Gamma and neutrino radiation dose from gamma ray bursts and nearby supernovae.
Supernovae and gamma ray bursts are exceptionally powerful cosmic events that occur randomly in space and time in our galaxy. Their potential to produce very high radiation levels has been discussed, along with speculation that they may have caused mass extinctions noted from the fossil record. It is far more likely that they have produced radiation levels that, while not lethal, are genetically significant, and these events may have influenced the course of evolution and the manner in which organisms respond to radiation insult. Finally, intense gamma radiation exposure from these events may influence the ability of living organisms to travel through space. Calculations presented in this paper suggest that supernovae and gamma ray bursts are likely to produce sea-level radiation exposures of about I Gy with a mean interval of about five million years and sea-level radiation exposures of about 0.2 Gy every million years. Comets and meteors traveling through space would receive doses in excess of 10 Gy at a depth of 0.02 m at mean intervals of 4 and 156 million years, respectively. This may place some constraints on the ability of life to travel through space either between planets or between planetary systems. Calculations of radiation dose from neutrino radiation are presented and indicate that this is not a significant source of radiation exposure for even extremely close events for the expected neutrino spectrum from these events.
Karam
P Andrew
PA
University of Rochester, Department of Environmental Medicine, NY 14642, USA. Andrew_Karam@URMC.Rochester.edu
D055580:Astronomical Phenomena; D001256:Astronomy; D003359:Cosmic Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006801:Humans; D011829:Radiation Dosage