Cosmic Rays And Energetic Particle Effects

Dr. C. Dyer. (1994), JBIS, 47, pp.151-158

Refcode: 1994.47.151

Abstract:

Ever since the pioneering balloon flight of an ion chamber by Hess in 1912 revealed an extraterrestrial source of radiation, cosmic rays have been a fascinating source of study and speculation for the astrophysicist. Ground studies of their secondaries by Arthur Holly Compton finally proved that they were charged particles rather than energetic photons, as a clear geomagnetic latitude dependence was discerned. The dawn of spaceflight provided an immediate boost to the subject as van Allen’s Geiger Counters showed that above the atmosphere this latitude dependence was complicated by regions of intense radiation apparently trapped in the geomagnetic field.