Cosmic Rays

Teaching material in 3 blocks

Made at CERN by
Gnter Bachmann
Christoph- Graupner Gymnasium Kirchberg
[email protected]

Baustein

Cosmic Rays
was translated into English by the students
Pascal Wutzler and Alexander Heinz
Christoph- Graupner Gymnasium ,
Kirchberg GER
Special Thanks to
Mr. David Waterman
Alfriston School ,Beaconsfield UK
for the supporting in translation and for final reading as a
result of Volos Summer School 2013
Baustein

Cosmic Rays

What comes to us from space?

Click on the screen

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What comes to us from space?

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In every second reach us

On every square meter

200 particles
Where do these particles come from?
What properties do they have?
Which secrets do they hold?
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Where do these particles come from?

from our sun

from other galaxies

from supernovae

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Sun

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Supernovae

(Starbust)

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Other galaxies

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Formation of cosmic radiation

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Primary radiation

comes from space

formation not fully
clarified

consists mainly of
protons
triggers particle
showers

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Secondary radiation

arise when
primary
radiation enters
the atmosphere
mainly electrons and
muons but also
all chemical elements
elemental particles
antimatter

particle showers on
earth
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Primary and secondary radiation

The primary radiation from space consists mainly of

protons.
We still dont know the exact causes of their formation.
When the primary radiation enters the atmosphere, then a
particle shower arises (secondary radiation).
This particle shower can be detected on the Earths surface.
Other particles reach us as the original started from space.
On the Earth we can detect mostly electrons and muons.
At high altitude, you can find nucleii of all chemical
elements, pions, kaons and even antimatter particles.
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Characteristics: proton

primary radiation

Proton
(nucleus of the hydrogen atom)

m proton 1.6 10 27 kg 1836 melectron

positive electric charge
Q proton e

stable

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Characteristics: electron

secondary radiation

electron

melectron 9,11 10 31 kg
Qelectron e

negative electric charge

stable
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Characteristics: muon (Who ordered that?)

secondary radiation

muon (= a heavy electron)

surprise (1937)!
mass

mmuon 206 melectron

negative electric charge

Qmuon e

unstable
average life 2,2 10 6 s
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Main components of cosmic radiation

primary radiation

proton
stable

secondary radiation

electron

stable

muon

unstable

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How we can prove the radiation?

all detection methods use

charge and energy

of the particles

The spark chamber is an

excellent detector

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Spark chamber in action

Next

click on the screen

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Construction of the Spark Chamber

particle

Noble gas

spark
electrodes

Operation of the spark chamber

voltage is applied
no external particle
no charge carriers
no lightning

Turn off the voltage for a moment

no acceleration
spark breaks, no lightning
5
New measurement
possible

large number of
charge carriers
acceleration
spark, lightning

external particle flys

in chamber

4
3

electrons are ripped from other gas atoms, impact

ionization

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Operation of the spark chamber

voltage is applied
no external particle
no charge carriers
no lightning

Turn off the voltage for a moment

no acceleration
spark breaks, no lightning
5
New measurement
possible

large number of
charge carriers
acceleration
spark, lightning

external particle
traverses chamber

4
3

electrons are ripped from other gas atoms,

impact ionization

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Other detection devices

cloud chamber

counter tube

electrometer

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Other detection devices

electrometer

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Other detection devices

Geiger-Muller-counter tube

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Other detection devices

cloud chamber to build it yourself

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Self built cloud chamber in action

click on the screen

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Other detection devices

cloud chamber

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Video: auroras

Next

click on the screen

How are such impressive phenomena created?

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How are aurora created?

Cosmic rays from the Sun reach the atmosphere

energy is transferred to air atoms

Excitation of atoms in the air

Energy output of the air atoms in the form of

light

nitrogen blue light

oxygen green and red light

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How were these cosmic rays first detected?

Viktor Hess (1912)

ballooning up to a
altitude of 5 km

conductivity of the
air rises

What is
responsible? - a
new type of
radiation!

Cosmic radiation!

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How did they come to the particles on the track?

Victor Hess (Austria) wanted to clarify, where the
ionizing radiation at the Earths surface came from
from below or from above?
He observed this radiation using the discharge of an
electrometer.
His measurements led him to make a balloon flight to a
height of 5000m.
To his surprise, he discovered that the discharge was
faster as the altitude increaed.
He concluded that the ionizing radiation must come
from space.
In 1936, Hess received the Nobel prize in physics.
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Who discovered the radiation?

Victor Hess
with a self developed
electroscope

discovery of the
cosmic radiation
(1912)

Nobel prize in
physics(1936)
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About the particle showers

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How is a particle shower created?

containing 1,000,000 particles

within a circle of d=5 km
on the surface of the Earth?

