1,608 research outputs found
Long term variation of the solar diurnal anisotropy of galactic cosmic rays observed with the Nagoya multi-directional muon detector
We analyze the three dimensional anisotropy of the galactic cosmic ray (GCR)
intensities observed independently with a muon detector at Nagoya in Japan and
neutron monitors over four solar activity cycles. We clearly see the phase of
the free-space diurnal anisotropy shifting toward earlier hours around solar
activity minima in A>0 epochs, due to the reduced anisotropy component parallel
to the mean magnetic field. The average parallel component is consistent with a
rigidity independent spectrum, while the perpendicular component increases with
GCR rigidity. We suggest that this harder spectrum of the perpendicular
component is due to contribution from the drift streaming. We find that the
bidirectional latitudinal density gradient is positive in A>0 epoch, while it
is negative in A<0 epoch, in accord with the drift model prediction. The radial
density gradient, on the other hand, varies with ~11-year cycle with maxima
(minima) in solar maximum (minimum) periods, but there is no significant
difference seen between average radial gradients in A>0 and A<0 epochs. The
average parallel mean free path is larger in A0. We also find,
however, that parallel mean free path (radial gradient) appears to persistently
increase (decreasing) in the last three cycles of weakening solar activity. We
suggest that simple differences between these parameters in A>0 and A<0 epochs
are seriously biased by these long-term trends.Comment: accepted for the publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Quenching of Impurity Spins at Cu/CuO Interfaces: An Antiferromagnetic Proximity Effect
It is observed that the magnetoconductance of bilayer films of copper (Cu)
and copper monoxide (CuO) has distinct features compared of that of Cu films on
conventional band insulator substrates. We analyze the data above 2 K by the
theory of weak antilocalization in two-dimensional metals and suggest that
spin-flip scatterings by magnetic impurities inside Cu are suppressed in Cu/CuO
samples. Plausibly the results imply a proximity effect of antiferromagnetism
inside the Cu layer, which can be understood in the framework of
Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) interactions. The data below 1 K, which
exhibit slow relaxation reminiscent of spin glass, are consistent with this
interpretation.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Added a supplementary materia
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