Ionization in the atmosphere, comparison between measurements and simulations

TL;DR

This paper compares atmospheric ionization measurements with simulations based on cosmic rays, highlighting general agreement but also notable discrepancies and insights into solar modulation effects.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive comparison between measured and simulated atmospheric ionization data, including solar modulation effects, which enhances understanding of cosmic ray interactions.

Findings

Simulations generally match measured data

Discrepancies identified between measurements and simulations

Solar modulation of particle fluxes is significantly greater than for muons alone

Abstract

A survey of the data on measured particle fluxes and the rate of ionization in the atmosphere is presented. Measurements as a function of altitude, time and cut-off rigidity are compared with simulations of particle production from cosmic rays. The simulations generally give a reasonable representation of the data. However, some discrepancies are found. The solar modulation of the particle fluxes is measured and found to be a factor 2.7$\pm$0.8 greater than that observed for muons alone near sea level.