Major research achievement announced: "Wukong" reveals a new mechanism by which solar activity influences cosmic rays

Solar activity has a significant impact on the interplanetary space environment. The plasma clouds ejected by coronal mass ejections and the magnetic fields they carry can significantly alter the magnetic environment of interplanetary space, thereby affecting the propagation of cosmic rays. One of the main effects is the process in which the cosmic ray flux observed on Earth experiences a decline over several days to weeks before gradually returning to normal levels, a phenomenon known as “Forbush decrease.” Accurate observations of this phenomenon are important probes for revealing changes in the interplanetary space environment. Recently, the international collaboration team of the dark matter particle detection satellite “Wu Kong” utilized eight years of observational data from the satellite to precisely measure eight instances of the Forbush decrease effect for positrons and electrons, revealing for the first time the behavior characteristics of the positron and electron flux during the decline and recovery phases, as well as the correlation with physical parameters of coronal mass ejections that lead to Forbush decreases. The relevant research results were published recently in the international academic journal “Physical Review Letters.” (CCTV News)