Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 2001
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001jgr...106.5957w&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 106, Issue A4, p. 5957-5966
Physics
Plasma Physics
Magnetospheric Physics: Energetic Particles, Trapped, Magnetospheric Physics: Ring Current, Space Plasma Physics: Charged Particle Motion And Acceleration, Space Plasma Physics: Transport Processes
Scientific paper
Pitch angle distributions and energy spectra of 155-430 keV trapped protons between L=4 and L=5.5 are examined to study pitch angle and radial diffusion rates during a period of low magnetic activity. To improve the sensitivity to pitch angle diffusion, the measurements were made near the loss cone where angular gradients in the distribution function are large. In this region the phase space density is such that both radial diffusion and pitch angle diffusion lead to flux increases while charge exchange leads to proton loss. However, the conventional prescriptions for the diffusion coefficients predict too much diffusion at L=4, implying growth in the proton fluxes while observations show loss. At L=5, theory and observation both show slight growth, and at low pitch angles diffusion in pitch angle is necessary to compensate for charge-exchange losses. Although Dst was low during the 13 days preceding the measurements, the proton belt had not reached a steady state with diffusion sources matching charge-exchange losses.
Jahn Jörg-Micha
Lev-Tov Sean J.
Mobilia Joseph
Voss Henry D.
Walt Martin
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