Using a new set of space-borne particle monitors to investigate solar-terrestrial relations

¹ National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece e-mail: [kostas;sandberg;anastasi;daglis]@space.noa.gr
² European Space Agency, ESTEC, Postbus 299, Noordwijk, 2200 AG, The Netherlands e-mail: petteri.nieminen@esa.int

Received: 19 July 2009
Accepted: 23 January 2010

Abstract

Context. We investigated the solar origin of Solar Particle Events (SPEs) which occurred during four time periods of the 23rd solar cycle with intense solar activity and were detected by the Standard Radiation Environment Monitor (SREM) onboard the INTEGRAL satellite. SREM is a second generation ESA particle radiation monitor, already flying onboard seven spacecraft.

Aims. The present study attempts to establish the association of recorded SPEs by INTEGRAL/SREM with their solar sources and hence evaluate the potential of SREM units as an alarm system for hazardous SPEs.

Methods. X-ray, optical and radio data of solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that were observed by several space-based instruments during the aforementioned solar cycle were reduced and thoroughly analyzed to establish the corresponding solar origin of the selected SPEs.

Results. The analysis produced clear associations with X-class solar flares and respective CMEs for the events of the October–November 2003, January 2005 and December 2006 periods, while for the events that occurred during September 2005, associations with X-class flares are possible but not straightforward due to the complexity of the registered solar particle fluxes.

Conclusions. SREM proves to be a new valuable asset for a comprehensive study of SPEs and a useful alert instrument for explosive geoeffective solar events.