July 29, 2977 magnetic storm: observations and modeling of energetic particles at synchronous orbit

Conference · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5384205

Baker, D N; Fritz, T A; Wilken, B

A brief description of the energetic particle studies carried out by Subgroup 6 of CDAW-2 is presented. Instrumentation onboard six spacecraft at (or near) geostationary orbit was used in the analysis. Timing of particle injection during the last, and largest, substorm on July 29, 1977 (approx. 1200 UT) was investigated, as was the particle phase space density variation associated with this event. Energetic proton gradient anisotropies were also used to examine large-scale magnetospheric boundary motions. Finally, adiabatic modeling calculations were performed for the substorm event period, including effects of injection, convection, corotation, and particle drifts. We find substantial evidence to suggest storage of solar wind-derived energy in the magnetotail prior to the substorm and we find this stored energy to be suddenly released at substorm expansion onset. We also find particles at geostationary orbit to be newly accelerated during the substorm to energies greater than or equal to 1 MeV (..mu.. greater than or equal to 100 MeV/G) and modeling shows that these particles could have been convected (and injected) from beyond 10 R/sub E/ in the nightside magnetosphere.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5384205
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-82-325; CONF-810585-2; ON: DE82008127
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BEAM INJECTION
BOUNDARY LAYERS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
INTERFACES
IONOSPHERE
LAYERS
MAGNETIC BAYS
MAGNETOSPHERE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
SIMULATION