• Title/Summary/Keyword: galactic cosmic ray

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Cosmic Ray Flux Variation Estimated from the Raw Solar Images

  • Oh, Suyeon;Park, Hyungmin;Park, Keunchan;Chae, Jongchul;Yi, Yu
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.96.2-96.2
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    • 2013
  • The solar images are taken by the CCD detectors of the Sun monitoring satellites. The solar images are constructed after removing the traces of cosmic rays on the raw CCD data files. Thus, while applying the method of removing the cosmic rays traces, we can estimate the cosmic rays flux by counting the number of traces. The cosmic ray flux in the steady state might be the sum of the solar and galactic cosmic rays. However, the abrupt change in the flux could be assumed to be originated from the Sun. Therefore, we can identify the solar origins of the sudden solar cosmic ray flux changes from the phenomena shown in the processed solar images taken by SOHO/EIT. As the results, the estimated cosmic ray flux in the steady state is the anti-correlated with sunspot numbers, which shows the minima in cosmic ray flux at the solar cycle maxima defined by the sunspot numbers. The profiles of estimated solar cosmic ray associated with the ground level enhancements have the significant increase in the cosmic ray flux with good correlation. Thus, the solar images are valuable data useful in estimating the solar cosmic ray long term and transient flux variations.

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Climate Influences of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR): Review and Implications for Research Policy (우주기원의 고에너지 입자가 기후에 미치는 영향: 연구 현황과 정책적 시사점)

  • Kim, Jiyoung;Jang, Kun-Il
    • Atmosphere
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    • v.27 no.4
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    • pp.499-509
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    • 2017
  • Possible links among cosmic ray, cloud, and climate have scientific uncertainties. The reputed topics have been highly controversial during several decades. A link between the atmospheric ionization by galactic cosmic rays (GCR), which is modulated by solar activities, and global cloud cover was firstly proposed in 1997. Some researchers suggested that the GCR can stimulate the formation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in the atmosphere, and then the higher CCN concentrations may lead to an increase of cloud cover, resulting in a cooling of the Earth's climate, and vise versa. The CLOUD (Cosmic leaving outdoor droplets) experiment was designed to study the effect of GCR on the formation of atmospheric aerosols and clouds under precisely controlled laboratory conditions. A state-of-the-art chamber experiment has greatly advanced our scientific understanding of the aerosol formation in early stage and its nucleation processes if the GCR effect is considered or not. Many studies on the climate-GCR (or space weather) connection including the CLOUD experiment have been carried out during the several decades. Although it may not be easy to clarify the physical connection, the recent scientific approaches such as the laboratory experiments or modeling studies give some implications that the research definitively contributed to reduce the scientific uncertainties of natural and anthropogenic aerosol radiative forcing as well as to better understand the formation processes of fine particulate matters as an important parameter of air quality forecast.

Neutron Monitor as a New Instrument for KSWPC

  • Oh, Su-Yeon;Yi, Yu;Kim, Yong-Kyun;Bieber, John W;Cho, Kyung-Seok
    • Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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    • 2008.10a
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    • pp.34.1-34.1
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    • 2008
  • Cosmic ray (CR)s are energetic particles that are found in space and filter through our atmosphere. They are classified with galactic cosmic ray (GCR)s and solar cosmic ray (SCR)s from their origins. The process of a CR particle colliding with particles in our atmosphere and disintegrating into smaller pions, muons, neutrons, and the like, is called a cosmic ray shower. These particles can be measured on the Earth's surface by neutron monitor (NM)s. Regarding with the space weather, there are common types of short term variation called a Forbush decrease (FD) and a Ground Level Enhancement (GLE). In this talk, we will briefly introduce our recent studies on CRs observed by NM: (1) simultaneity of FD depending on solar wind interaction, (2) an association between GLE and solar proton events, and (3) diurnal variation of the GCR depending on geomagnetic cutoff rigidity. NM will provide a crucial information for the Korea Space Weather Prediction Center (KSWPC).

