Hostile energetic particle radiation environments in earth's outer magnetosphere
Many spacecraft operational problems in Earth's outer magnetosphere appear to be due to intense, transient radiation phenomena. Three types of naturally-occurring, and highly variable, hostile particle radiation environments are encountered at, or near, the geostationary orbit: (1) High-energy protons due to solar flares; (2) Energetic ions and electrons produced by magnetospheric substorms; and (3) very high energy electrons of uncertain origin. Present particle sensor systems provide energetic particle detection and assessment capabilities during these kinds of high-energy radiation events. In this paper, particular emphasis is given to highly relativistic electrons (3 approx. 10 MeV). Electron fluxes and energy spectra are shown which were measured by two high-energy electron sensor systems at 6.6 R/sub E/ from 1979 through 1984. Large, persistent increases in this population were found to be relatively infrequent and sporadic in 1979-81 around solar maximum. During the approach to solar minimum (1981 to present) it is observed that the highly relativistic electrons occur with a regular 27-day periodicity, and are well associated with the re-established solar wind stream structures. Through a superposed epoch analysis technique we show that an energetic electron enhancement typically rises on a 2- to 3-day time scale and decays on 3- to 4-day time scale at essentially all energies above approx.3 MeV. The present analysis suggests that the Jovian magnetosphere is a recurrent source of this significant electron population in the outer terrestrial magnetosphere and that these electrons have a very deleterious influence on spacecraft systems due to deep dielectric charging and low-dose susceptibility effects. 13 refs., 11 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Aerospace Corp., El Segundo, CA (USA). Space Sciences Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 6019509
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-86-1011; CONF-8606108-1; ON: DE86008752
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: AGARD symposium, Hague, Netherlands, 2 Jun 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Deep dielectric charging effects due to high-energy electrons in Earth's outer magnetosphere
Highly relativistic electrons in the earth's outer magnetosphere 1. Lifetimes and temporal history 1979--1984
Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
CHARGED PARTICLE DETECTION
ELECTRONS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
IONS
PROTONS
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
BARYONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
DATA
DETECTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY RANGE
FERMIONS
HADRONS
INFORMATION
LEPTONS
NUCLEONS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATION DETECTION
640203* - Atmospheric Physics- Magnetospheric Phenomena- (-1987)