Lunar Regolith Albedos Using Monte Carlos

Introduction: The analysis of planetary regoliths for their backscatter albedos produced by cosmic rays (CRs) is important for space exploration and its potential contributions to science investigations in fundamental physics and astrophysics [1-2]. Albedos affect all such experiments and the personnel that operate them. Groups have analyzed the production rates of various particles and elemental species by planetary surfaces when bombarded with Galactic CR fluxes, both theoretically [3-5] and by means of various transport codes [6-8], some of which have emphasized neutrons [9-11]. Here we report on the preliminary results of our current Monte Carlo investigation into the production of charged particles, neutrons, and neutrinos by the lunar surface using FLUKA [12]. In contrast to previous work [34], the effects of charm [13] are now included. Method: Developments in high-energy physics (HEP) and astrophysics have been intimately involved with the science of CRs since the onset of all three disciplines. It is therefore natural that the advanced HEP technology used in designing the world’s particle accelerators should find its way into space investigations by means of CR astrophysics. In addition to fundamental physics experiments themselves, this includes hardware instrumentation and detectors as well as computer software designand-analysis tools. The latter utilize transport codes for the propagation of particle scattering and nuclear fragmentation events. One such code is the Monte Carlo technique, the method of choice adopted here.