Multiproxy reconstructions of integral energy spectra for extreme solar
particle events of 7176 BCE, 660 BCE, 775 CE and 994 CE
Abstract
Extreme solar particle events (ESPEs) are rare and the most potent known
processes of solar eruptive activity. During ESPEs, a vast amount of
cosmogenic isotopes (CIs) 10Be, 36Cl and 14C can be produced in the
Earth’s atmosphere. Accordingly, CI measurements in natural archives
allow us to evaluate particle fluxes during ESPEs. In this work, we
present a new method of ESPE fluence (integral flux) reconstruction
based on state-of-the-art modeling advances, allowing to fit together
different CI data within one model. We represent the ESPE fluence as an
ensemble of scaled fluence reconstructions for ground-level enhancement
(GLE) events registered by the neutron monitor network since 1956
coupled with satellite and ionospheric measurements data. Reconstructed
ESPE fluences appear softer in its spectral shape than earlier
estimates, leading to significantly higher estimates of the low-energy
(E<100 MeV) fluence. This makes ESPEs even more dangerous for
modern technological systems than previously believed. Reconstructed
ESPE fluences are fitted with a modified Band function, which eases the
use of obtained results in different applications.