HESPERIA REleASE+: Improving Solar Proton Event Forecasting by means of
Automated Recognition of Type-III Radio Bursts
Abstract
This work reports on an attempt towards improving the Relativistic
Electron Alert System for Exploration (REleASE): the occurrence of a
type-III radio burst as a precondition for a REleASE forecast. REleASE
forecasts are based on the detection of early arrival of
near-relativistic electrons ahead of more hazardous protons from Solar
Energetic Particle (SEP) events. The goal is to allow astronauts on a
Lunar or Mars mission sufficient advance warning to reach a radiation
shelter to minimize radiation dose exposure. We test a new system that
sets a condition of the occurrence of a type-III radio burst, thus
adding independent evidence of particle escape from the Sun, with the
aim of reducing known sources of false-alarms of the existing REleASE
system. The HESPERIA REleASE+ system, which takes advantage of
availability of real-time solar radio observations during the passage of
STEREO-A by Earth in 2023, has now been incorporated in the HESPERIA
framework. We discuss the techniques used for automatic detection of
type-III radio bursts preparing for its real-time implementation, the
determination of selection criteria for type-III bursts that are
candidates for solar proton events in the Earth-moon system, and first
results of the combined system.