Here’s a paper just published in Solar Physics which will be of interest to Talkshop readers. Analysis of data from the STEREO solar satellites and various neutron monitors situated around the globe confirms that Forbush Decreases – the drop in the neutron count indicative of cosmic ray hits associated with Coronal Mass Ejections, is simultaneous worldwide. The implication is that the Earth is enveloped by a globally effective magnetic cloud when hit by a CME. Although not theoretically groundbreaking, the work has value as an empirical study confirming previous modelling work done by Oh, Yi and Kim. Oh, S.Y., Yi, Y., Kim, Y.H.: 2008, J. Geophys. Res. 113, A01103
The paper is open access and can be downloaded here:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/m58j2m514ph72691/fulltext.pdf
OT. Roger it looks like you’ve been placed back on the “normal” list at WUWT.
If the decrease was not near speed of light related I would be raising an eyebrow, but confirmation is a darn good idea. Nice one Rog.
Mkelly, thanks, good news.
Tim C: As well as the timing, the confirmation that the percentage drop of neutron counts at varying latitudes is similar is worth knowing too.
Not all Forbush events are simultaneous…
Globally nonsimultaneous Forbush decrease events and their implications
“Forbush decrease (FD) events are supposed to happen simultaneously over the globe of the Earth. However, there have been several reports on nonsimultaneous FD events. We investigate for the first time the properties of nonsimultaneous FD events and the solar wind conditions causing such events in detail in order to determine what solar wind conditions lead to global simultaneity of FD events.”
Abstract for paper here…
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2008/2007JA012333.shtml
Recent paper has also noted an increase in decay rates of radioactive materials in association with CME’s neutrino count spike. Kinda makes me wonder what the tech behind the sensors are and if the CME could be affecting the sensors. Just a musing that popped into my head as I read this.
Tenuc, interesting, thanks. The Abstract concludes:
“Our interpretation is that the simultaneous FD events might occur when the high-speed strong magnetic barrier (interplanetary shock sheath and magnetic cloud) overtakes the Earth, whereas the nonsimultaneous FD events may occur only when the slow-moving weak magnetic barrier passes by on the duskside of the Earth. The global simultaneity of FD events depends on speed and IMF strength of solar wind overtaking Earth’s magnetosphere and its propagation direction. This model of FD simultaneity can be tested by the STEREO mission.”
I guess there are things to be discovered about the interaction of Geomagnetism and the solar wind here.
Jeff: got a citation for the paper?
“Globally simultaneous” but not equal. It is quite different to live under anMF umbrella of 55-60,000 nT than living under a around 20,000. This could explain the almost perfect correlation between the Parana river discharge and solar motion.
Geomagnetic modulation of clouds effects in the Southern Hemisphere Magnetic Anomaly through lower atmosphere cosmic ray effects
http://www.agu.org/pubs/current/si/links/2006GL026389.pdf
Parana River and solar motion:
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2011/2011GL048851.shtml
Interesting. It will be cool to check cloudiness before and after and temperature before and after.
Predictions?
Here is a deal tall bloke. If you will state a hypothesis about the relationship between this and cloudiness or temperature I will test it. email me if you like that.
Hi Mosh.
It’s a kind offer, but I’m busy on other fronts, and since Jasper Kirby and Henrik Svensmark seem to have this job in hand, I’ll not try to steal their thunder.
This note (,http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/new-paper-shows-clouds-act-as-negative.html ) about a paper concerning the effect of clouds may help Mosher
Another snippet on cosmic rays in this abstract – can’t find a site with free access to the paper…
Reconnection at the Heliopause and the Motion of Energetic Particles in the Outer Heliosphere
“At the heliopause the uni-directional interstellar magnetic field abuts the piled-up sectored magnetic field and multiple current sheets of the heliosheath. Reconnection of these fields provides a natural pathway for energetic particles (e.g., anomalous cosmic rays produced in the heliosphere and galactic cosmic rays produced outside) to move across the heliopause.
Here we report on 2D particle-in-cell simulations of this system that self-consistently include a small number of energetic particles designed to mimic these energetic particles. Reconnection occurs at multiple current layers within the heliosheath and leads to the formation of a bath of magnetic bubbles. By tracing the trajectories of energetic particles through this bath we show that their propagation acquires some characteristics of a random walk. We discuss the implications for this behavior on the detection and propagation of energetic particles throughout the outer heliosphere.”
Never knew that some ‘cosmic rays’ were produced within our heliosphere – perhaps we have a branding issue…
Tenuc, yes, GCR’s seem to pop out of the void from all sorts of crazy angles. Very unsatisfactory.
TB have a look at this. Scroll to ‘Visual 7′
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/multimedia/20110609_briefing_materials.html
Quote: “This animation depicts the effect of the new scenario on galactic cosmic rays”
Bonzer! Stuff flowing back to the sun. Stitch that Svalgaard.
NASA IBEX Mission has falsified another bit of heliophysics…
IBEX Reveals a Missing Boundary At the Edge Of the Solar System
“…new data from NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX), however, now indicate that the sun does not have a bow shock…”
As in all things scientific, it would seem the more we observe, the less we know…
Observation = confirming the EX in experts…
Link to full NASA article available here…
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ibex/news/nobowshock.html
Wow, yet another-one bites the dust..,.
Magnetic turbulence trumps collisions to heat solar wind
“…The solar wind rushes outwards from the raging inferno that is our Sun, but from then on the wind should only get cooler as it expands beyond our solar system since there are no particle collisions to dissipate energy. However, the solar wind is surprisingly hotter than it should be, which has puzzled scientists for decades…”
http://phys.org/news/2012-08-magnetic-turbulence-trumps-collisions-solar.html
Not sure their explanation for the more energetic than expected solar wind is correct, but the current sheets, in what is in effect an structured plasm, could certainly cause strong magnetic fields to channel ionised cosmic rays towards the sun. There is a holistic connectedness about the solar system which solar scientists need to take much more notice of…
Another one bites the dust,
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone,
Another one bites the dust!!!
This is the reference for the change in radioactive decay rates.
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2012/Q3/new-system-could-predict-solar-flares,-give-advance-warning.html
Thanks for posting the link, Jeff. Perhaps another sacred cow of the standard model is falling?
From the article: “…rate of decay is widely believed to be constant, but recent findings challenge that long-accepted rule…”
I wonder if cosmic rays can also effect speed of nuclear decay?
I’d heard of this one before, filed under raise eyebrow and watch.
There was dispute about the findings so we need others to confirm.
You can find all of the nuclear decay papers by Purdue University and others by searching for Ephraim Fischbach in arXive.org. He’s one of the principal authors.
Yes, file and wait, but the data is looking better all the time. And some of the non-confirmation was for different types of decay. Lots to be sorted out here.