Dynamics of the near earth radiation environment: Observations over the whole CRRES mission
- Max-Planck-Institut fuer Aeronomie, Katlenburg-Lindau (Germany)
The distribution of energetic electrons and protons with {ital L}-value over the whole CRRES lifetime from July 1990 until October 1991 is presented. Since this distribution shows little variability with MLT it is ideally suited for examining the energetic particle budget over long periods. It shows the region occupied by the outer radiation belt to be very dynamic, both in position and in strength of the inner and outer boundary of the belt, and strongly related to the {ital K}{sub {ital p}} index, {ital D}{sub {ital ST}}, SSC{close_quote}s and the 27 day rotation period of the sun. The position of the inner boundary of the outer radiation belt is variable but fixed for a given period, particle energy and level of activity, while the strength of this belt always decays over a period of {approximately}30 days after initiation. Overlapping storm-related injections with different inner boundary levels can give rise to a short-lived double-belt appearing. The inner radiation belt is very stable and virtually unaffected by outside disturbances. Very intense periods of activity (such as the March 1991 storm) can lead to the creation of an additional, high energy belt in the slot region, which persists over a period of many months. We examine also the dependance of the behavior on particle energy and pitch angle as measured by the EPAS instrument on CRRES in the outer radiation belt. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
- OSTI ID:
- 451660
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9408182-; ISSN 0094-243X; TRN: 97:005708
- Journal Information:
- AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 383, Issue 1; Conference: 10. Taos workshop on the earth`s trapped particle environment, Taos, NM (United States), 14-19 Aug 1994; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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