SONTEL - Solar Neutron Telescope at Gornergrat

Institutes

Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern
in a collaboration with the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, Nagoya University, Japan.

Sidlerstrasse 5
CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)31 631 40 52
Fax: +41 (0)31 631 44 05

Project Leader (Bern): Prof. Dr. Erwin O. Flückiger
Project Leader (Nagoya): Prof. Dr. Yasushi Muraki

Homepage: http://cosray.unibe.ch/

Science

The laboratory container housing of SONTEL on the Belvedere terrace.

Detector principle
The principle of the Solar Neutron Telescope.

Since 1998 a cosmic ray detector conceived as a Solar Neutron Telescope (SONTEL) has been in operation at Gornergrat as the European cornerstone of a wide network for the study of high energy neutrons produced during energetic processes at the Sun. Observations of solar neutrons can provide unique information on the acceleration of particles in association with solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

Example of a SONTEL measurement

Detector principle
The relativistic solar particle event of April 15, 2001, recorded with SONTEL at Gornergrat, the IGY neutron monitor at Jungfraujoch.