FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-21/04

Title and Subtitle: CARI-7 Documentation: Particle Spectra

Report Date: March 2021

Authors: Copeland K

Abstract: This report presents the solar and galactic cosmic radiation models, solar modulation algorithms, and data used by CARI (i.e., the Civil Aviation Research Institute-the previous name of the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, or CAMI) software version 7 (CARI-7) and -7A. CARI software for calculating doses of ionizing radiation in the atmosphere from cosmic radiation has been in development at CAMI since the late 1980s. The accurate calculation of galactic and solar cosmic radiation dose rates and other related quantities in near-Earth space and within Earth's atmosphere requires knowledge of the incoming energetic ions present in galactic and solar cosmic radiation.

Like previous versions of CARI software, CARI-7 uses the heliocentric model of solar modulation of galactic cosmic radiation, but unlike prior versions, CARI-7 uses the local interstellar spectrum described in the International Standards Organization standard TS15930:2004. CARI-7A offers additional galactic and solar cosmic radiation spectra, and allows use of a user-defined spectrum.

Key Words: Ionizing Radiation, Cosmic Radiation, Space Weather, Cosmic Radiation Models, CARI-7, CARI-7A, Solar Modulation

No. of Pages: 21