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Propagation and energy deposition of cosmic rays’ muons on terrestrial environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2014

Franciole Marinho ,
Laura Paulucci  and
Douglas Galante Open the ORCID record for Douglas Galante [Opens in a new window]
Franciole Marinho*
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Aluizio Gomes, 50, 27930-560, Macaé, RJ, Brazil
Laura Paulucci
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal do ABC, Rua Santa Adélia, 166, 09210-170, Santo André, SP, Brazil
Douglas Galante
Affiliation:
Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory, National Center of Research in Energy and Materials, Campinas, SP, Brazil
*
e-mail: marinho@macae.ufrj.br
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Abstract

The Earth is constantly struck by radiation coming from the interstellar medium. The very low energy end of the spectrum is shielded by the geomagnetic field but charged particles with energies higher than the geomagnetic cutoff will penetrate the atmosphere and are likely to interact, giving rise to secondary particles. Some astrophysical events, such as γ-ray bursts and supernovae, when happening at short distances, may affect the planet's biosphere, due to the temporary enhanced radiation flux. Muons are abundantly produced by high-energy cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere. These particles, due to their low cross-section, are able to penetrate deep both underground and underwater, with the possibility of affecting biological niches normally considered shielded from radiation. We investigate the interaction of muons produced by high-energy cosmic rays on the Earth's atmosphere using the Geant4 toolkit. We analyse its penetration power in water and crust and also the interaction effects within bacteria-like material according to the particle type and energy, and noticed the possibility of off-track damage due to secondary particles.

Keywords

cosmic raysionizing radiationMonte Carlo simulationmuons
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , October 2014 , pp. 319 - 323
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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