brjgr.doc-BartolResearchInstitute-UniversityofDelaware.docVIP

Observations of Cosmic Ray Electron and Positron during the early stages of the A- Magnetic Polarity Epoch John Clem1 and Paul Evenson1 1) Bartol Research Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716 USA Abstract.. As part of our on-going investigation of the charge-sign dependence in solar modulation, we measured the cosmic ray positron abundance (0.8GeV to 4.5GeV) and electron fluxes on two balloon flights from Lynn Lake, Manitoba during August 2002. Preliminary results from these flights will be presented and compared to previous results. 1. Introduction The anti-correlation between cosmic ray fluxes and the level of solar activity (solar modulation) is caused by magnetic field fluctuations carried by the solar wind that scatter charged particles out of the solar system and/or decelerate them. Even though the sun has a complex magnetic field, the dipole term nearly always dominates the magnetic field in the solar wind. The projection of this dipole on the solar rotation axis (A) can be either positive, which we refer to as the A+ state, or negative, which we refer to as the A- state. At each sunspot maximum, the dipole reverses direction, leading to alternating magnetic polarity in successive solar cycles. Electromagnetic theory has an absolute symmetry under simultaneous interchange of charge sign and magnetic field direction, but positive and negative particles can exhibit systematic differences behavior when propagating through a magnetic field that is not symmetric under reflection. The Parker field has opposite magnetic polarity above and below the helio-equator, but the spiral field lines themselves are mirror images of each other. This antisymmetry produces drift velocity fields that (for positive particles) converge on the heliospheric equator in the A+ state or diverge from it in the A- state [14]. Negatively charged particles behave in the opposite manner, and the drift patterns interchange when the solar polarity reverses. Cosmic electron