Estimation of the Variability of the Combined Electron and Positron Flux of Cosmic Rays

Abstract

The variability of the combined electron and positron flux (e⁺ + e^–) of cosmic rays (CRs) is numerically estimated using the results obtained in the Fermi-LAT,AMS-02, and DAMPE satellite experiments. The validity of the variability of the (e⁺ + e^–) CR spectra in the energy range of >30 GeV is demonstrated. Correlation between the reliability of the variability for each pair of spectra and the difference of the average monthly sunspot numbers averaged over the time interval of observation is established. The existence of the observed variable component of the (e⁺ + e^–) CR flux on a time scale from ~1 month to ~1 year can be explained using the model of surfatron acceleration of CRs in the close neighborhood of the Solar System (at the periphery of the heliosphere and in the nearby interstellar clouds).