Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsh24b..02g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SH24B-02
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2104] Interplanetary Physics / Cosmic Rays, [7536] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Solar Activity Cycle, [7807] Space Plasma Physics / Charged Particle Motion And Acceleration
Scientific paper
During the sunspot minimum between solar cycles 23 and 24, galactic cosmic rays (GCR) reached the highest intensity seen during the spacecraft era. This was due in part to the lower open solar magnetic flux and slower solar wind seen during this period, compared to previous solar minima. The effects of cosmic-ray drifts along the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) has yet to be completely understood; but it is interesting to note that while the HCS was generally not as flat as one might expect given the very quiet Sun, it was at its flattest when the GCR intensity was at its highest. This is important because during this solar magnetic cycle, cosmic-ray protons drift into the heliosphere along the HCS. And, despite the unusually high GCR intensity during this solar minimum, the intensity of anomalous cosmic rays (ACR) was NOT seen to be as high as in previous sunspot minima. Moreover, the GCR electron intensity at the two Voyager spacecraft, which are both approaching the heliopause, is seen to be quite different. These observations lead to important questions regarding the transport of cosmic rays in the heliospheric magnetic field, which originates at the Sun. Particularly important is the transport of cosmic rays across the magnetic field, the role of the heliosheath in cosmic-ray modulation, drifts at the HCS, and the differences between ACRs and GCRs. In this talk, we will review our understanding of cosmic-ray transport in the solar and heliospheric magnetic field and discuss how observations will help resolve these recent puzzles and give constraints on transport parameters.
Giacalone Joe
Jokipii Randy J.
Kota József
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