Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm31b2107c&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM31B-2107
Physics
[2720] Magnetospheric Physics / Energetic Particles: Trapped, [2730] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere: Inner, [2774] Magnetospheric Physics / Radiation Belts, [7984] Space Weather / Space Radiation Environment
Scientific paper
Solar energetic particle (SEP) events are one of many space weather events that can be hazardous to spacecraft operating in the near-Earth plasma environment. During an SEP, energetic protons (~20 MeV) can penetrate deep into the magnetosphere, at times to very low L shells (L~3). Under some circumstances, these injected protons can become stably trapped and persist for many days, thus forming a new proton belt in a region that is typically devoid of energetic protons. This can serve as a potential unforeseen hazard for spacecraft operating in this region of geospace. We use recent observations from the Polar-CEPPAD investigation and HEO spacecraft to examine the formation and evolution of energetic transient proton belts near L = 3. We consider several events where transient proton belts are associated with storm-sudden commencements driven by interplanetary shocks. Angular distributions obtained from the CEPPAD-HIST sensor on-board the Polar spacecraft reveal features that are difficult to reconcile with standard trapped particle theory. For example, the pitch-angle distributions are observed to vary substantially on timescales faster than what would be expected for a diffusive mechanism. We compare the HIST observations with simultaneous measurements in HEO and explore possible explanations for the rapid changes observed in the angular distributions.
Bernard Blake J.
Claudepierre Seth G.
Fennell Joseph F.
Roeder James L.
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