LET spectra of trapped anomalous cosmic rays in low-Earth orbit

A J Tylka; P R Boberg; J H Adams Jr

doi:10.1016/0273-1177(95)00511-c

LET spectra of trapped anomalous cosmic rays in low-Earth orbit

Adv Space Res. 1996;17(2):47-51. doi: 10.1016/0273-1177(95)00511-c.

Authors

A J Tylka¹, P R Boberg, J H Adams Jr

Collaborator

J r Adams JH²

Affiliations

¹ E.O. Hulbert Center for Space Research, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5352, USA.
² Naval Res Lab, Washington, DC

PMID: 11540370
DOI: 10.1016/0273-1177(95)00511-c

Abstract

Observations aboard Cosmos satellites discovered trapped anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs), tracked the variation in their intensity in 1986-1988, and measured their fluence, spectrum, and composition at solar minimum in the previous solar cycle. The MAST instrument aboard the SAMPEX satellite has observed trapped anomalous cosmic rays in the present solar cycle, confirmed the general features of the Cosmos data, and provided the first detailed observations of trapped ACRs. In this paper we apply theoretical modeling of trapped ACRs, which is shown to provide a reasonably good description of both the Cosmos and SAMPEX data, to calculate the integral linear-energy-transfer (LET) spectra due to trapped ACRs in typical low-Earth orbits. We compare these calculations with the LET spectra produced by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and non-trapped ACRs in order to assess the relative radiation hazard posed by trapped ACRs.

Publication types

Comparative Study
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Cosmic Radiation*
Extraterrestrial Environment*
Linear Energy Transfer*
Magnetics
Models, Theoretical*
Radiation Monitoring
Radiation Protection
Space Flight / instrumentation*
Spacecraft / instrumentation