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Nonthermal Radiation from Supernova Remnant Shocks

  • Kang, Hyesung
    • Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.133-140
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    • 2013
  • Most of high energy cosmic rays (CRs) are thought to be produced by diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) at supernova remnants (SNRs) within the Galaxy. Fortunately, nonthermal emissions from CR protons and electrons can provide direct observational evidence for such a model and place strong constraints on the complex nonlinear plasma processes in DSA theory. In this study we calculate the energy spectra of CR protons and electrons in Type Ia SNRs, using time-dependent DSA simulations that incorporate phenomenological models for some wave-particle interactions. We demonstrate that the time-dependent evolution of the self-amplified magnetic fields, Alfv$\acute{e}$nic drift, and escape of the highest energy particles affect the energy spectra of accelerated protons and electrons, and so resulting nonthermal radiation spectrum. Especially, the spectral cutoffs in X-ray and ${\gamma}$-ray emission spectra are regulated by the evolution of the highest energy particles, which are injected at the early phase of SNRs. Thus detailed understandings of nonlinear wave-particle interactions and time-dependent DSA simulations of SNRs are crucial in testing the SNR hypothesis for the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

Diffusion of Cosmic Rays in a Multiphase Interstellar Medium Shocked by a Supernova Remnant Blast Wave

  • Roh, Soonyoung;Inutsuka, Shu-ichiro;Inoue, Tsuyoshi
    • The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.38.1-38.1
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    • 2015
  • Supernova remnants (SNRs) are one of the most energetic astrophysical events and are thought to be the dominant source of Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). A recent report on observations of gamma rays from the vicinity of SNRs have shown strong evidence that Galactic CR protons are accelerated by the shock waves of the SNRs. The actual gamma-ray emission from pion decay should depend on the diffusion of CRs in the interstellar medium. In order to quantitatively analyze the diffusion of high-energy CRs from acceleration sites, we have performed test particle numerical simulations of CR protons using a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of an interstellar medium swept-up by a blast wave. We analyse the CRs diffusion at a length scale of order a few pc, and show the Richtmeyer-Meshkov instability can provide enough turbulence downstream of the shock to make the diffusion coefficient close to the Bohm level for energy larger than 30 TeV for a realistic interstellar medium.

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CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES: SHOCK WAVES AND COSMIC RAYS

  • RYU DONGSU;KANG HYESUNG
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.105-110
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    • 2003
  • Recent observations of galaxy clusters in radio and X-ray indicate that cosmic rays and magnetic fields may be energetically important in the intracluster medium. According to the estimates based on theses observational studies, the combined pressure of these two components of the intracluster medium may range between $10\%{\~}100\%$ of gas pressure, although their total energy is probably time dependent. Hence, these non-thermal components may have influenced the formation and evolution of cosmic structures, and may provide unique and vital diagnostic information through various radiations emitted via their interactions with surrounding matter and cosmic background photons. We suggest that shock waves associated with cosmic structures, along with individual sources such as active galactic nuclei and radio galaxies, supply the cosmic rays and magnetic fields to the intracluster medium and to surrounding large scale structures. In order to study 1) the properties of cosmic shock waves emerging during the large scale structure formation of the universe, and 2) the dynamical influence of cosmic rays, which were ejected by AGN-like sources into the intracluster medium, on structure formation, we have performed two sets of N-body /hydrodynamic simulations of cosmic structure formation. In this contribution, we report the preliminary results of these simulations.

TWO-FLUID CLOSURE PARAMETERS FOR DIFFUSIVE ACCELERATION OF COSMIC RAYS

  • KANG HYESUNG
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 1993
  • In order to explore the time dependence of the closure parameters of the two-fluid calculations for supernova remnants and the terminal shocks of stellar winds, we have considered a simple model in which the time evolution of the cosmic-ray distribution function was followed in the test-particle limit using the Bohm diffusion model. The particles are mostly accelerated to relativistic energy either in the free expansion phase of the SNRs or in the early phase of the stellar winds, so the evolution of the closure parameters during these early stages is substantial and should be followed correctly. We have also calculated the maximum momentum which is limited by either the age or the curvature of these spherical shocks. We found that SNRs expanding into the medium where the gas density decreases with the distance from the explosion center might be necessary to explain the observed power-law distribution of the galactic cosmic rays. The energy loss due to the escaping energetic particles has been estimated for the terminal shocks of the stellar winds.

