Jupiter's radiation belt ions: A comparison of theory and observation
We construct radial profiles for the Jovian radiation belt flux-tube content Y from the reported phase-space density of energetic particles obtained from the Voyager 1 LECP data over the range L = 6 to L = 9. These experimental profiles are compared with theoretical solutions for Y/sup */ from our interchange-diffusion model of the coupled radiation belt and Iogenic ion populations, which incorporates the pressure gradient of the radiation belt ions and spatially-varying forms for the precipitation loss-rate of the radiation belt ions and the concomitant height-integrated Pedersen ionospheric conductivity. Subject to certain limitations of the Voyager 1 data, the model solutions are found to be consistent with the data for a variety of input parameters. Model solutions are also found corresponding to radiation belt ions in the energy range 1(MeV/G)less than or equal to..mu..less than or equal to 10(MeV/G) (which was not sampled by Voyager) that are expected to be mainly responsible for the auroral energy input. Comparison of our theoretical profiles with the data implies that the energetic radiation belt ions should have a peak loss rate within a factor of three of that for strong diffusion scattering. copyright American Geophysical Union 1989
- Research Organization:
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland
- OSTI ID:
- 6451519
- Journal Information:
- Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Vol. 16:3
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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