Christina Cohen, Caltech
Keywords: Solar energetic particles, radiation hazards, galactic cosmic rays, satellite situational awareness
Abstract:
Both solar energetic particles (SEPs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) present radiation hazards to satellites and astronauts. However, their sources and solar cycle dependences are very different. SEPs are associated with activity on the Sun, specifically violet expulsions of material called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). They dominate the radiation hazards near that peak of the solar cycle when solar activity is maximized, however have been known to occur during periods of lower activity leading up to or declining from solar maximum. In contrast, GCRs originate outside our solar system and while fairly ubiquitous in interstellar space, their access to the inner heliosphere near Earth is strongly reduced by high levels of solar activity. This talk details the origins of these radiation sources, their variability in time and characteristics, and the hazards they create for space-based assets.
Date of Conference: September 15-18, 2020
Track: Atmospherics/Space Weather