| Abstract: | Conclusions The calculations that were made have shown that the production of neutrons by cosmic rays in the upper layers of the earth's crust can exert a strong influence on the slow neutron flux at sea level.In order for us to compare calculation with experiment, it would have been necessary to compute the slow neutron flux at surface of the ground which arises from neutrons produced in the atmosphere. For such an estimate, it is necessary to know the intensity and spectrum of atmospheric neutrons and the possible distortions of them at the surface of the earth. We did not have such data available, and therefore such an estimate was not made in this paper.However, it is clear that the contribution of the neutrons which are produced in granite by cosmic rays to the total neutron flux above its surface is considerably greater than in the case of water. Therefore, one can suppose that the difference in slow neutron fluxes above water and soil surfaces are caused to a considerable degree by the cosmic ray production of neutrons in the upper layers of the earth's crust.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 492–496, December, 1964 |