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A particle shower is createdas a fruit cocktail

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Exactly

A fast proton from space hits a proton (or

neutron) in an atomic nucleus in the air
(oxygen or nitrogen).
A part of the proton energy transforms to
generate the new (secondary) particles with
their respective mass and energy.

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Mass results from energy?

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Mass results from energy?

The energy of the proton is transformed

into the mass of the secondary
radiation
Albert Einstein 1905:

mass and energy are converted into each other!

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Mass results from energy?

Part of the energy from the fast proton creates the

mass of the secondary particles.
Einstein explains this amazing process with his
famous equation

E mc

It says, that mass and energy are interconvertible.

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Which fruits are in the cocktail?

A22

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What is in the cocktail?

electron

positron

muon

antimuon

matter

antimatter
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What is in the shower?

basic building blocks of all atoms
proton

electron

muon

+
antiproton

positron

antimuon

matter and antimatter

basic building blocks of our
world
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What comes to us?

proton, electron
+
antiproton, positron,

muon
antimuon

more nuclear transformations

also radioactive nuclei! (C-14)

decay in
atmosphere
proof on earth
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What comes to us?

The secondary radiation essentially

consists of protons, electrons and
muons, the basic building blocks of our
Earth and the associated antiparticles.
They can also trigger more nuclear
transformations, which can create more
radioactive nuclei.
The carbon isotope C-14, that is
important for the age determination of
fossils, arise only in this way.
Many of the particles are unstable,
therefore only a few of them reach the
Earth.
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What is coming to us? (energy spectrum)

101 2 eV

101 4 eV
101 6 eV

101 8 eV
10 2 0 eV

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Energy spectrum

The particles have very different

energies

101 2 eV

101 4 eV

Despite their low mass the highestenergy particles have the

energy of a well hit tennis ball.

101 6 eV

101 8 eV

The unit of energy used is the

Electronvolt (eV)

1 Joule =1 Nm = 6,2410 eV
18

10 2 0 eV
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Energy spectrum

The highest-energy particles are very

rare!

101 2 eV
Example:

101 4 eV

10 2 0 eV
particles of energy on an area
of 1km

101 6 eV

101 8 eV

1 event in 200 years

As a result the search for them is

complex and difficult!

10 2 0 eV
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Search for the highest-energy particles

Kascade experiment (Karlsruhe)

area 700 m 700 m

Detection of primary particles up to

18

10 eV

so far about 40 000 000 air showers were

measured

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Video Kascade experiment Karlsruhe

Next

Click on screen

(Datei konvertieren)

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Auger Observatory in Mendoza

largest system in the

world!

Proof of showers up to
1020 eV

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Detectors at the Auger Observatory

total area: 3000 km

1600 detectors

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Particle accelerator made by man

Maximum energy of the

protons in the largest

particle accelerator of
the world
(LHC at CERN)
12

710 eV

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particle accelerator in space

Maximum energy of the

protons of cosmic rays

entering the Earth's
atmosphere
20 e

10

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Particle accelerator in space

cosmic rays

gigantic natural

accelerator

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Muons counter at the Jungfraujoch near Bern

spark chamber
1.Bern
2.Jungfraujoch

542m height
3571m height

Are there any Muons?

What results are expected?

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profile muon (Who ordered that?)

secondary radiation

larger mass than electrons

mMyon 206 mElektron

QMyon e

negatively charged, carries one

elementary charge
Surprise!
unstable
average lifetime 2,2 10 6 s
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a simple rollover
given:
v=

movement with light speed

3 10 8 m s 1
t=0,0000022 s
average lifetime
h=20 km

distance from the earth in production

wanted: s
s vt

s 3 108 2,2 106 m s s1

s 660m

distance that the muon can travel during

its average lifetime
Even if individual muons have a slightly longer life, they
should not reach the earth(660m<<20000m)
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muon counter in Bern

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Reasoning with Einstein

For very fast moving particles the time
passes very slowly.

resting muon

very fast muon

Does not reach the earth

reaches the earth

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Why are the muons reaching the earth?

The answer comes from the special theory of
relativity, discovered by Einstein.

For fast moving bodies, time passes slower (time

dilation)

For a muon travelling close to light speed the clock

moves slower than for a resting muon.

As a result the fast moving muon can reach the

Earth.

This effect is also known as the twin paradox.

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Where are current limits of our knowledge?

The protons from space have an extremely high

energy.
The mechanism by which they get this energy is
still unknown.
There are many possibilities:
sun eruption

supernova

black hole

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How does this radiation affect us?

