Possible evidence for latitude-dependent cosmic-ray modulation

It is suggested that the slope of the modulated proton spectrum at low energies (less than 250 MeV) is not well accounted for in a steady state spherically symmetrical cosmic-ray modulation model and therefore may contain information on the effects of latitude variations. Under quasi-steady interplanetary conditions, slopes steeper than unity have been observed for low-energy protons. It is shown that the slope of unity or a steeper slope may be a natural consequence of having a region of enhanced modulation lying immediately above or below the solar equatorial plane and therefore may be due to the variation of interplanetary conditions with heliocentric latitude.