33RD INTERNATIONAL COSMIC RAY CONFERENCE, RIO DE JANEIRO 2013 THE ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS CONFERENCE Phase distribution variations of the first harmonic of the cosmic ray anisotropy

Abstract: The asymmetry of the interplanetary space, caused by the radial velocity of the solar wind and the quasi spiral position of the interplanetary magnetic field, leads to non-uniform distribution of the phases and the amplitude-phase interrelation of the first harmonic of cosmic ray anisotropy. To study the long term variations of cosmic ray anisotropy the characteristics of its first harmonic defined at each hour by global survey method have been used over the period 1957-2011. For each year of this period longitudinal distributions of the cosmic ray vector anisotropy and its amplitude-phase relation were obtained. The results clearly demonstrate the variations of anisotropy due to the solar activity and solar magnetic cycles. It is shown that the degree of inhomogeneity of the phase distribution remains on high level almost all the time (except for the anomalous 1996). Evaluations of the cosmic ray gradient components during disturbed and quiet periods at different polarities of the solar magnetic field were derived. The results of this study are consistent with the convection-diffusion model of the anisotropy