Abstract
We report a study of major solar energetic particle (SEP) and ground level enhancement (GLE) events that occurred during the first 62 months of the rising phase of the 24th solar cycle. Our objective is to comprehend the key factors that influence the severity and occurrence of such events. The coronal mass ejection (CME) speed (serves as or is) is a reliable indicator of SEP and GLE events, as it consistently supports the shock acceleration mechanism. Some very fast CMEs, which are likely to have accelerated particles up to GeV energies, may not have resulted in a GLE event due to poor latitudinal connectivity. We have emphasized that the CME speed, magnetic connectivity to Earth, and ambient conditions are the main or primary factors that contribute to the lack of high-energy particle events during cycle 24. Furthermore, we observed that even well-connected fast CMEs that did not seem to have accelerated high-energy particles due to potentially unfavourable prevailing conditions such as high Alfven speed and overall reduction in acceleration efficiency in cycle 24. These conclusions are generally supported by insights gleaned from the observation of the time series of SW-IMF parameters on the flare day.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge Kyoto WDC (http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/) for the AE and Kp index data as well as the Wind satellite team for the CME and IMF data (http://omniweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/).
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NK, RDI and KE are responsible for the inception and execution of the project and the preparation of the draft of the manuscript. KE and NM prepared the figures and analysis, JJ and NK were involved in improving the manuscript. All authors contributed to the preparation of the final draft.
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R, N.K., C, R.D.I., E, K. et al. Analysis of solar energetic particle (SEP) event on the geomagnetic environment during 24th solar cycle. Astrophys Space Sci 369, 56 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-024-04320-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-024-04320-8