Performance Characterization of Cosmic Ray Muon Detector in Santa Marta for Monitoring Dynamic Changes in Space and Terrestrial Weather

This dissertation presents a preliminary analysis of cosmic ray muon flux variations using a low-cost, portable muon telescope detector installed in August 2023, in Santa Marta, Colombia. Located in a unique geographic setting between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Santa Marta’s tropical climate provides an exceptional environment to investigate the effects of space and terrestrial weather on muon flux. By examining muon flux data against the data collected from atmospheric monitoring stations and satellites, this study aims to characterize how weather parameters, such as temperature, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, and relative humidity, affect muon detection rates. Additionally, correlations with solar parameters, including the interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind properties, sun spots numbers, and geomagnetic indices (Kp, Dst, and Ap indices), are explored to understand the detector’s sensitivity to space weather influences.