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Global Muon Detector Network Used for Space Weather Applications

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Abstract

In this work, we summarize the development and current status of the Global Muon Detector Network (GMDN). The GMDN started in 1992 with only two muon detectors. It has consisted of four detectors since the Kuwait-city muon hodoscope detector was installed in March 2006. The present network has a total of 60 directional channels with an improved coverage of the sunward Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) orientation, making it possible to continuously monitor cosmic ray precursors of geomagnetic storms. The data analysis methods developed also permit precise calculation of the three dimensional cosmic ray anisotropy on an hourly basis free from the atmospheric temperature effect and analysis of the cosmic ray precursors free from the diurnal anisotropy of the cosmic ray intensity.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), for funding part of this work under project 2005/54800-1, 2001/14540-1 and 2011/11581-9; to the National Science Foundation (NFS) of the USA for a subcontract between Delaware University and FATEC/UFSM from Brazil, for supporting the upgrade of the detector installed at São Martinho da Serra, Brazil. Dst index data were provided by the World Data Center for Geomagnetism, IMF and plasma data by the ACE mission. We also would like to acknowledge CNPq of Brazil for support under projects 303798/2008-4, 481368/2010-8, and 300300/2012-3. Ezequiel Echer would like to thanks FAPESP (2012/066734) and CNPq (PQ 301233/2011-0) agencies for financial support. This work is supported in part by NASA grant NNX 08AQ01G, and in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan and by the joint research programs of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University. The observations with the Kuwait Muon Telescope are supported by the Kuwait University grant SP03/03. We thank N.F. Ness for providing ACE magnetic field data via the ACE Science Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Regional Space Research Center (CRS/INPE), P.O. Box 5021, 97110-970, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

    M. Rockenbach & N. J. Schuch

  2. National Institute for Space Research (INPE), 12227, São José dos Campos, Brazil

    A. Dal Lago, E. Echer, C. R. Braga & R. R. S. Mendonça

  3. Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, São José dos Campos, Brazil

    A. G. Oliveira

  4. Physics Department, Shinshu University, Matsumoto, Nagano, 390-8621, Japan

    K. Munakata, C. Kato & M. Kozai

  5. Solar Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8601, Japan

    M. Tokumaru

  6. Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    T. Kuwabara, J. W. Bieber & P. Evenson

  7. School of Physical Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia

    M. L. Duldig & J. E. Humble

  8. Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Kuwait University, Kuwait city, Kuwait

    H. K. Al Jassar & M. M. Sharma

  9. Department of Natural Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Public Authority of Applied Education and Training, Kuwait City, Kuwait

    I. Sabbah

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  1. M. Rockenbach
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  2. A. Dal Lago
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  4. K. Munakata
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  5. T. Kuwabara
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  6. A. G. Oliveira
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  7. E. Echer
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  8. C. R. Braga
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  9. R. R. S. Mendonça
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  10. C. Kato
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  11. M. Kozai
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  12. M. Tokumaru
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  13. J. W. Bieber
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  14. P. Evenson
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  15. M. L. Duldig
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  16. J. E. Humble
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  17. H. K. Al Jassar
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  18. M. M. Sharma
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  19. I. Sabbah
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Correspondence to M. Rockenbach.

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Rockenbach, M., Dal Lago, A., Schuch, N.J. et al. Global Muon Detector Network Used for Space Weather Applications. Space Sci Rev 182, 1–18 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-014-0048-4

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