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Overview in the video

Next

Start

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Estimation of the cosmic radiation exposure

typical energy of muons: E ~ 1 10 GeV

particle flow: a muon per cm per minute (fingernail)

energy loss ~ 2.5 MeV per cm (in water)

consider a volume of 1 cm of water:

1 g of water takes 2.5 MeV (ionisation-) energy per minute

1 year has ~ 526 000 minutes (60 x 24 x 365.25)

1 kg water absorbs 2.5 x 1000 x 526 000 MeV = 1.3109 MeV = 0.00021 J

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How does that effect us?

?
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We consist

essentially of water
Each kilogram of our body takes about the same
amount of energy every year like a kilogram of
water (in reality about 0.0003 J per year)

1 Kg
0,0003 J/yr

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Comparison of loads: energy dose D

absorbed energy
1 kg of irradiated body

unit:

1 Joule
1 Kilogram

= energy dose [D]

= 1 Sievert [1Sv]

Comparative value for radiation exposure

Cover Size: 1 kg of the irradiated body

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Additions...

Annually each kilogram of our body absorbs about

0.0003 J energy from cosmic radiation. The
absorbed dose D is:
0,0003 Sv/yr = 0,3 mSv/yr

The equivalent dose H makes adjustments for

different forms of is radiation by applying a factor Q:
H=DQ
Q=1 for gamma-ray and muons, Q= 1-30 for alpha
radiation, protons and neutrons
The sizes D and H are also used to assess the
danger of other forms of radiation.
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artificial and natural radiation exposure

Average equivalent dose H in mSv in 2006

all other sources< 0.1

2.0

Radon: 1.1

1.0
Medicine: 1.9
Food: 0.3
Earth: 0.4

0.0

Cosmic: 0.3
Natural sources

Technology

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What is the effect of the radiation on our bodies?

molecules
/atoms
DNA

human

cell

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effect on DNA
DNA molecule

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Emergence of defects in DNA

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What exactly is happening?

Ionization, free
radical

yes

Repair by the body?

bug in DNA

no

fixed bug

Mutations
and cancer

bug not
fixed
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What exactly is happening?

The energy of the particles in cosmic radiation releases electrons
from their correct place in the molecule (ionization). A defect is
created in the molecule.
The body can usually repair itself because humans have adapted to
the presence of natural radiation in the course of evolution. However,
the possibilities for repairing are limited.

If the number of defective places is too great due to caused a high

energy dose then permanently altered sections of the DNA may
result. These alterations are responsible for genetic changes
(mutations) as well as for development of cancer cells.

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What consequences does it have for us?

Cosmic radiation is part of nature

The human body can deal with a natural dose of
radiation
An estimation of any specific health risk requires the
consideration of any additional sources of ionizing
radiation
Currently a limit of 1 millisievert per year has been
established by law in Germany as an upper limit for
any additional radiation dose .

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to remember .....
Average equivalent dose H in mSv in 2006

all other sources< 0.1

2.0

Radon: 1.1

1.0
Medicine: 1.9
Food: 0.3
Earth: 0.4

0.0

Cosmic: 0.3
Natural sources

Technology

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artificial vs. natural radiation

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Altitude dependence of cosmic rays

height above the earth

effective dose per year

300 km (outside of the Space Shuttle)

400500 mSv (quiet sun)

300 km (in Space Shuttle)

100200 mSv (quiet sun)

10 km (plane cruising altitude)

40 mSv (with permanent residence)

3800 m

1,8 mSv

3000 m

1 mSv

2000 m

0,6 mSv cosmic + ca. 1 mSv terrestrial

0m

0,3 mSv cosmic + 2 mSv terrestrial

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Load at different heights

Click on Address

www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/epcard

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Risk during flying?

Flge ab Frankfurt

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load at the next flight

Click on adress

www.helmholtz-muenchen.de/epcard

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Risk during flying?

Short distance flight: less than

1% of the annual natural load
Long-haul flight: Approx. 5%
of the annual natural load
"Occasional flyer": very low
risk
Risk control necessary for
frequent flyers" and aircrews
(flights from Frankfurt)
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Manned flight to Mars - a reality soon?

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Challenges

Flight duration: over 2 years

Distance: > 200,000,000 km

Massive exposure to cosmic radiation

Tremendous driving power required

No reversal possible

No assistance from Earth

Cancer risk

Psychological distress (isolation)

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Test of radiation exposure on ISS

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Doll gets suit with hundreds of sensors!

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... and is fixed at the outside of the station

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Manned flight to Mars - a reality soon?

Next

Klick aufStart
Bildschirm

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Thanks

To the members of the Physic- Education group

at CERN for their help and support

One special Thank Youto Rolf Landua for his ideas

and critical coaching during the project!

Baustein