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Title: Quantitative Evaluation of Radial Diffusion and Local Acceleration Processes During GEM Challenge Events

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA025114· OSTI ID:1463565
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [4]; ORCiD logo [5]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [6]; ORCiD logo [7]; ORCiD logo [8]; ORCiD logo [9]; ORCiD logo [10]; ORCiD logo [10]; ORCiD logo [10]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences; Boston Univ., MA (United States). Center for Space Physics
  2. Boston Univ., MA (United States). Center for Space Physics
  3. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
  4. Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB (Canada). Dept. of Physics
  5. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  6. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  7. Augsburg Univ., Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Physics
  8. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Inst. for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
  9. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Lab. for Atmospheric and Space Physics
  10. Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

We simulate the radiation belt electron flux enhancements during selected Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) challenge events to quantitatively compare the major processes involved in relativistic electron acceleration under different conditions. Van Allen Probes observed significant electron flux enhancement during both the storm time of 17–18 March 2013 and non–storm time of 19–20 September 2013, but the distributions of plasma waves and energetic electrons for the two events were dramatically different. During 17–18 March 2013, the SYM-H minimum reached -130 nT, intense chorus waves (peak Bw ~140 pT) occurred at 3.5 < L < 5.5, and several hundred keV to several MeV electron fluxes increased by ~2 orders of magnitude mostly at 3.5 < L < 5.5. During 19–20 September 2013, the SYM-H remained higher than -30 nT, modestly intense chorus waves (peak Bw ~80 pT) occurred at L > 5.5, and electron fluxes at energies up to 3 MeV increased by a factor of ~5 at L > 5.5. The two electron flux enhancement events were simulated using the available wave distribution and diffusion coefficients from the GEM focus group Quantitative Assessment of Radiation Belt Modeling. By comparing the individual roles of local electron heating and radial transport, our simulation indicates that resonant interaction with chorus waves is the dominant process that accounts for the electron flux enhancement during the storm time event particularly near the flux peak locations, while radial diffusion by ultralow-frequency waves plays a dominant role in the enhancement during the non–storm time event. Incorporation of both processes reasonably reproduces the observed location and magnitude of electron flux enhancement.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396; PLR-1341493; AGS-1651263; AGS-1723588; 967399; 921647; NX17AD15G; FA9550-15-1-0158; NAS5-01072; NNX15AI96G; NNX11AR64G; NNX14AN85G; NNX14AI18G; NNX17AG07G; AGS 1451911
OSTI ID:
1463565
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-18-25087
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics, Vol. 123, Issue 3; ISSN 2169-9380
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 79 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts: From Discovery to the Van Allen Probes Era journal November 2019
Impact of Significant Time‐Integrated Geomagnetic Activity on 2‐MeV Electron Flux journal June 2019
Analytical Chorus Wave Model Derived from Van Allen Probe Observations journal February 2019
On the Close Correspondence Between Storm Time ULF Wave Power and the POES VLF Chorus Wave Amplitude Proxy journal February 2019
Comparison of Electron Loss Models in the Inner Magnetosphere During the 2013 St. Patrick's Day Geomagnetic Storm journal October 2019
Statistical Analysis of Transverse Size of Lower Band Chorus Waves Using Simultaneous Multisatellite Observations journal June 2019
Time Scales for Electron Quasi‐linear Diffusion by Lower‐Band Chorus Waves: The Effects of ω pe / Ω ce Dependence on Geomagnetic Activity journal June 2019
Recent Advancements and Remaining Challenges Associated With Inner Magnetosphere Cross‐Energy/Population Interactions (IMCEPI) journal February 2019