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The flux of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) is isotropic in the interstellar space. However, in the heliosphere, the ram pressure of outward-moving solar wind convects the GCRs away from the Sun, thereby producing a density gradient in the radial direction. The diffusion of GCRs due to this gradient and scattering with the irregularities in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) induce variations in their flux that can be observed near the Earth. A framework for the diffusion-convection mechanism of GCR propagation developed by Parker and collaborators [Phys. Rev. 110, 1445 (1958); Planet. Space Sci. 13, 9 (1965); Astrophys. J. 772, 46 (2013); Space Sci. Rev. 78, 401 (1996); Astrophys. J. 234, 746 (1979); Astrophys. J. 361, 162 (1990); Space Sci. Rev. 176, 299 (2013)] offers a good description of this phenomenon. One of the outcomes of this framework is an anticorrelation of the variation in solar wind velocity (VSW) and the GCR flux. A second outcome of this gradient in the presence of IMF is the movement of GCRs perpendicular to the ecliptic plane called "Swinson flow." Therefore, (i) the correlated variations of VSW and GCR flux and (ii) the GCR radial density gradient obtained from Swinson flow can each be used to independently measure the radial diffusion coefficient of GCRs in the inner heliosphere. In an earlier work [Phys. Rev. D 91, 121303(R) (2015)], the GCR flux was shown to be anticorrelated with VSW at (-1.33±0.07)×10-3%(km s-1)-1. This anticorrelation yields a radial diffusion coefficient κ=0.97×1019 m² s-1 at 1 AU. In another work [Astropart. Phys. 62, 21 (2015)], the measurement of Swinson flow was used to obtain a GCR radial density gradient of 0.65 AU-1 at a median rigidity of 77 GV. Here, we report a measurement of radial diffusion coefficient κ=1.04×1019 m² s-1 at 1 AU from the above-mentioned density gradient, for a mean VSW of 450 km s-1. Thus, these two distinct approaches essentially yielded similar values of the radial diffusion coefficient κ=1019 m² s-1 at 1 AU, characterizing the diffusion of GCRs at 77 GV. From this value of κ, the mean free path length for parallel diffusion λ∥ was estimated to be 1.2 AU at 77 GV, consistent with earlier reports [Rev. Geophys. Space Phys. 20, 335 (1982); Astrophys. J. 420, 294 (1994); Astrophys. J. 604, 861 (2004)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GRAPES-3 muon telescope in Ooty, India had claimed detection of a 2 hour (h) high-energy (∼20 GeV) burst of galactic cosmic-rays (GCRs) through a >50σ surge in GeV muons, was caused by reconnection of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the magnetosphere that led to transient weakening of Earth's magnetic shield. This burst had occurred during a G4-class geomagnetic storm (storm) with a delay of 1/2h relative to the coronal mass ejection (CME) of 22 June 2015 [P. K. Mohanty et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 171101 (2016)]. However, recently a group interpreted the occurrence of the same burst in a subset of 31 neutron monitors (NMs) to have been the result of an anisotropy in interplanetary space [P. Evenson et al., Proc. Sci., ICRC2017 (2017) 133] in contrast to the claim in P. K. Mohanty et al., [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 171101 (2016)]. A new analysis of the GRAPES-3 data with a fine 10.6° angular segmentation shows the speculation of interplanetary anisotropy to be incorrect, and offers a possible explanation of the NM observations. The observed 28 minutes (min) delay of the burst relative to the CME can be explained by the movement of the reconnection front from the bow shock to the surface of Earth at an average speed of 35 km/s, much lower than the CME speed of 700 km/s. This measurement may provide a more accurate estimate of the start of the storm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]