Prompt precipitation and energization of relativistic radiation belt electrons induced by ULF oscillations in the magnetosphere

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Scientific paper

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[0545] Computational Geophysics / Modeling, [2774] Magnetospheric Physics / Radiation Belts

Scientific paper

The energization and loss processes for energetic radiation belt electrons are not yet well understood. Global simulations using magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model fields as drivers provide a valuable tool to study the dynamics of these ~MeV energetic particles. We use satellite measurements of the solar wind as the boundary condition for the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) 3D MHD code calculation of fields which then drive electrons in a 3D test particle simulation that keeps track of attributes like energy, pitch-angle and L-shell. Wave-particle interaction can cause both energization and pitch-angle scattering loss. Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves resolved by the MHD code have been correlated with both enhancement in outer zone radiation belt electron flux1 and modulation of precipitation loss to the atmosphere2. The time scales seen in several studies linking ULF waves with radiation belt flux increases are usually several hours to a few days1,3, but few studies consider the effects of ULF waves in the Pc-4 to Pc-5 range on electron loss to the atmosphere on a time scale of tens of minutes. We investigate such rapid loss, using measured solar wind input to MHD-test particle simulations for a CME-shock event that occurred on January 21, 2005. We focus on mechanisms by which ULF waves, seen both in the simulations and observations, especially ones driven by pressure variations in the solar wind, influence the radiation belts. ULF modulation was seen in precipitation detected by the MINIS balloon campaign measurements of atmospheric Bremsstrahlung from MeV electron precipitation4. We propose a coherent energization and precipitation mechanism due to trapped electron drift resonance with azimuthally propagating poloidal mode ULF waves during the CME-shock compression of the magnetosphere4; depending on the drift phase, some electrons are energized by the azimuthal electric field pulse and some are de-energized in the perpendicular direction causing them to pitch-angle scatter into the loss cone. 1Rostoker, G., et al. (1998), On the origin of relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere associated with some geomagnetic storms, Geophys. Res. Lett.,25(19), 3701 -3704. 2Millan, R.M., Thorne, R.M. (2007), Review of radiation belt relativistic electron losses, J. Atmos. Solar Terr. Phys.,69(3),362-377. 3Loto'aniu, T. M., et al. (2010), Relativistic electron loss due to ultra-low frequency waves and enhanced outward radial diffusion, J. Geophys. Res.,115(A12), A12,245. 4 Kokorowski, M., et al. (2008), Magnetospheric Electric Field Variations Caused By Storm-time Shock Front, Advances in Space Research, 42,181-191.

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