Empirical Model of 10 – 130 MeV Solar Energetic Particle Spectra at 1 AU Based on Coronal Mass Ejection Speed and Direction

• Published in: Solar physics Vol. 296; no. 2
• Main Authors: Bruno, Alessandro, Richardson, Ian G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Goddard Space Flight Center Springer 01-02-2021; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antimatter; Astrophysics; Astrophysics and Astroparticles; Atmospheric Sciences; Coronal mass ejection; Empirical analysis; Empirical models; Energetic particles; GOES satellites; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Satellites; Solar Physics; Space Exploration and Astronautics; Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics; Space weather; Spacecraft; Spatial distribution; Spectra; Coronal mass ejections; Space weather; Solar energetic particles; Spacecraft missions
• ISSN: 0038-0938; 1573-093X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11207-021-01779-4

We present a new empirical model to predict solar energetic particle (SEP) event integrated and peak intensity spectra between 10 and 130 MeV at 1 AU, based on multi-point spacecraft measurements from the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), and the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) satellite experiment. The analyzed data sample includes 32 SEP events occurring between 2010 and 2014, with a statistically significant proton signal at energies in excess of a few tens of MeV, unambiguously
recorded at three spacecraft locations. The spatial distributions of SEP intensities are reconstructed by assuming an energy-dependent 2D Gaussian functional form, and accounting for the correlation between the intensity and the speed of the parent coronal mass ejection (CME), and the magnetic-field-line connection angle. The CME measurements used are from the Space Weather Database Of Notifications, Knowledge, Information (DONKI). The model performance, including its extrapolations to lower/higher energies, is tested by comparing with the spectra of 20 SEP events not used to derive the model parameters. Despite the simplicity of the model, the observed and predicted event-integrated and peak intensities at Earth and at the STEREO spacecraft for these events show remarkable agreement, both in the spectral shapes and their absolute values.