AN EXTERNAL RADIATION BELT AT A HEIGHT OF 320 KM ABOVE THE EARTH (in Russian)
The orbit of the second Russian sputnik was almost circular with altitude extremes of 307 and 339 km. The count rate obtained from a scintillation counter (NaI (Tl) crystall on board the sputnik showed an increase from 4 to 11 disinteg/cm/sup 2/-sec on going from the equator to latitudes of plus or minus 40 to 50 deg due to the variation in cosmic ray count with latitude. Then, a sharp increase in count rate of 20-600 disinteg/cm/sup 2/-sec was observed at geometrical latitudes 50 to 65 deg . Conjugate points were determined, where a zone of increased activity in Siberia was related with a region in the South Indian Ocean, and a zone in North America was related with a zone in the South Pacific Ocean. Thus, zones of increased radiation in the Northern Hemisphere were related to corresponding zones in the Southern Hemisphere by means of the force lines of the geomagnetic field which determines the external radiation belt. The limit of the radiation belt at small latitudes corresponds with the isocline delta = 70 deg in the Northern Hemisphere and with delta = 66 deg in the Southern Hemisphere. The radiation was found to be due to gamma rays having an energy of 100 to 300 kev which originated from the slow-down of electrons hitting the shell of the sputnik. It was estimated that the upper limit of the lifetime of the electrons in the belt was 10/sup 6/to 10/ sup 8/ seconds. Hence it is more likely that the electrons are captured by local acceleration of electrons within the limits of the geomagnetic field than in accordance with a neutron hypothesis (TTT)
- Research Organization:
- Moscow State Univ.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-16-003600
- OSTI ID:
- 4816718
- Journal Information:
- Doklady Akad. Nauk S.S.S.R., Vol. Vol: 140; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-62
- Country of Publication:
- Country unknown/Code not available
- Language:
- Russian
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