A thorough examination of concurrent measurements cosmic ray radiation and meteorological parameters with the support of machine learning

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly important to monitor environmental radiation in order to prevent radiation risks, to understand solar activity and to have information about space weather. In this context, many countries have established environmental monitoring networks. The aim of this paper is to present alternative ways to continuously monitor cosmic radiation in the atmosphere. This study utilizes a Cosmic Ray Muon Detector (CRMD) and a Geiger-Müller (GM) counter to measure Cosmic Rays (CRs) in the atmosphere, providing complementary data from both devices to enhance the accuracy of measurements. A combination of various techniques and instruments is required to accurately measure CRs radiation levels in the atmosphere. The GM counter, first combined with the coincidence method by Bothe and Kolhörster in the late 1920s, is an important tool in the detection of ioniing radiation. In addition, the use of scintillation detectors in cosmic radiation detection systems has become widespread and offers improved sensitivity and accuracy. Scintillation detectors of cosmic ray muons are important in CRs research and help to measure the content of secondary particles produced in extensive air showers initiated by CRs. CRMD and GM counters are self-sufficient in taking all signal readings and sending them via computer. The measurements of the two systems were also evaluated with measurements of temperature, dew point temperature, relative humidity, absolute humidity and atmospheric pressure. Subsequently, regression and boosting models were applied to analyze the data. Thus, the effects of atmospheric parameters on cosmic radiation measurements were observed. This study includes preliminary results from a study conducted over approximately three months and compared with international neutron monitor data. The results show the applicability and full potential of the proposed system. This detector system can be easily and affordably installed and operated for educational and research purposes in high schools and universities.