The Most Intense SEP Events of Cycle 23: Specifications and Effects

Many intense solar energetic particle events have occurred during solar cycle 23. The unprecedented array of science instrumentation on many spacecraft, including SAMPEX and ACE, has provided a unique opportunity to determine the solar particle composition and energy spectra in individual events. We will review the cycle 23 measurements in the context of previous specifications of solar energetic particle events and will touch on some of their documented impacts on space systems.