Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Physical Sciences: Solar Modulation and the Chemical Composition of the Cosmic Radiation

Abstract

THE intensity variations of the cosmic radiation during the solar cycle can be well simulated by assuming a heliocentric decelerating potential that is applied to the particles arriving from interstellar space1,2. During the past few years experimental and theoretical understanding of the process of solar modulation has improved greatly. It now seems that a full treatment of the diffusive-convective motions of the particles in the radially expanding solar wind results in an energy loss by the individual particles which can, on average, be treated as analogous to the effects of a potential, except for particles of quite low energies ≤ 100 MeV, where the analogy fails.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ehmert, A., Proc. Intern. Union Pure Appl. Phys. Conf., Moscow, 4, 142 (1959).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Freier, P. S., and Waddington, C. J., Space Sci. Rev., 4, 313 (1965).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Lezniak, J. A., and Webber, W. R., J. Geophys. Res., 76, 1605 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Goldstein, M. L., Fisk, L. A., and Ramaty, R., Phys. Rev. Lett., 25, 832 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Skilling, J., Astrophys. J., 170, 265 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Price, P. B., Peterson, D. D., Fleischer, R. L., O'Ceallaigh, C., O'Sullivan, D., and Thompson, A., Acta Phys. Hung., 29, Suppl. 1, 417 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Freier, P. S., Long, C. E., Cleghorn, T. F., and Waddington, C. J., Proc. Intern. Union Pure Appl. Phys. Conf., Hobart, 1, 252 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Cartwright, B. G., Munoz Garcia, M., and Simpson, J. A., Proc. Intern. Union Pure Appl. Phys. Conf., Hobart, 1, 215 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

WADDINGTON, C. Physical Sciences: Solar Modulation and the Chemical Composition of the Cosmic Radiation. Nature 236, 391–392 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/236391a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/236391a0

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing