Continuous High-altitude Investigation of Neutron Spectra for Terrestrial Radiation Antarctic Project

The CHINSTRAP project aims at operating a high-energy extended neutron spectrometer at the Concordia station in Antarctic. The particularities of this location are unique (high altitude and proximity to the geomagnetic pole) and allow long-term measurements dedicated to the study of the atmospheric natural radiative environment dynamics for Space Weather applications. These data will complete the ones already obtained at the Pic-du-Midi in France and in the South America, near the South Atlantic Anomaly.

The objective of time series is to contribute to several scientific fields directly or indirectly involving cosmic rays. Long-term time series analyzes allow the study of seasonal variations, the impact of the solar cycle on neutron spectra as well as the consequences of solar events. They also aim to improve knowledge of the atmospheric radiation / cosmic ray interface. In addition, it is a question of contributing to operational questions concerning space weather, single event effects in electronic systems (SEE) and ambient dose assessments.

CHINSTRAP data access platform is available since May 2023 (https://w3.onera.fr/chinstrap/).