Draft:Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station

The Aragats Cosmic Ray Research Station was founded in 1943 by Artem and Abraham Alikhanians, during World War II, to study cosmic ray and particle physics. It is located on Mount Aragats in Armenia, at an elevation of 3200 meters, near Kari Lake. The station's coordinates are 40.4713N and 44.1819E, making it a prime location for its research.

History
Research on cosmic rays at Aragats started with a 1934 study by the Leningrad Physical-Technical Institute. , focusing on how cosmic rays differ from East to West. Norair Kocharian from Yerevan State University later added to this research. These early findings led Artem and Abraham Alikhanian s to set up a more detailed study in 1942. Despite challenges like wars, lack of resources, and difficulties with infrastructure, the station has been running and doing research for over 80 years.

Since it was set up, the Aragats station has made major contributions to studying cosmic rays, helping to grow fields like High-Energy Particle Physics, Astrophysics, and Space Weather.

In its early stages, the station used mass spectrometry to study the properties of charged particles, mostly contributed by the Alikhanyan brothers. This work, which took about 15 years, helped improve methods for analyzing masses and identifying cosmic ray protons. The idea of 'varitrons,' proposed during this time, sparked global discussions in the science community about elementary particles, even though not all findings were confirmed. This discussion helped establish Aragats as a center for cosmic ray research worldwide.

The period from 1958 to 1970
From 1958 to 1970, a progress was made in cosmic ray research through calorimetric methods. Naum Grigorov and his team, working with the Yerevan Physics Institute, installed an ionization calorimeter, leading to new insights into hadron-nuclei interactions. Following experiments like PION and MUON used advanced detectors and early computers for data gathering and analysis, marking a period of innovative methods in studying cosmic rays.

1980s
In the 1980s, the ANI experiment was planned to analyze Extensive Air Showers (EASs) using large detectors to study a wide range of cosmic ray types and energies. However, the dissolution of the USSR posed challenges to its full execution. Despite these obstacles, the MAKET-ANI and GAMMA projects made advances in high-energy cosmic ray research.

Aragats Space Environmental Center (ASEC)
In 2000, the Aragats Space Environmental Center (ASEC) was established, enhancing research in solar physics and space weather. ASEC employs neutron monitors and scintillation detectors to track cosmic ray fluxes and create early warning systems for solar energetic particle events. With the launch of the SEVAN detector network in 2007, the station enhanced its research on particle acceleration and movement in the solar corona and interplanetary space.

The network's initial setups were in Croatia, Bulgaria, and India. Expansion continued with the installation of SEVAN detectors in Croatia, Slovakia, Germany (Hamburg and Berlin), Czech Republic, and atop Zugspitze, Germany's highest peak in 2023

The Aragats station continues its scientific research and international cooperation, organizing educational initiatives and meetings to encourage global scientific dialogue. As the 25th solar cycle approaches its peak in 2024, the research at Aragats Research Station will contribute in exploring the interactions between cosmic rays, solar activity, and atmospheric changes.