Features of the Galactic Cosmic Ray Anisotropy in the Solar Cycle 24 and Solar Minima 23/24 and 24/25

TL;DR

This study investigates how drift effects and heliospheric magnetic field sector structure influence galactic cosmic ray anisotropy during Solar Cycle 24 and solar minima 23/24 and 24/25, using neutron monitor data and harmonic analysis.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence of drift effects on GCR anisotropy variations during different solar minima, highlighting the transition between diffusion and drift-dominated transport models.

Findings

Drift effect is minimal during 2007-2009 solar minimum with negative polarity.

Significant drift effect observed during 2017-2018 solar minimum with positive polarity.

Results support the drift theory of GCR modulation and 22-year cycle variation.

Abstract

We study the role of drift effect in the temporal changes of the anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and the influence of the sector structure of the heliospheric magnetic field on it. We analyze the GCRs anisotropy in the Solar Cycle 24 and solar minimum 23_24 with negative polarity for the period of 2007-2009 and near minimum 24_25 with positive polarity in 2017-2018 using data of global network of Neutron Monitors. We use the harmonic analyses method to calculate the radial and tangential components of the anisotropy of GCRs for different sectors (plus corresponds to the positive and minus to the negative directions) of the heliospheric magnetic field. We compare the analysis of GCRs anisotropy using different evaluations of the mean GCRs rigidity related to Neutron Monitor observations. Then the radial and tangential components are used for characterizing the GCRs modulation in the heliosphere. We show that in the solar minimum 23_24 in 2007-2009 when negative, the drift effect is not visibly evident in the changes of the radial component, i.e. the drift effect is found to produce 4 % change in the radial component of the GCRs anisotropy for 2007-2009. Hence the diffusion dominated model of GCRs transport is more acceptable in 2007-2009. In turn, near the solar minimum 24_25 in 2017-2018 when positive, the drift effect is evidently visible and produce 40% change in the radial component of the GCRs anisotropy for 2017-2018. So in the period of 2017-2018 diffusion model with noticeably manifested drift is acceptable. The results of this work are in good agreement with the drift theory of GCRs modulation, according to which during negative (positive) polarity cycles, a drift stream of GCRs is directed toward (away from) the Sun, thus giving rise to a 22-year cycle variation of the radial GCRs anisotropy.