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Title: Dipolarizing flux bundles in the cis-geosynchronous magnetosphere: Relationship between electric fields and energetic particle injections

Abstract

Dipolarizing flux bundles (DFBs) are small flux tubes (typically <3 RE in XGSM and YGSM) in the nightside magnetosphere that have magnetic field more dipolar than the background. Although DFBs are known to accelerate particles, creating energetic particle injections outside geosynchronous orbit (trans-GEO), the nature of the acceleration mechanism and the importance of DFBs in generating injections inside geosynchronous orbit (cis-GEO) are unclear. Our statistical study of cis-GEO DFBs using data from the Van Allen Probes reveals that just like trans-GEO DFBs, cis-GEO DFBs occur most often in the premidnight sector, but their occurrence rate is ~1/3 that of trans-GEO DFBs. Half the cis-GEO DFBs are accompanied by an energetic particle injection and have an electric field 3 times stronger than that of the injectionless half. All DFB injections are dispersionless within the temporal resolution considered (11 s). In conclusion, our findings suggest that these injections are ushered or produced locally by the DFB, and the DFB's strong electric field is an important aspect of the injection generation mechanism.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [4];  [5]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences and Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
  2. Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA (United States)
  3. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States). Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
  4. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  5. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States). Inst. for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); International Space Science Inst. (ISSI), Bern (Switzerland)
OSTI Identifier:
1473806
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-28133
Journal ID: ISSN 2169-9380
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396; NAS5‐02099; NNX14AC17G; NAS5‐01072
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 121; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 2169-9380
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; dipolarizing flux bundle; dipolarization front; energetic particle injection; particle acceleration; geosynchronous orbit; magnetic storm

Citation Formats

Liu, Jiang, Angelopoulos, V., Zhang, Xiao-Jia, Turner, D. L., Gabrielse, C., Runov, A., Li, Jinxing, Funsten, Herbert O., and Spence, H. E. Dipolarizing flux bundles in the cis-geosynchronous magnetosphere: Relationship between electric fields and energetic particle injections. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1002/2015JA021691.
Liu, Jiang, Angelopoulos, V., Zhang, Xiao-Jia, Turner, D. L., Gabrielse, C., Runov, A., Li, Jinxing, Funsten, Herbert O., & Spence, H. E. Dipolarizing flux bundles in the cis-geosynchronous magnetosphere: Relationship between electric fields and energetic particle injections. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA021691
Liu, Jiang, Angelopoulos, V., Zhang, Xiao-Jia, Turner, D. L., Gabrielse, C., Runov, A., Li, Jinxing, Funsten, Herbert O., and Spence, H. E. Fri . "Dipolarizing flux bundles in the cis-geosynchronous magnetosphere: Relationship between electric fields and energetic particle injections". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA021691. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1473806.
@article{osti_1473806,
title = {Dipolarizing flux bundles in the cis-geosynchronous magnetosphere: Relationship between electric fields and energetic particle injections},
author = {Liu, Jiang and Angelopoulos, V. and Zhang, Xiao-Jia and Turner, D. L. and Gabrielse, C. and Runov, A. and Li, Jinxing and Funsten, Herbert O. and Spence, H. E.},
abstractNote = {Dipolarizing flux bundles (DFBs) are small flux tubes (typically <3 RE in XGSM and YGSM) in the nightside magnetosphere that have magnetic field more dipolar than the background. Although DFBs are known to accelerate particles, creating energetic particle injections outside geosynchronous orbit (trans-GEO), the nature of the acceleration mechanism and the importance of DFBs in generating injections inside geosynchronous orbit (cis-GEO) are unclear. Our statistical study of cis-GEO DFBs using data from the Van Allen Probes reveals that just like trans-GEO DFBs, cis-GEO DFBs occur most often in the premidnight sector, but their occurrence rate is ~1/3 that of trans-GEO DFBs. Half the cis-GEO DFBs are accompanied by an energetic particle injection and have an electric field 3 times stronger than that of the injectionless half. All DFB injections are dispersionless within the temporal resolution considered (11 s). In conclusion, our findings suggest that these injections are ushered or produced locally by the DFB, and the DFB's strong electric field is an important aspect of the injection generation mechanism.},
doi = {10.1002/2015JA021691},
journal = {Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics},
number = 2,
volume = 121,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Fri Jan 29 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

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