2020 Plans
CRD Research profile, main achievements and 2020 plans
Cosmic Ray Division physicists perform research in almost all areas of the Astroparticle physics and high-energy Atmospheric physics:
• CR Origin and acceleration mechanisms.
• Solar-terrestrial connections; solar modulation of galactic CRs.
• Acceleration of protons on Sun.
• High Energy phenomena in Atmosphere, Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements (TGEs).
• Lightning physics.
• Monitoring of geophysical parameters.
• Scientific instrumentation.
• Multivariate data analysis and Machine Learning.
Among the main achievements of recent years are:
• Discovery of energetic protons (with energies greater than 20 GeV) accelerated in the vicinity of the Sun during Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) event N 69.
• Discovery of simultaneous fluxes of electrons, gamma rays and neutrons measured at mountain altitudes, proving the existence of the new high-energy phenomenon (TGEs) in the thunderstorm atmospheres.
• Discovery of the “Cloud Extensive Showers - CESs”.
• Discovery of long-lasting radiation from the thunderclouds (up to several hours).
• Development of the Aragats Space Environmental Center (ASEC) and Armenian Geophysics Network.
• Founding of the worldwide network of new particle detectors, named SEVAN (Space Environment Viewing and Analysis Network). Nodes of the SEVAN network are now operating in Armenia, India, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
• Introducing of new model of lightning initiation.
• Founding of Armenian Geophysics Network in Armenia and Arcakh.
2020 plans
1.
1. Continue
monitoring of particle fluxes incident on the earths surface by all facilities
located on slopes of Aragats Mountain on heights 3200 and 2000 m.
2. Provide
uninterruptable access to CRD databases containing unique information on
multiyear monitoring of major geophysical parameters and cosmic ray data.
Improve operation of ADEI knowledge platform.
3. Develop
model of Thunderstorm Ground enhancement (TGE) initiation, including
Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanches (RREA) and Rn chain progenies isotropy
radiation in thunderous atmosphere.
4. Install
new fast cameras providing streaming video of skies above Aragats for direct
observations of RREA.
5. Measure
with 4-6 sq. m. area and 5-6- cm thick plastic scintillators flux of TGE
electrons. Recover energy spectra of TGE electrons on the entrance of the
thundercloud.
6. Perform
measurements of atmospheric discharges with particle detectors, fast and slow
antennas, interferometer and variety of particle detectors synchronized on time
scale of microsecond.
7. Develop
the methods of determining the types of lightning discharges with analytic and
machine learning methods.
8. Perform
methodical studies for developing methods of estimating intracloud electric
field, including radar, lidar and particle detectors.
9. Develop
new NaI spectrometers with new ADCs for improving energy resolution at low
energies.
10. Operate
SEVAN particle detector network, prepare documentation, perform new Monte Carlo
studies for new SEVAN units to be installed in 2019 in DESY, Zeuthen and
Hamburg.
11. Continue
cooperation with world-largest system of Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes
MAGIC; prepare group for participating in shifts in La-Palma.
The 2010 program was discussed during 1st Meeting of the Advisory Committee (AC) of the ASEC Collaboration Nor Amberd, 17 May 2019.
Resume:
The AC supports the current activities at ASEC, the developments that have been started and the plans presented at the meeting. The action items listed above will put ASEC, with the help of the ASEC AC, on a good track for future research at Aragats and Nor Amberd.
Signed by
J. Knapp (AC Chair)
M. Zazyan (ASEC Secretary).
5 Most important papers published in 2019:
1. A.Chilingarian , S. Soghomonyan , Y. Khanikyanc , D. Pokhsraryan , On the origin of particle fluxes from thunderclouds, Astroparticle Physics 105 , 54(2019).
2. A.Chilingarian, Energetic radiation from thunderclouds: extended particle fluxes directed to Earth’s surface, Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali, doi.org/10.1007/s12210-018-0755-y, 2019.
3. , , Catalog of 2017 Thunderstorm Ground Enhancement (TGE) events observed on Aragats, Scientific Reports 9(1):6253, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42786-7
4. A.Chilingarian, Reply to “Comment on ‘Long lasting low energy thunderstorm ground enhancements and possible Rn-222 daughter isotopes contamination, Phys. Rev. D 99, 108102 (2019)
5. A. Chilingarian, A. Avetisyan, G. Hovsepyan, T. Karapetyan, L. Kozliner, et al., Origin of the low-energy gamma ray flux of the long-lasting thunderstorm ground enhancements, Phys. Rev. D 99, 102002 (2019)
List of CRD employees actively participated in research and in CRD seminars:
Tigran, List here all who comes to seminars
Add also
Fur successful implementation of CRD program it is absolutely necessary to allocate 2010 budget for repairs and operation of high altitude stations.