More than three dozen submillisecond events of ELVES type (“elves”), which are the result of the interaction of the front of an electromagnetic pulse from a lightning discharge and the lower layer of ...the ionosphere, have been identified in the data of a UV Atmosphere orbital multichannel detector (Mini-EUSO). Each event has a characteristic annular glow pattern and occupies a significant part of the detector’s field of view, and the signal in a separate channel has an asymmetric profile with a pronounced peak. The distribution of peak times contains information about both the localization of the discharge and the altitude of the glow. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian (probabilistic) model for reconstructing ELVES events, implemented using probabilistic programming methods in PyMC-5. The capabilities of the model for determining the position of the discharge are shown using the example of several events. Methods for modifying the model to restore the discharge orientation and refine the glow height are outlined.
We report an accurate measurement of the geomagnetically trapped proton fluxes for kinetic energy above ~70 MeV performed by the PAMELA mission at low Earth orbits (350 / 610 km). Data were analyzed ...in the frame of the adiabatic theory of charged particle motion in the geomagnetic field. Flux properties were investigated in detail, providing a full characterization of the particle radiation in the South Atlantic Anomaly region, including locations, energy spectra, and pitch angle distributions. PAMELA results significantly improve the description of the Earth's radiation environment at low altitudes, placing important constraints on the trapping and interaction processes, and can be used to validate current trapped particle radiation models.
Mini-EUSO is a high-sensitivity imaging telescope that observes the Earth from the ISS in the near ultraviolet band (290
÷
430 nm), through the nadir-facing, UV-transparent window in the Russian ...Zvezda module. The instrument, launched in 2019, has a field of view of 44
∘
, a spatial resolution on the Earth’s surface of 6.3 km and a temporal sampling rate of 2.5 microseconds. Thanks to its triggering and on-board processing, the telescope is capable of detecting UV emissions of cosmic, atmospheric, and terrestrial origin on different time scales, from a few microseconds up to tens of milliseconds. The optics is composed of two Fresnel lenses focusing light onto an array of 36 Hamamatsu Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tubes, for a total of 2304 pixels. The telescope also contains two cameras in the near-infrared and visible, an 8-by-8 array of Silicon-PhotoMultipliers and a series of UV sensors to manage night-day transitions. The scientific objectives range from the observation of atmospheric phenomena lightning, Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), ELVES, the study of meteoroids, the search of interstellar meteoroids and strange quark matter, mapping of the Earth’s nocturnal emissions in the ultraviolet range, and the search of cosmic rays with energy above 10
21
eV. The instrument has been integrated and qualified in 2019, with the final tests in Baikonur prior to its launch. Operations involve periodic installation in the Zvezda module of the station with observations during the crew night time, with periodic downlink of data samples, with the full data being sent to the ground via pouches containing the data disks. Mission planning involves the selection of the optimal orbits to maximize the scientific return of the instrument. In this work, we will describe the various phases of construction, testing, and qualification prior to the launch and the in-flight operations of the instrument on board the ISS.
Protons detected by the PAMELA experiment in the period 2006-2014 have been analyzed in the energy range between 0.40 and 50 GV to explore possible periodicities besides the well known solar ...undecennial modulation. An unexpected clear and regular feature has been found at rigidities below 15 GV, with a quasi-periodicity of ∼450 days. A possible Jovian origin of this periodicity has been investigated in different ways. The results seem to favor a small but not negligible contribution to cosmic rays from the Jovian magnetosphere, even if other explanations cannot be excluded.
The isotopic composition of Li and Be nuclei in the 1–5 GV range of rigidities (nuclear energies of 0.1–1.5 GeV/nucleon) is analyzed using PAMELA flight data from 2006–2014 on the rigidity of ...detected nuclei and their velocities (time-of-flight analysis and ionization losses in the detector’s multilayer calorimeter). The new PAMELA data expand the range of energies in earlier measurements, are consistent with scarce results, and indicate correlated deviations of Li and Be isotope ratios from the GALPROP data for GCRs, which can be interpreted as evidence of contributions from several nearby local sources against the GCR background. Analysis of precision AMS-02 data on the spectra of positrons, antiprotons, and secondary nuclei of Li, Be, and B also indicates correlated increases in intensity at rigidities of ~50–1000 GV, which could also be due to local sources. The contribution from local sources against the GCR background is estimated at levels of tens of percents for rigidities of 1–5 GV and several percent at rigidities of 50–1000 GV.
The data presented in this article are related to the research paper entitled “Observation of night-time emissions of the Earth in the near UV range from the International Space Station with the ...Mini-EUSO detector” (Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 284, January 2023, 113336, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.113336).
