.

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  • Received 3 December 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.93.043016

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Gravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Synopsis

Key Image

Blocking out the Sun

Published 23 February 2016

Using data from Voyager I and numerous satellite experiments, theorists have improved the accuracy of a formula that describes the Sun’s influence on the cosmic-ray spectrum.

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Authors & Affiliations

Ilias Cholis1,2,*, Dan Hooper2,3,†, and Tim Linden4,5,‡

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
  • 2Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Center for Particle Astrophysics, Batavia, Illinois 60510, USA
  • 3Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
  • 4Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
  • 5Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP) and Department of Physics, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

  • *icholis1@jhu.edu
  • dhooper@fnal.gov
  • linden.70@osu.edu

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Issue

Vol. 93, Iss. 4 — 15 February 2016

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