Differentiating Loss Mechanisms of Outer Radiation Belt Relativistic Electrons from Multi- point Satellite Observations

Details Differentiating Loss Mechanisms of Outer Radiation Belt Relativistic Electrons from Multi- point Satellite Observations Differentiating Loss Mechanisms of Outer Radiation Belt Relativistic Electrons from Multi- point Satellite Observations

Dec 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufmsm43b..04c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #SM43B-04

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2716 Energetic Particles: Precipitating, 2720 Energetic Particles: Trapped, 2774 Radiation Belts, 2788 Magnetic Storms And Substorms (7954), 7984 Space Radiation Environment

Scientific paper

The harsh environment of relativistic electrons (E>.511MeV) has an obvious impact on space weather. Therefore understanding the physical processes controlling relativistic electron dynamics-;acceleration, loss and transport-in the Earth's outer radiation belt is the prerequisite for development of space weather forecast models. Compared to recent progress on understanding acceleration and transport processes, loss processes are much less understood and characterized. Although several loss mechanisms have been proposed (e.g., the precipitation caused by wave-particle interactions and the outward diffusion associated with magnetopause shadowing), it is still unclear which of those has the dominant role and where and when. Analyzing in-situ observations, especially long-term and/or simultaneous observations from satellite observations, is a powerful approach to differentiate the above competitive loss mechanisms. Here we will perform case and statistical studies of electron observations from two groups of satellites: One includes GPS, LANL GEO, Polar, and SCATHA that measure the trapped electron population at different L-shells from high altitude; the other is SAMPEX and NOAA POES that measure near-loss-cone electrons from low altitude at several local times. First we will develop an empirical model that describes the precipitation as functions of electron energy, longitude, latitude, L-shell, local time, season, geomagnetic activity level, and solar-cycle phase. Then by comparing the decay rate of trapped electrons observed near the equatorial plane to the precipitation rates observed at low altitude, we can quantitatively determine the role of precipitation on the loss of relativistic electrons, especially for the portion of radiation belt with L>4, during the main phase of storms.

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