Low Energy Cosmic Ray Positron Fraction Explained by Charge-Sign Dependent Solar Modulation

We compute cosmic ray (CR) nuclei, proton, antiproton, electron, and positron spectra below 1 TeV at Earth by means of a detailed transport description in the galaxy and in the solar system. CR spectra below 10 GeV are strongly modified by charge-sign dependent propagation effects. These depend on the polarity of the solar magnetic field and therefore vary with the solar cycle. The puzzling discrepancy between the low-energy positron fraction measured by PAMELA and AMS-01 is then easily explained by their different data-taking epochs. We reproduce the observed spectra of CR light nuclei within the same galactic and solar-system propagation model. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.081101