Very local interstellar spectra for galactic electrons, protons and helium

Abstract

The local interstellar spectra (LIS) for cosmic rays at energies below about 30 GeV/nuc are increasingly obscured from view at Earth by solar modulation, the lower the energy. These charged particles encounter significant changes in the heliosphere, over an 11-year cycle, which include processes such as convection, diffusion, adiabatic energy losses and gradient, curvature and current sheet drifts. Particle drifts cause chargesign dependent modulation and a 22-year cycle, adding complexity to determining the respective very LIS from observations only at Earth. However, with measurements now made by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in the vicinity of the heliopause, it is possible to determine a very LIS for galactic electrons between about 5 MeV and about 120 MeV. At these low energies also galactic protons observed in the outer heliosphere had been completely obscured by the so-call anomalous component which is accelerated inside the heliosheath. Since August 2012, these anomalous cosmic rays are substantially depleted at Voyager 1 so that also for cosmic ray ions it is now possible to obtain a lower limit to their very LIS. Combining numerical modelling of solar modulation with the accurate measurements by the PAMELA mission and with Voyager observations, the lower limit of the very LIS for electrons, protons and helium, and other ions, can be determined from about 5 MeV and above. These spectra are called heliopause spectra, considered to be the lowest possible very LIS. Also from an astrophysics point of view, the determination of what can be called a very LIS, not just an averaged galactic spectrum, is encouraging. The mentioned aspects are discussed, focussing on a comparison of recent heliospheric observations and corresponding solar modulation modelling.

Presented as a highlight talk by the author at the 33rd ICRC in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Submitted for publication in the proceedings of this conference, to be published in the Brazilian Journal of Physics

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• Spectral breaks as a signature of cosmic ray induced turbulence in the Galaxy
• Modulation of galactic protons in the heliosphere during the unusual solar minimum of 2006 to 2009

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