M. A. Abunina

The first Forbush decrease of solar cycle 24

The first significant Forbush decrease of solar cycle 24 was recorded in February 18, 2011 from neutron monitors around the world. This was the result of the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that was released from the Sun on 14 and 15 February 2011, respectively, and their interplanetary counterparts (ICME) that were prevalent in the interplanetary space in this period. We report on the global characteristics of cosmic rays during the FD such as the amplitude (A0), the decrement and the three dimensional anisotropy parameters (Ax, Ay and Az), deduced from the global survey method (GSM). We also analyze the interplanetary space solar wind data and we present the structure of the ICME as it passed through the Earth resulting in a strong Forbush decrease. We compare high time resolution neutron monitor data with multipoint space-based measurements of the interplanetary space (e.g. ACE/SWEPAM and ACE/MAG).

Forbush effects with a sudden and gradual onset

For a comprehensive study of the Forbush effects and their relation to solar and geomagnetic activity, a database of transient phenomena in cosmic rays and the interplanetary medium has been created, which is continuously updated with data on new events. Based on these data, we study the dependence of the Forbush effects on various internal and external parameters, as well as select different groups of events. In this paper, we consider recurrent (caused by high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes) and sporadic (associated with coronal mass ejections) events. We investigate groups of events with a sudden and gradual onset. We show that the resulting dependencies of the Forbush effects (on the parameters of interplanetary disturbances, geomagnetic activity indices, etc.) are substantially different for the above-mentioned groups. Most likely, these differences are caused by different sources of solar wind disturbances.

Main Properties of Forbush Effects Related to High-Speed Streams from Coronal Holes

The IZMIRAN database of Forbush effects and interplanetary disturbances was used to study features of the action of high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes on cosmic rays. Three hundred and fifty Forbush effects created by coronal holes without other actions were distinguished. The mean values and distributions have been found for different characteristics of events from this group and compared with all Forbush effects and Forbush effects caused by coronal ejections. Despite the great differences in high-speed streams from coronal holes, this group turned out to be more compact and uniform as compared to events related to coronal ejections. Regression dependences and correlation relations between different parameters of events for the studied groups have been obtained. It has been shown that Forbush effects caused by coronal ejections depend considerably more strongly on the characteristics of interplanetary disturbances as compared to Forbush effects related to coronal holes. This suggests a significant difference between the modulation mechanisms of Forbush effects of different types and corroborates earlier conclusions based on indirect data.

Relationship between Forbush effect parameters and the heliolongitude of solar sources

All significant events in galactic cosmic rays for the last 55 years have been collected in a Forbush effect database created at the Pushkov Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radiowave Propagation (hereinafter, IZMIRAN) based on data from the global network of neutron monitors. The solar sources of ∼800 of these events have been identified. These events were divided into five groups with respect to the heliolongitudes of the associated X-ray solar flares, and typical behavior of their characteristics such as cosmic ray density and anisotropy, was studied independently for each group. The Forbush effect characteristics, which are the most dependent on the source heliolongitude, have been identified.

Global Survey Method for the World Network of Neutron Monitors

One of the variants of the global survey method developed and used for many years at the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere, and Radio Wave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences is described. Data from the world network of neutron monitors for every hour from July 1957 to the present has been processed by this method. A consistent continuous series of hourly characteristics of variation of the density and vector anisotropy of cosmic rays with a rigidity of 10 GV is obtained. A database of Forbush decreases in galactic cosmic rays caused by large-scale disturbances of the interplanetary medium for more than half a century has been created based on this series. The capabilities of the database make it possible to perform a correlation analysis of various parameters of the space environment (characteristics of the Sun, solar wind, and interplanetary magnetic field) with the parameters of cosmic rays and to study their interrelationships in the solar–terrestrial space. The features of reception coefficients for different stations are considered, which allows the transition from variations according to ground measurements to variations of primary cosmic rays. The advantages and disadvantages of this variant of the global survey method and the opportunities for its development and improvement are assessed. The developed method makes it possible to minimize the problems of the network of neutron monitors and to make significant use of its advantages.

Characteristic behavior of high-energy magnetospheric electrons from 1987 to 2007

The daily fluence is selected as the main characteristic of the behavior of electrons with E > 2 MeV measured by GOES satellites in geostationary orbits, since this characteristic is closely associated with malfunctions of satellite electronic equipment. It is shown that increases in the flux of high-energy magnetospheric electrons are associated with considerable interplanetary and magnetospheric perturbations, but lag behind them by 1–3 days. A greatly increased solar wind speed is observed as early as 3 days before the electron flux starts to grow, with a maximum being reached by the onset of growth. It is shown that the electron fluence is weakly associated with the level of geomagnetic activity on the same day but correlates to the Ар index of geomagnetic activity observed 2–3 days earlier. The fluence of high-energy magnetospheric electrons is closely associated with the solar wind’s speed, especially with its value measured 2 days earlier.

Behavior of the cosmic ray density during the initial phase of the Forbush effect

Variations in the cosmic ray density during the initial phase of the Forbush effect during the first hours after the arrival of the interplanetary shock wave have been studied with the use of data on variations in the cosmic ray density with a rigidity of 10 GV obtained by the global survey method by the world network of neutron monitors in 1957‒2012. It is found that behavior of this parameter after the arrival of the shock wave demonstrates high variability. A small (~1/5 of total number), though distinct, group of Forbush effects, in which the density of the cosmic ray increases (not decreases) after the arrival of the shock wave, is defined. As a whole, the initial variation in cosmic ray density is correlated with the Forbush effect magnitude and the strength of the associated geomagnetic disturbance.

Modeling the behavior of the cosmic ray density in magnetic clouds

Our study focuses on the behavior of the density of cosmic ray particles at 10 GV rigidity in a magnetic cloud at Earth. It is shown that it can be mostly described by a simple parabolic dependence over distance from the centre of the cloud, when measured in gyroradii. The majority of magnetic clouds modulate cosmic rays, decreasing their density. However, there is a group of events (about 1/5 part of the total sample) during which the cosmic ray density increases within the magnetic cloud. The factors that contribute to the model description are considered, and estimates of their influence are carried out and discussed.

Density variations of galactic cosmic rays in magnetic clouds

Galactic cosmic ray behavior features in events when magnetic clouds that have been observed in interplanetary disturbances near the Earth are investigated. It is shown in most cases (but not in all) that the cosmic ray density behavior in the magnetic cloud near the Earth can be described by a simple parabolic distance dependence measured in gyroradii. Most magnetic clouds modulate cosmic rays by reducing their density, but there is a group of events (about 1/5) in which the cosmic ray density in the magnetic cloud increases. The extremum (minimum or maximum) of the cosmic ray density is often located closer to the cloud center rather than its edges. A number of factors that contribute to the model description are considered, and the contributions are estimated.

Vector anisotropy of cosmic rays in the beginning of Forbush effects

We consider the behavior of anisotropy and density of galactic cosmic rays in the first hours of Forbush effects from 1957 to 2014 initiated by the arrival of a shock wave. It has been shown that, as early as the event commencement, the first harmonic of anisotropy tends to increase substantially and its direction changes significantly. The more is powerful the interplanetary disturbance, the greater are the changes. Based on changes in some parameters of anisotropy and density, we can estimate the heliolongitude of the disturbance source, as well as the further development of the Forbush effect and geomagnetic activity.