Aragats

The Aragats high-altitude research station operates by Cosmic Ray Division (CRD ) of the Artem Alikhanyan National Laboratory (AANL) in Armenia and host international collaboration named Aragats Space-environmental Center (ASEC). ASEC explores the activity of our own star, the Sun, and is developing Space Weather early warning systems and techniques to protect vital systems from damaging effects of solar eruptions. Recently the study of thunderstorm activity and their triggers has also become a topic of intense study and is being vigorously pursued by ASEC's scientists. Within a new emerging field of high-energy physics in atmosphere (HEPA) are investigated physical processes extending to many cubic kilometers within thunderclouds and many hundred cubic kilometers in space. The strategic geographic coordinates of ASEC's research stations, with their ground-based monitors, coupled together with advances big data analysis platforms, are providing the international scientific community modern tools for advanced research and forecasting services in global Space Weather and High-energy Physics in Atmosphere, including research of intracloud electric fields and lightning origination.  The Aragats station is equipped with modern scientific detectors enabling CRD's scientists to make new discoveries in high energy astrophysics and atmospheric physics. ASEC explores the activity of our own star, the Sun, and is developing Space Weather forecasting and early warning systems and techniques to protect vital systems from damaging effects of solar eruptions.
Ongoing projects on Aragats research station cover almost all areas of the Astroparticle physics:
•    CR Origin and acceleration mechanisms.
•    Solar-terrestrial connections; solar modulation of galactic CRs.
•    Acceleration of protons on Sun.
•    High Energy phenomena in Atmosphere, Thunderstorm Ground Enhancements (TGEs).
•    Lightning physics.
•    Monitoring of geophysical parameters.
•    Scientific instrumentation.
•    Multivariate data analysis.

Among the main achievements of recent years are:

•    Discovery of energetic protons (with energies greater than 20 GeV) accelerated in the vicinity of the Sun during Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) event N 69.
•    Discovery of simultaneous fluxes of electrons, gamma rays and neutrons measured at mountain altitudes, proving the existence of the new high-energy phenomenon (TGEs) in the thunderstorm atmospheres.
•    Discovery of the “Cloud Extensive Showers - CESs”.
•    Discovery of long lasting radiation from the thunderclouds (up to several hours).
•    Development of the Aragats Space Environmental Center (ASEC) and Armenian Geophysics Network.
•    Founding of the worldwide network of new particle detectors, named SEVAN (Space Environment Viewing and Analysis Network). Nodes of the SEVAN network are now operating in Armenia, India, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
•    Introducing of new model of lightning initiation.
•    Founding of Armenian Geophysics Network in Armenia and Arcakh.