Nuclear physics and space radiation

Nuclear fragmentation reactions induced by alpha particle projectiles are an important component of the space radiation problem. Inclusive isotopic spectral distributions and double differential cross sections are used as input to the Boltzmann transport equation, which is often solved in many space radiation applications. For alpha particle projectiles, it is found that most of the available experimental data are below the pion threshold. This is a significant validation gap because the important energy range for galactic cosmic rays extends up to 10 GeV/n and above.