Take the tour ×  What are the details of how neutrons are
produced as a result of cosmic ray particles hitting our
planet's atmosphere?  For instance, what is the pathway that
creates the highest number of neutrons from cosmic ray
particles?  The article "Single event upset" states:  An SEU
happens due to cosmic particles which collide with atoms in the
atmosphere, creating cascades or showers of neutrons and
protons. At deep sub-micrometre geometries, this affects
semiconductor devices at sea level.  But it does not describe
the mechanism.  The Wikipedia article on the neutron states
something similar:  Cosmic radiation interacting with the
Earth's atmosphere continuously generates neutrons that can be
detected at the surface.  What are the processes, in detail?
share|improve this question How about some more specific tags?
Like particle-radiation, hadron, baryon, neutron? –  Peter
Mortensen Nov 10 '10 at 16:24 my guess would be that the
neutrons are produced in the core of sun itself and not from any
terre