The interplanetary acceleration of energetic nucleons

Journal Article · Sun Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1976 · Astrophys. J., Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/182040· OSTI ID:7354814

McDonald, F B; Teegarden, B J; Trainor, J H; von Rosenvinge, T T; Webber, W R

Corotating proton and electron streams are the dominant type of low-energy (i.e., 0.1--10 MeV per nucleon) particle event observed at 1 AU. The radial dependence of these events has been studied between 1 and 4 AU using essentially identical low-energy detector systems on IMP-7, Pionner-10, and Pioneer-11. It had been expected that at a given energy the intensity of these streams would decrease rapidly with heliocentric distance due to the effects of interplanetary adiabatic deceleration. Instead it is observed that from event to event the intensity either remains roughly constant or increases significantly (more than an order of magnitude) between 1 and 4 AU. It appears that interplanetary acceleration processes are the most plausible explanation. Several possible acceleration models are discussed. (AIP)

• Research Organization: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
• OSTI ID: 7354814
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J., Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J., Lett.; (United States) Vol. 203:3; ISSN AJLEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640101* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmic Radiation
640107 -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
BARYONS
COSMIC ELECTRONS
COSMIC NEUTRONS
COSMIC PROTONS
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RAY FLUX
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
PROTONS
RADIATION FLUX
RADIATIONS
SPACE