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The cosmic ray (CR) lithium and beryllium (6Li, 7Li, 7Be, 9Be, 10Be) isotopic composition has been measured with the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA, which was launched into low-Earth orbit on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite on 2006 June 15. The rare lithium and beryllium isotopes in CRs are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high-energy carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen nuclei with the interstellar medium (ISM), but also on “tertiary” interactions in the ISM (i.e., produced by further fragmentation of secondary beryllium and boron). In this paper, the isotopic ratios 7Li/6Li and 7Be/(9Be + 10Be), measured between 150 and 1100 MeV n−1 using two different detector systems from 2006 July to 2014 September, will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the significant progress achieved in recent years, the physical mechanisms underlying the origin of solar energetic particles (SEPs) are still a matter of debate. The complex nature of both particle acceleration and transport poses challenges to developing a universal picture of SEP events that encompasses both the low-energy (from tens of keV to a few hundreds of MeV) observations made by space-based instruments and the GeV particles detected by the worldwide network of neutron monitors in ground-level enhancements (GLEs). The high-precision data collected by the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) satellite experiment offer a unique opportunity to study the SEP fluxes between ∼80 MeV and a few GeV, significantly improving the characterization of the most energetic events. In particular, PAMELA can measure for the first time with good accuracy the spectral features at moderate and high energies, providing important constraints for current SEP models. In addition, the PAMELA observations allow the relationship between low- and high-energy particles to be investigated, enabling a clearer view of the SEP origin. No qualitative distinction between the spectral shapes of GLE, sub-GLE and non-GLE events is observed, suggesting that GLEs are not a separate class, but are the subset of a continuous distribution of SEP events that are more intense at high energies. While the spectral forms found are to be consistent with diffusive shock acceleration theory, which predicts spectral rollovers at high energies that are attributed to particles escaping the shock region during acceleration, further work is required to explore the relative influences of acceleration and transport processes on SEP spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New results on the short-term galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) intensity variation (Forbish decrease) in 2006 December measured by the PAMELA instrument are presented. Forbush decreases are sudden suppressions of the GCR intensities, which are associated with the passage of interplanetary transients such as shocks and interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). Most of the past measurements of this phenomenon were carried out with ground-based detectors such as neutron monitors or muon telescopes. These techniques allow only the indirect detection of the overall GCR intensity over an integrated energy range. For the first time, thanks to the unique features of the PAMELA magnetic spectrometer, the Forbush decrease, commencing on 2006 December 14 and following a CME at the Sun on 2006 December 13, was studied in a wide rigidity range (0.4–20 GV) and for different species of GCRs detected directly in space. The daily averaged GCR proton intensity was used to investigate the rigidity dependence of the amplitude and the recovery time of the Forbush decrease. Additionally, for the first time, the temporal variations in the helium and electron intensities during a Forbush decrease were studied. Interestingly, the temporal evolutions of the helium and proton intensities during the Forbush decrease were found to be in good agreement, while the low rigidity electrons ( GV) displayed a faster recovery. This difference in the electron recovery is interpreted as a charge sign dependence introduced by drift motions experienced by the GCRs during their propagation through the heliosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Search for Anisotropies in Cosmic-Ray Positrons Detected by the Pamela Experiment" that was published in the previous issue is presented.

The cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium (1H, 2H, 3He, 4He) isotopic composition has been measured with the satellite-borne experiment PAMELA, which was launched into low-Earth orbit on board the Resurs-DK1 satellite on 2006 June 15. The rare isotopes 2H and 3He in cosmic rays are believed to originate mainly from the interaction of high-energy protons and helium with the galactic interstellar medium. The isotopic composition was measured between 100 and 1100 MeV/n for hydrogen and between 100 and 1400 MeV/n for helium isotopes using two different detector systems over the 23rd solar minimum from 2006 July to 2007 December. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics (PAMELA) detector was launched on board the Russian Resurs-DK1 satellite on 2006 June 15. The data collected during the first four years have been used to search for large-scale anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic ray positrons. The PAMELA experiment allows for a full sky investigation, with sensitivity to global anisotropies in any angular window of the celestial sphere. Data samples of positrons in the rigidity range of 10 GV R 200 GV were analyzed. This article discusses the method and the results of the search for possible local sources through the analysis of anisotropy in positron data compared to the proton background. The resulting distributions of arrival directions are found to be isotropic. Starting from the angular power spectrum, a dipole anisotropy upper limit of δ = 0.076 at the 95% confidence level is determined. An additional search is carried out around the Sun. No evidence of an excess correlated with that direction was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision measurements of the electron component of cosmic radiation provide important information about the origin and propagation of cosmic rays in the Galaxy not accessible from the study of cosmic-ray nuclear components due to their differing diffusion and energy-loss processes. However, when measured near Earth, the effects of propagation and modulation of Galactic cosmic rays in the heliosphere, particularly significant for energies up to at least 30 GeV, must be properly taken into account. In this paper the electron (e−) spectra measured by the Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics down to 70 MeV from 2006 July to 2009 December over six-month time intervals are presented. Fluxes are compared with a state-of-the-art three-dimensional model of solar modulation that reproduces the observations remarkably well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]