Cosmic ray muon during 2024 solar eclipse
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Kent Leung
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 10:30 AM
End Date
25-4-2025 11:29 AM
Description
Cosmic rays are protons and other atomic nuclei that travel through space at near light speeds. They are accelerated by solar activity, shock waves within supernova remnants, and other theorized sources. These acceleration mechanisms are not fully understood, nor are the proportions of cosmic rays from each source. Some of these charged particles, with energies > 1 MeV, are able to penetrate Earth’s magnetic field and enter the atmosphere where they collide with air molecules. These interactions initiate CR showers, cascades of particles with some products such as muons that can be detected at ground level. Using a muon telescope made with student-built CosmicWatch detectors, we observed the Sun during and after the April 2024 solar eclipse from an area with max obscuration of 90.8%. The eclipse offers a unique opportunity to determine the fraction of solar cosmic rays versus inter and extragalactic CRs. To do this, we simulated the expected dip in muon flux rate at our location. Next, we will fit our data to this model. Previous studies have found that only a small fraction of incident CR’s are sourced in the Sun, and we expect similar results.
Cosmic ray muon during 2024 solar eclipse
Cosmic rays are protons and other atomic nuclei that travel through space at near light speeds. They are accelerated by solar activity, shock waves within supernova remnants, and other theorized sources. These acceleration mechanisms are not fully understood, nor are the proportions of cosmic rays from each source. Some of these charged particles, with energies > 1 MeV, are able to penetrate Earth’s magnetic field and enter the atmosphere where they collide with air molecules. These interactions initiate CR showers, cascades of particles with some products such as muons that can be detected at ground level. Using a muon telescope made with student-built CosmicWatch detectors, we observed the Sun during and after the April 2024 solar eclipse from an area with max obscuration of 90.8%. The eclipse offers a unique opportunity to determine the fraction of solar cosmic rays versus inter and extragalactic CRs. To do this, we simulated the expected dip in muon flux rate at our location. Next, we will fit our data to this model. Previous studies have found that only a small fraction of incident CR’s are sourced in the Sun, and we expect similar results.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.