The data have been acquired with the Mini-EUSO detector, an UV telescope operating in the range 290-430 nm and located inside the International Space Station. The detector was launched in August 2019, and it has started operations from the nadir-facing UV-transparent window in the Russian Zvezda module in October 2019. The data presented here refer to 32 sessions acquired between 2019-11-19 and 2021-05-06. The instrument consists of a Fresnel-lens optical system and a focal surface composed of 36 multi-anode photomultiplier tubes, each with 64 channels, for a total of 2304 channels with single photon counting sensitivity. The telescope, with a square field-of-view of 44°, has a spatial resolution on the Earth surface of 6.3 km and saves triggered transient phenomena with a temporal resolution of 2.5 µs and 320 µs. The telescope also operates in continuous acquisition at a 40.96 ms scale.
In this article, large-area night-time UV maps obtained processing the 40.96 ms data, taking averages over regions of some specific geographical areas (e.g., Europe, North America) and over the entire globe, are presented. Data are binned into 0.1° × 0.1° or 0.05° × 0.05° cells (depending on the scale of the map) over the Earth's surface. Raw data are made available in the form of tables (latitude, longitude, counts) and .kmz files (containing the .png images). These are – to the best of our knowledge – the highest sensitivity data in this wavelength range and can be of use to various disciplines.
Light Flashes are abnormal visual sensations caused by the interaction of high energy particles with the human visual apparatus. They were originally predicted in 1952 and observed on almost every ...manned missions in space. From the 1970s to now a number of dedicated observations in space and on ground (using accelerator beams) in a controlled environment have been carried forth to study this phenomenon. The picture emerging from these measurements shows that different particles can cause flashes through more than on physical interaction, each with a different cross-section. For instance, trapped protons in the South Atlantic Anomaly could interact in the eye, producing a number of secondaries which in turn would give rise to the phosphene observation. Direct mechanisms suggested are the ionization and the Cherenkov effect caused by highly charged particles. These mechanisms are thought to occur with a higher probability but the number of occurrence is small due to the lower particle flux in space. In this work, we briefly summarize the observations and results obtained in more than 30 years of research in space and on ground focusing on the recent Sileye data.
Two types of orbital detectors of extreme energy cosmic rays are being developed nowadays: (i) TUS and KLYPVE with reflecting optical systems (mirrors) and (ii) JEM-EUSO with high- transmittance ...Fresnel lenses. They will cover much larger areas than existing ground-based arrays and almost uniformly monitor the celestial sphere. The TUS detector is the pioneering mission developed in SINP MSU in cooperation with several Russian and foreign institutions. It has relatively small field of view (±4.5°), which corresponds to a ground area of 6.4 * 103 km2. The telescope consists of a Fresnel-type mirror-concentrator (∼ 2 m2) and a photo receiver (a matrix of 16 x 16 photomultiplier tubes). It is to be deployed on the Lomonosov satellite, and is currently at the final stage of preflight tests. Recently, SINP MSU began the KLYPVE project to be installed on board of the Russian segment of the ISS. The optical system of this detector contains a larger primary mirror (10 m2), which allows decreasing the energy threshold. The total effective field of view will be at least ±14° to exceed the annual exposure of the existing ground-based experiments. Several configurations of the detector are being currently considered. Finally, JEM-EUSO is a wide field of view (±30°) detector. The optics is composed of two curved double-sided Fresnel lenses with 2.65 m external diameter, a precision diffractive middle lens and a pupil. The ultraviolet photons are focused onto the focal surface, which consists of nearly 5000 multi-anode photomultipliers. It is developed by a large international collaboration. All three orbital detectors have multi-purpose character due to continuous monitoring of various atmospheric phenomena. The present status of development of the TUS and KLYPVE missions is reported, and a brief comparison of the projects with JEM-EUSO is given.
The Mini-EUSO instrument is a UV telescope to be placed inside the International Space Station (ISS), looking down on the Earth from a nadir-facing window in the Russian Zvezda module. Mini-EUSO will ...map the earth in the UV range (300–400nm) with a spatial resolution of 6.11km and a temporal resolution of 2.5μs, offering the opportunity to study a variety of atmospheric events such as transient luminous events (TLEs) and meteors, as well as searching for strange quark matter and bioluminescence. Furthermore, Mini-EUSO will be used to detect space debris to verify the possibility of using a EUSO-class telescope in combination with a high energy laser for space debris remediation. The high-resolution mapping of the UV emissions from Earth orbit allows Mini-EUSO to serve as a pathfinder for the study of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space by the JEM-EUSO collaboration.
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