Muon excess at sea level from solar flares in association with the Fermi GBM spacecraft detector

Abstract

This paper presents results of an ongoing survey on the associations between muon excesses at ground level registered by the Tupi telescopes and transient solar events, two solar flares whose gamma-ray and X-ray emissions were reported by, respectively, the Fermi GBM and the GOES 14. We show that solar flares of small scale, those with prompt X-ray emission classified by GOES as C-Class (power 10 −6 to 10 −5 W m 2 at 1 AU) may give rise to muon excess probably associated with solar protons and ions emitted by the flare and arriving at the Earth as a coherent particle pulse. The Tupi telescopes are within the central region of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), which allows particle detectors to achieve a low rigidity of response to primary and secondary charged particles (≥ 0.1 GV). Here we argue for the possibility of a "scale-free" energy distribution of particles accelerated by solar flares. Large and small scale flares have the same energy spectrum up to energies exceeding the pion production, the difference between them is only the intensity. If this hypothesis is correct, the Tupi telescope is registering muons produced by protons (ions)

Connection among spacecrafts and ground level observations of small solar transient events

“…Recently, we have the registry of solar flares (of small scale) simultaneously with GOES satellite (X-ray), Fermi satellite (gamma-ray) and Tupi (solar protons producing muons in the Earth atmosphere) [12]. We presents here more an example, the gamma ray emission of the solar flare on 14 July 2010 observed by Fermi GBM spacecraft.…”

Gamma Rays from Space

“…We point out that the location of the Tupi detector is within the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA field component is only 18.13 mT, that is, almost half than the horizontal geomagnetic field component of other locations, where a search for the detection of GRBs at ground level was performed. For details, please see Section 7 of the reference [40].…”

“…Since August 2013, the Tupi experiment has operated an extended array of five muon telescopes [40], located in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (22.9° S, 43.0° W).…”

Variability of Low Energy Cosmic Rays Near Earth

“…The decription of few of such installations along with the first results are reported e.g. in papers (Augusto et al, 2011;De Mendonca et al, 2011;Maghrabi et al, 2011).…”