James H. Derrickson

Cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra: Results from the JACEE Experiment

Measurements of the cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium spectra at energies from 20 to 800 TeV are presented. The experiments were performed on a series of twelve balloon flights, including several long duration Australia to South America and Antarctic circumpolar flights. No clear evidence is seen for a spectral break. Both the hydrogen and the helium spectra are consistent with power laws over the entire energy range, with integral spectral indices 1.80 ± 0.04 and 1.68 -->+ 0.04−0.06 for the protons and helium, respectively. The results are fully consistent with expectations based on supernova shock acceleration coupled with a leaky box model of propagation through the Galaxy.

Energy spectra of cosmic rays above 1 TeV per nucleon

Direct measurements of cosmic-ray nuclei above 1 TeV/nucleon have been performed in a series of balloon-borne experiments with emulsion chambers. The observed all-particle spectrum above 20 TeV is consistent with the results of the Proton satellite and many air shower experiments. The proton spectrum is consistent with a power law having an index of 2.76 + or - 0.09 up to at least 100 TeV, but an overabundance of helium by a factor of 2 above 2 TeV per nucleon is found when compared with the extrapolation from the low energies. For heavy elements (C through Fe), the intensities around 1 TeV/nucleon are consistent, within the statistical errors, with the extrapolation from lower energy data using the Spacelab 2 spectral indices. An enhancement for the medium-heavy components (C through Ca) above 200 TeV is indicated. The mean mass above 50 TeV indicates slightly higher values than the results of the air shower experiments. 37 refs.

Ionizing radiation exposure of LDEF (pre-recovery estimates)

The long duration exposure facility (LDEF), launched into a 258 nautical mile orbit with an inclination of 28.5 degrees, remained in space for nearly 6 yr. The 21,500 lb NASA satellite was one of the largest payloads ever deployed by the Space Shuttle. LDEF completed 32,422 orbits and carried 57 major experiments representing more than 200 investigators from 33 private companies, 21 universities and nine countries. The experiments covered a wide range of disciplines including basic science, electronics, optics, materials, structures and power and propulsion. A number of the experiments were specifically designed to measure the radiation environment. These experiments are of specific interest, since the LDEF orbit is essentially the same as that of the Space Station Freedom. Consequently, the radiation measurements on LDEF will play a significant role in the design of radiation shielding of the space station. The contributions of the various authors presented here attempt to predict the major aspects of the radiation exposure received by the various LDEF experiments and therefore should be helpful to investigators who are in the process of analyzing experiments which may have been affected by exposure to ionizing radiation. The paper discusses the various types and sources of ionizing radiation including cosmic rays, trapped particles (both protons and electrons) and secondary particles (including neutrons, spallation products and high-LET recoils), as well as doses and LET spectra as a function of shielding. Projections of the induced radioactivity of LDEF are also discussed.

New limits on gamma-ray bursts

Two balloon flights of large-area scintillation crystal detector arrays indicate that the rate of weak gamma-ray bursts is significantly below that expected from a uniform distribution of burst sources. This result, combined with the data from stronger bursts, gives strong evidence for a galactic confinement of burst sources. Reasonable models of confinement limit the intrinsic radiated energy per burst to the order of 10 to the (39th to 41st power) ergs.

Direct measurement of the composition and spectra of cosmic rays above 1 TeV/amu from Jacee

Abstract Direct measurements on cosmic ray protons through iron above about 1 TeV/amu have been performed in a series of balloon-borne experiments with emulsion chambers. The measured energy spectra of protons and helium are power laws with exponents of 2.77 ± 0.09 and 2.72 ± 0.11 in the energy range 5 to 500 TeV and 2 to 50 TeV/amu, respectively. The proton spectrum shows no evidence of the steepening near 2 TeV which was reported by other experiments. Helium has a slightly higher intensity compared to extrapolations from lower energy measurements. The heavier elements, carbon to sulfur, show a small tendency for intensity enhancement in the relative abundance above 10 TeV/amu.

Cosmic ray results from the jacee experiments

Abstract Studies of high-energy nucleus-nucleus interactions with balloon-borne JACEE emulsion chambers are summarized. High energy, high multiplicity interactions are found with high-energy-density (⩾ 2 GeV/fm3), high observed values (500 – 2,000 MeV/c), and several interesting pseudorapidity and/or azimuthal structures. Very short-range correlations of charged particles, and several other inclusive characteristics are discussed.

Study of correlations of positive and negative charged particles

Abstract Particle correlations of the central collision events of 32 S + Pb at 200 GeV/AMU have been studied by utilizing a Magnetic-Interferometric-Emulsion-Chamber (MAGIC) detector. Particle angles, momentum, and charge-signs are measured for all produced charged tracks for each event. Two-particle correlation functions, C 2 = dN (¦ p 1 − p 2 ¦= q )/ dp 1 dp 2 , for (++), (−−) and (+-) particles are examined. A source radius around 4 – 6 fm is observed for overall identical particle correlations, while unexpected short-range correlations of unlike-sign pairs are observed in the high rapidity region. An analysis of unlike-sign pairs in terms of resonance decays indicated that a large amount (40% relative to pions) of η or ω mesons (decaying into 3 π), or of scalar iso-scalar σ mesons (decaying into 2π) would be required to explain some of the data. Multi-particle charge-sign clusters are recognized; however, their “run-test” and “conjugate-test” show small deviations from statistical fluctuations.

A 1 m radius spherical electron drift chamber for the measurement of relativistic heavy nuclei

Abstract The performance of the spherical drift chamber of the BUGS IV (Bristol University Gas Scintillator) cosmic ray detector is presented. The 1 m radius spherical chamber employed ArN 2 gas scintillation, gas-proportional scintillation, and electron drift timing to provide charge, energy, and pathlength correction information. The details of the scintillation and drift processes are presented and the combination of these techniques in the BUGS IV central drift chamber are discussed. The performance of a recent exposure of the BUGS IV central spherical chamber to relativistic cosmic ray iron nuclei is presented. It is shown that the chamber provided pathlength corrections to all elements of this multi-detector experiment with relative uncertainties of less than 2% for 90% of all impact parameters. The maximum uncertainty for the largest impact parameter events remained less than 5%. Model drift waveforms are derived and shown to be in excellent agreement with the observed data.

Rapidity and transverse momentum distributions in 6.4 TeV S+Pb interactions from CERN EMU05 experiments

Abstract Mixed transverse(P T ) momentum and rapidity distributions of charged particles produced in 200 GeV/AMU heavy ion collisions are obtained with Magnetic-Interferometric-Emulsion-Chamber ( MAGIC ) by CERN-EMU05 experiments. The P T spectra at different rapidity regions showed no anomalous enhancement of low P T components over a conventional, single exponential function with slope values ranging from 160 to 200 MeV/c.

A measurement of the absolute energy spectra of galactic cosmic rays during the 1976-77 solar minimum

Abstract An instrument designed to measure elemental cosmic ray abundances from boron to nickel in the energy region 0.5–2.0 GeV nucl −1 was flown on a high altitude balloon from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on 30 September through 1 October 1976 at an average atmospheric depth of ∼5 g cm −2 . Differential energy spectra of B, C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si and Fe, extrapolated to the top of the atmosphere, were measured. The float altitude exposure of 17 h ended near Alpena, Michigan. The flight trajectory maintained a north easterly heading out of Sioux Falls traversing the upper mid-west region between 84° and 97° west longitude while remaining between 43.5° and 45° north latitude. The maximum vertical cut-off for this flight path was 1.77 GV or 0.35 GeV nucl -1 (Shea and Smart (1975), Report No. AFCRL-TR-75-0185, Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories).