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The radiation impact of Solar Energetic Particle Events on the Moon: A statistical study using data-based modeling results
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  • Bailiang Liu,
  • Jingnan Guo,
  • Yubao Wang,
  • Mikhail Dobynde
Bailiang Liu
University of Science and Technology of China
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Jingnan Guo
University of Science and Technology of China

Corresponding Author:jnguo@ustc.edu.cn

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Yubao Wang
University of Science and Technology of China
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Mikhail Dobynde
University of Science and Technology of China
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Abstract

The Moon lacks a global magnetic field and atmosphere, leaving its surface been directly exposed to high-energy cosmic radiation. Sporadic Solar Particle Events are sources of a significant radiation exposure, potentially posing serious threats to the health of astronauts exploring the Moon. Generally, Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) have a limited penetration capabilities (value needed), and associated radiation doses diminish significantly with increasing astronauts shielding. In this paper, we use the Radiation Environment and Dose at the Moon (REDMoon) model based on GEometry And Tracking (GEANT4) Monte-Carlo method to calculate the body effective dose induced by 262 large historical SEP events on the Moon under different shielding depths which can result from the lunar regolith shielding and/or additional aluminum shielding. We calculate and compare the contributions of SEPs within different energy ranges to the total body effective dose and carry out a statistical analysis based on the results from different SEP events. Additionally, we develop empirical functions to rapidly assess SEP-induced effective dose on the Moon under different shielding scenarios.