Nuclear Bursts Produced in the Low Energy Nucleonic Component of the Cosmic Radiations

Abstract

The production rate of low energy nuclear bursts or stars has been measured as a function of altitude and geomagnetic lactitude, $\lambda$, at 0°, 40° N and 52° N through 65° N. The measurements were obtained in aircraft using fast electron collection pulse chambers. Exponential absorption paths, $L_b\left(\lambda \right)$, for the nuclear burst or star producing radiation below ∼200 ${\mathrm{g}-\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$ are $L_b\left(0\mathrm{}°\right)=214\mathrm{}\pm 7$; $L_b\left(40\mathrm{}°\right)=174\mathrm{}\pm 6$; $L_b(>~52°)=164\mathrm{}\pm 14$ ${\mathrm{g}-\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$. At an atmospheric depth of 312 ${\mathrm{g}-\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-2\mathrm{}}$ the latitude factor of increase from 0° to 52°N is 3.11±0.15 on undisturbed days. The disintegration product fast neutrons have a latitude factor of 3.30±0.05 under the same conditions. Integral pulse-height distributions of nuclear bursts both at 0° and 52° are represented by $N_b=A{V}^{-2.5\mathrm{}\pm 0.1}$, where $N_b$ is the number of burst pulses > bias energy $V$.