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Cosmic-Ray Neutrons on the Ground and in the Atmosphere

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Abstract

Neutrons from collisions of cosmic rays with the nuclei of atoms in the atmosphere are an irremovable external radiation that causes single-event upsets in microelectronic devices. Predicting soft error rates requires knowledge of the flux and energy distribution of the cosmic-ray-induced neutrons. This article reviews cosmic-ray neutrons in the atmosphere and on the ground, the factors that determine their intensity, and recent calculations and state-of-the-art measurements of neutron spectra covering 12 decades of energy, from the thermal energy range up to 10 GeV.

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  1. Paul Goldhagen
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Goldhagen, P. Cosmic-Ray Neutrons on the Ground and in the Atmosphere. MRS Bulletin 28, 131–135 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs2003.41

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