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arXiv · 2007.14711

The mini-neutron monitor: A new approach in neutron monitor design

Du Toit Strauss·Stepan Poluianov·Cobus van der Merwe·Hendrik Krüger·Corrie Diedericks·Helena Krüger·Ilya Usoskin·Bernd Heber·Rendani Nndanganeni·Juanjo Blanco-Ávalos·Ignacio García-Tejedor·Konstantin Herbst·Rogelio Caballero-Lopez·Katlego Moloto·Alejandro Lara·Michael Walter·Nigussie Mezgebe Giday·Rita Traversi
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Abstract

The near-Earth cosmic ray flux has been monitored for more than 70 years by a network of ground-based neutron monitors (NMs). With the ever-increasing importance of quantifying the radiation risk and effects of cosmic rays for, e.g., air and space-travel, it is essential to continue operating the existing NM stations, while expanding this crucial network. In this paper, we discuss a smaller and cost-effective version of the traditional NM, the mini-NM. These monitors can be deployed with ease, even to extremely remote locations, where they operate in a semi-autonomous fashion. We believe that the mini-NM, therefore, offers the opportunity to increase the sensitivity and expand the coverage of the existing NM network, making this network more suitable to near-real-time monitoring for space weather applications. In this paper, we present the technical details of the mini-NM's design and operation, and present a summary of the initial tests and science results.

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Du Toit Strauss, Stepan Poluianov, Cobus van der Merwe, Hendrik Krüger, Corrie Diedericks, Helena Krüger, Ilya Usoskin, Bernd Heber, Rendani Nndanganeni, Juanjo Blanco-Ávalos, Ignacio García-Tejedor, Konstantin Herbst, Rogelio Caballero-Lopez, Katlego Moloto, Alejandro Lara, Michael Walter, Nigussie Mezgebe Giday, Rita Traversi. 2020-07-29. The mini-neutron monitor: A new approach in neutron monitor design. https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.14711

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