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Energy-dependent dynamics of keV to MeV electrons in the inner zone, outer zone, and slot regions

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA021569· OSTI ID:1255852
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [3];  [6]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); The New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  3. The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  4. The New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  5. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
  6. Univ. of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO (United States)

Here, we present observations of the radiation belts from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron and Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer particle detectors on the Van Allen Probes satellites that illustrate the energy dependence and L shell dependence of radiation belt enhancements and decays. We survey events in 2013 and analyze an event on 1 March in more detail. The observations show the following: (a) at all L shells, lower energy electrons are enhanced more often than higher energies; (b) events that fill the slot region are more common at lower energies; (c) enhancements of electrons in the inner zone are more common at lower energies; and (d) even when events do not fully fill the slot region, enhancements at lower energies tend to extend to lower L shells than higher energies. During enhancement events the outer zone extends to lower L shells at lower energies while being confined to higher L shells at higher energies. The inner zone shows the opposite with an outer boundary at higher L shells for lower energies. Both boundaries are nearly straight in log(energy) versus L shell space. At energies below a few 100 keV, radiation belt electron penetration through the slot region into the inner zone is commonplace, but the number and frequency of “slot filling” events decreases with increasing energy. The inner zone is enhanced only at energies that penetrate through the slot. Energy- and L shell-dependent losses (that are consistent with whistler hiss interactions) return the belts to more quiescent conditions.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1255852
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--15-24562
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 121; ISSN 2169-9380
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (32)

Radiation belt electron acceleration during the 17 March 2015 geomagnetic storm: Observations and simulations: Radiation Belt Electron Acceleration journal June 2016
Highly relativistic radiation belt electron acceleration, transport, and loss: Large solar storm events of March and June 2015: HIGHLY RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON DYNAMICS journal July 2016
Physical mechanism causing rapid changes in ultrarelativistic electron pitch angle distributions right after a shock arrival: Evaluation of an electron dropout event journal September 2016
The relationship between the plasmapause and outer belt electrons journal September 2016
Characteristic energy range of electron scattering due to plasmaspheric hiss: Electron Scattering by Hiss Waves journal December 2016
On the origin of low‐energy electrons in the inner magnetosphere: Fluxes and pitch‐angle distributions journal February 2017
The hidden dynamics of relativistic electrons (0.7–1.5 MeV) in the inner zone and slot region journal March 2017
Scaling laws for the inner structure of the radiation belts: RADIATION BELT STRUCTURE journal April 2017
Rapid Loss of Radiation Belt Relativistic Electrons by EMIC Waves journal October 2017
Systematic Evaluation of Low‐Frequency Hiss and Energetic Electron Injections journal October 2017
Energetic Particle Data From the Global Positioning System Constellation journal February 2017
Space Weather Effects in the Earth’s Radiation Belts book January 2017
Space Weather Effects Produced by the Ring Current Particles journal October 2017
Space Weather Effects in the Earth’s Radiation Belts journal December 2017
The Response of the Energy Content of the Outer Electron Radiation Belt to Geomagnetic Storms journal October 2018
Determination of the Equatorial Electron Differential Flux From Observations at Low Earth Orbit journal November 2018
Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts: From Discovery to the Van Allen Probes Era journal November 2019
Transport and Loss of Ring Current Electrons Inside Geosynchronous Orbit During the 17 March 2013 Storm journal February 2019
The Response of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts to Geomagnetic Storms: Statistics From the Van Allen Probes Era Including Effects From Different Storm Drivers journal February 2019
On the Initial Enhancement of Energetic Electrons and the Innermost Plasmapause Locations: Coronal Mass Ejection‐Driven Storm Periods journal November 2018
Observations and Fokker‐Planck Simulations of the L ‐Shell, Energy, and Pitch Angle Structure of Earth's Electron Radiation Belts During Quiet Times journal February 2019
Outer Van Allen Radiation Belt Response to Interacting Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections journal March 2019
Dynamics of Megaelectron Volt Electrons Observed in the Inner Belt by PROBA‐V/EPT journal March 2019
A Revised Look at Relativistic Electrons in the Earth's Inner Radiation Zone and Slot Region journal February 2019
On the Importance of Gradients in the Low‐Energy Electron Phase Space Density for Relativistic Electron Acceleration journal April 2019
Characterization and Evolution of Radiation Belt Electron Energy Spectra Based on the Van Allen Probes Measurements journal June 2019
Understanding Electron Dropout Echoes Induced by Interplanetary Shocks: Test Particle Simulations journal August 2019
How Sudden, Intense Energetic Electron Enhancements Correlate With the Innermost Plasmapause Locations Under Various Solar Wind Drivers and Geomagnetic Conditions journal November 2019
Explaining the apparent impenetrable barrier to ultra-relativistic electrons in the outer Van Allen belt journal May 2018
From solar sneezing to killer electrons: outer radiation belt response to solar eruptions
  • Daglis, Ioannis A.; Katsavrias, Christos; Georgiou, Marina
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 377, Issue 2148 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2018.0097
journal May 2019
Explaining the Apparent Impenetrable Barrier to Ultra-relativistic Electrons in the Outer Van Allen Belt conference May 2018
Dynamics of Megaelectron Volt Electrons Observed in the Inner Belt by PROBA-V/EPT text January 2019

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