Characteristics and Energy Dependence of Recurrent Galactic Cosmic-Ray Flux Depressions and of a Forbush Decrease with LISA Pathfinder

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M. Armano, H. Audley, J. Baird, M. Bassan, S. Benella, P. Binetruy, M. Born, D. Bortoluzzi, A. Cavalleri, A. Cesarini, A. M. Cruise, K. Danzmann, K. de Deus Silva, I. Diepholz, G. Dixon, R. Dolesi, M. Fabi, L. Ferraioli, V. Ferroni, N. Finetti, E. D. Fitzsimons, M. Freschi, L. Gesa, F. Gibert, D. Giardini, R. Giusteri, C. Grimani, J. Grzymisch, I. Harrison, G. Heinzel, M. Hewitson, D. Hollington, D. Hoyland, M. Hueller, H. Inchauspé, O. Jennrich, P. Jetzer, N. Karnesis, B. Kaune, N. Korsakova, C. J. Killow, M. Laurenza, J. A. Lobo, I. Lloro, L. Liu, J. P. López-Zaragoza, R. Maarschalkerweerd, D. Mance, V. Martín, L. Martin-Polo, J. Martino, F. Martin-Porqueras, I. Mateos, P. W. McNamara, J. Mendes, L. Mendes, M. Nofrarias, S. Paczkowski, M. Perreur-Lloyd, A. Petiteau, P. Pivato, E. Plagnol, J. Ramos-Castro, J. Reiche, D. I. Robertson, F. Rivas, G. Russano, Federico Sabbatini, J. Slutsky, C. F. Sopuerta, T. Sumner, D. Tellon, D. Texier, J. I. Thorpe, D. Vetrugno, S. Vitale, G. Wanner, H. Ward, P. Wass, W. J. Weber, L. Wissel, A. Wittchen, A. Zambotti, C. Zanoni, P. Zweifel
The Astrophysical Journal 854(2), pp. 113
febbraio 2018

Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy spectra observed in the inner heliosphere are modulated by the solar activity, the solar polarity and structures of solar and interplanetary origin. A high counting rate particle detector (PD) aboard LISA Pathfinder, meant for subsystems diagnostics, was devoted to the measurement of GCR and solar energetic particle integral fluxes above 70 MeV n−1 up to 6500 counts s−1. PD data were gathered with a sampling time of 15 s. Characteristics and energy dependence of GCR flux recurrent depressions and of a Forbush decrease dated 2016 August 2 are reported here. The capability of interplanetary missions, carrying PDs for instrument performance purposes, in monitoring the passage of interplanetary coronal mass ejections is also discussed.