The Upper Limiting Primary Rigidity of the Cosmic Ray Solar Anisotropy

Abstract

A method of determining the upper limiting rigidity of the solar diurnal variation of the cosmic ray primaries in free space is described. It involves a comparision of the response to the anisotropy of neutron monitors at sea level and of meson telescopes underground. Making use of the model for the free-space first harmonic proposed by Radio, McCracken, and Venkatesan, the annual average value for the upper limiting rigidity (Ru) in 1958 is estimated to have been 95 GV with an error of estimate of about 10-20 GV. Changes in the observed annual mean daily variation between 1958 and 1962 indicate that Ru may have decreased by about 20-40 GV over this period, but a more refined analysis is needed to confirm this.