Abstract: Understanding the dynamics of subduction is critical to our overall understanding of plate tectonics and the solid Earth system. Observations of seismic anisotropy can yield constraints on deformation patterns in the mantle surrounding subducting slabs, providing a tool for studying subduction dynamics. While many observations of seismic anisotropy have been made in subduction systems, our understanding of the mantle beneath subducting slabs remains tenuous due to the difficulty of constraining anisotropy in the sub-slab region. Recently, the source-side shear wave splitting technique has been refined and applied to several subduction systems worldwide, making accurate and direct measurements of sub-slab anisotropy feasible and offering unprecedented spatial and depth coverage in the sub-slab mantle. Here we present source-side shear wave splitting measurements for the Central America, Alaska-Aleutians, Sumatra, Ryukyu, and Izu-Bonin-Japan-Kurile subduction systems. We find that measured fast splitting directions in these regions generally fall into two broad categories, aligning either with the strike of the trench or with the motion of the subducting slab relative to the overriding plate. Trench parallel fast splitting directions dominate beneath the Izu-Bonin, Japan, and southern Kurile slabs and part of the Sumatra system, while fast directions that parallel the motion of the downgoing plate dominate in the Ryukyu, Central America, northern Kurile, western Sumatra, and Alaska-Aleutian regions. We find that plate motion parallel fast splitting directions in the sub-slab mantle are more common than previously thought. We observe a correlation between fast direction and age of the subducting lithosphere; older lithosphere (>95 Ma) is associated with trench parallel splitting while younger lithosphere (<95 Ma) is associated with plate motion parallel fast splitting directions. Finally, we observe source-side splitting for deep earthquakes (transition zone depths) beneath Japan and Sumatra, suggesting the presence of anisotropy at midmantle depths beneath these regions.

Abstract: Context. Relating in-situ measurements of relativistic solar particles to their parent activity in the corona requires understanding the magnetic structures that guide them from their acceleration site to the Earth. Relativistic particle events are observed at times of high solar activity, when transient magnetic structures such as interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) often shape the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). They may introduce interplanetary paths that are longer than nominal, and magnetic connections rooted far from the nominal Parker spiral.
Aims: We present a detailed study of the IMF configurations during ten relativistic solar particle events of the 23rd activity cycle to elucidate the actual IMF configuration that guides the particles to the Earth, where they are measured by neutron monitors.
Methods: We used magnetic field (MAG) and plasma parameter measurements (SWEPAM) from the ACE spacecraft and determined the interplanetary path lengths of energetic particles through a modified version of the velocity dispersion analysis based on energetic particle measurements with SoHO/ERNE.
Results: We find that the majority (7/10) of the events is detected in the vicinity of an ICME. Their interplanetary path lengths are found to be longer (1.5-2.6 AU) than those of the two events propagating in the slow solar wind (1.3 AU). The longest apparent path length is found in an event within the fast solar wind, probably caused by enhanced pitch angle scattering. The derived path lengths imply that the first energetic and relativistic protons are released at the Sun at the same time as electron beam emitting type III radio bursts.
Conclusions: The timing of the first high-energy particle arrival on Earth is mainly determined by the type of IMF in which the particles propagate. Initial arrival times are as expected from Parker's model in the slow solar wind, and significantly longer in or near transient structures such as ICMEs.

Abstract: The level of solar modulation at different times (related to the solar activity) is a central question of solar and galactic cosmic-ray physics. In the first paper of this series, we have established a correspondence between the uncertainties on ground-based detectors countrates and the parameter / (modulation level in the force-field approximation) reconstructed from these count rates. In this second paper, we detail a procedure to obtain a reference / time series from neutron monitor data. We show that we can have an unbiased and accurate. We also discuss the potential of Bonner spheres spectrometers and muon detectors to provide / time series. Two by-products of this calculation are updated / values for the cosmic-ray database and a web interface to retrieve and plot from the 50&amp;amp;rsquo;s to today (http://lpsc.in2p3.fr/crdb).

Abstract: In optical models snow is commonly treated as a disperse collection of particles. In this representation, the penetration depth of solar radiation is sensitive to the shape of the particles, in particular to the absorption enhancement parameter, B, that quantifies the lengthening