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THE CONTRIBUTION OF STELLAR WINDS TO COSMIC RAY PRODUCTION

  • Seo, Jeongbhin;Kang, Hyesung;Ryu, Dongsu
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.51 no.2
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    • pp.37-48
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    • 2018
  • Massive stars blow powerful stellar winds throughout their evolutionary stages from the main sequence to Wolf-Rayet phases. The amount of mechanical energy deposited in the interstellar medium by the wind from a massive star can be comparable to the explosion energy of a core-collapse supernova that detonates at the end of its life. In this study, we estimate the kinetic energy deposition by massive stars in our Galaxy by considering the integrated Galactic initial mass function and modeling the stellar wind luminosity. The mass loss rate and terminal velocity of stellar winds during the main sequence, red supergiant, and Wolf-Rayet stages are estimated by adopting theoretical calculations and observational data published in the literature. We find that the total stellar wind luminosity due to all massive stars in the Galaxy is about ${\mathcal{L}}_w{\approx}1.1{\times}10^{41}erg\;s^{-1}$, which is about 1/4 of the power of supernova explosions, ${\mathcal{L}}_{SN}{\approx}4.8{\times}10^{41}erg\;s^{-1}$. If we assume that ~ 1 - 10 % of the wind luminosity could be converted to Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) through collisonless shocks such as termination shocks in stellar bubbles and superbubbles, colliding-wind shocks in binaries, and bow-shocks of massive runaway stars, stellar winds might be expected to make a significant contribution to GCR production, though lower than that of supernova remnants.

Magnetic Cloud and its Interplanetary Shock Sheath as a Modulator of the Cosmic Ray Intensity (우주선 Intensity 조정자로서 자기구름과 그 주위의 행성간 충격파 sheath 영역의 역할)

  • Oh, Su-Yeon
    • Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.149-156
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    • 2008
  • Forbush Decreases (FDs) are representative events of abrupt decrease in galactic cosmic ray intensity. They are known to be strongly associated with solar wind events such as interplanetary shock (IP shock) and magnetic cloud (MC). In order to examine effectiveness of the MC on FDs, I studied the 44 MCs that occurred during the 2 years from 1998 to 1999 and investigated the properties of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind. As a result, I found that 11 out of 44 MCs are associated with the FDs. In particularly, it is noted that the FDs are driven by the IP shock sheaths which are associated with over 13 nT of IMF magnitude, 3 nT of IMF turbulence, and 550km/s of solar wind speed. This result indicates that magnetic cloud and its interplanetary shock sheath work as a modulator of the cosmic ray intensity.

NUMERICAL STUDIES OF COSMIC RAY ACCELERATION AT COSMIC SHOCKS

  • KANG HYESUNG
    • Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.225-232
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    • 2004
  • Shocks are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments and cosmic-rays (CRs) are known to be accelerated at collisionless shocks via diffusive shock acceleration. It is believed that the CR pressure is important in the evolution of the interstellar medium of our galaxy and most of galactic CRs with energies up to ${\~}\;10^{15}$ eV are accelerated by supernova remnant shocks. In this contribution we have studied the CR acceleration at shocks through numerical simulation of 1D, quasi-parallel shocks for a wide range of shock Mach numbers and shock speeds. We show that CR modified shocks evolve to time-asymptotic states by the time injected particles are accelerated to moderately relativistic energies, and that two shocks with the same Mach number, but with different shock speeds, evolve qualitatively similarly when the results are presented in terms of a characteristic diffusion length and diffusion time. We find that $10^{-4} - 10^{-3}$ of the particles passed through the shock are accelerated to form the CR population, and the injection rate is higher for shocks with higher Mach number. The time asymptotic value for the CR acceleration efficiency is controlled mainly by shock Mach number, and high Mach number shocks all evolve towards efficiencies ${\~}50\%$, regardless of the injection rate and upstream CR pressure. We conclude that the injection rates in strong quasi-parallel shocks are sufficient to lead to significant nonlinear modifications to the shock structures, implying the importance of the CR acceleration at astrophysical shocks.