Physics
Scientific paper
May 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agusmsm31a..01g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2005, abstract #SM31A-01
Physics
2716 Energetic Particles, Precipitating, 2720 Energetic Particles, Trapped, 2722 Forecasting, 2730 Magnetosphere: Inner, 2768 Plasmasphere
Scientific paper
We investigate a possible causal relationship between erosion of the plasmasphere and enhancement of the radiation belts during major geomagnetic storms. The Earth's plasmasphere was observed by the IMAGE EUV imager to be drastically reduced in size by the 2003 Halloween geomagnetic storm event. Before the storm the plasmapause was seen at roughly 4 Earth radii (RE) geocentric distance; after the storm, the plasmapause had moved inside 2 RE. This dramatic erosion of the plasmasphere apparently had a profound effect on the global distribution of the Van Allen radiation belts. Wave-particle interactions inside the plasmasphere normally act to remove the radiation belt electrons inside the slot region; however, in the days following the 2003 Halloween storm's drastic plasmasphere erosion, SAMPEX witnessed the formation of an extremely intense new radiation belt in what was formerly the slot region. This chain of events suggests that the plasmasphere configuration can have a primary influence on the global radiation belt distribution. We present preliminary results of the investigation of this possible relationship for three major geomagnetic storms, using global images of the plasmasphere side-by-side with in situ energetic particle data. We discuss likely mechanisms for quickly accelerating electrons to the high levels observed in the slot that normally is devoid of such relativistic electrons.
Baker Daniel
Burch James. L.
Fennell Joseph F.
Goldstein Jeffrey Jay
Sandel Bill R.
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