The Wind/EPACT proton event catalog (1996-2016)

TL;DR

This paper provides a comprehensive catalog of solar energetic proton events from 1996 to 2016 detected by Wind/EPACT, analyzing their timing, intensity, and solar origins, and comparing trends across solar cycles 23 and 24.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed, publicly available catalog of proton events over two solar cycles with analysis of their solar origins and cycle-dependent trends.

Findings

Identified 20 years of proton events with detailed timing and intensity data.

Established correlations between proton events and solar flares and CMEs.

Observed different proton event trends between solar cycles 23 and 24.

Abstract

We present the finalized catalog of solar energetic proton events detected by Wind/EPACT instrument over the period 1996-2016. Onset times, peak times, peak proton intensity and onset-to-peak proton fluence are evaluated for the two available energy channels, at about 25 and 50 MeV. We describe the procedure utilized to identify the proton events and to relate them to their solar origin (in terms of flares and coronal mass ejections). The statistical relationships between the energetic protons and their origin (linear and partial correlation analysis) are reported and discussed in view of earlier findings. Finally, the different trends found in the first eight years of solar cycles 23 and 24 are discussed.