Bibliography
|
Notice:
|
Found 28 entries in the Bibliography.
Showing entries from 1 through 28
| 2021 |
|
Abstract The plasma mass loading of the terrestrial equatorial inner magnetosphere is a key determinant of the characteristics and propagation of ULF waves. Electron number density is also an important factor for other types of waves such as chorus, hiss and EMIC waves. In this paper, we use Van Allen Probe data from September 2012 to February 2019 to create average models of electron densities and average ion mass in the plasmasphere and plasmatrough, near the Earth’s magnetic equator. These models are combined to provide an estimate of the most probable plasma mass density in the equatorial region. We then use machine learning to form a set of models which are parameterized by the SuperMAG ring current index (SMR) based on the design of the average models. The resulting set of models are capable of predicting the average ion mass, electron density and plasma mass density in the range and over all MLT sectors during a range of conditions where nT. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. James, Matthew; Yeoman, Tim; Jones, Petra; Sandhu, Jasmine; Goldstein, Jerry; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029565 |
|
Abstract We present a comparison of magnetospheric plasma mass/electron density observations during an 11-day interval which includes the geomagnetic storm of 22 June 2015. For this study we used: equatorial plasma mass density derived from geomagnetic field line resonances (FLRs) detected by Van Allen Probes and at the ground-based magnetometer networks EMMA and CARISMA; in situ electron density inferred by the Neural-network-based Upper hybrid Resonance Determination algorithm applied to plasma wave Van Allen Probes measurements. The combined observations at L ∼ 4, MLT ∼ 16 of the two longitudinally-separated magnetometer networks show a temporal pattern very similar to that of the in situ observations: a density decrease by an order of magnitude about 1 day after the Dst minimum, a partial recovery a few hours later, and a new strong decrease soon after. The observations are consistent with the position of the measurement points with respect to the plasmasphere boundary as derived by a plasmapause test particle simulation. A comparison between plasma mass densities derived from ground and in situ FLR observations during favourable conjunctions shows a good agreement. We find however, for L < ∼3, the spacecraft measurements to be higher than the corresponding ground observations with increasing deviation with decreasing L, which might be related to the rapid outbound spacecraft motion in that region. A statistical analysis of the average ion mass using simultaneous spacecraft measurements of mass and electron density indicates values close to 1 amu in plasmasphere and higher values (∼ 2-3 amu) in plasmatrough. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Vellante, M.; Takahashi, K.; Del Corpo, A.; Zhelavskaya, I.; Goldstein, J.; Mann, I.; Pietropaolo, E.; Reda, J.; Heilig, B.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029292 magnetoseismology; plasmasphere; Field line resonance; ground-based magnetometers; Van Allen Probes; Swarm satellites |
| 2020 |
|
Global ENA Imaging and In Situ Observations of Substorm Dipolarization on 10 August 2016 Abstract This paper presents the first combined use of data from Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS), and Van Allen Probes (RBSP) to study the 10 August 2016 magnetic dipolarization. We report the first correlation of MMS tail observations with TWINS energetic neutral atom (ENA) images of the ring current (RC). We analyze 15-min, 1° TWINS 2 images in 1–50 keV energy bins. To characterize the high-altitude RC we extract peak ENA flux from L= 2.5 to 5 in the postmidnight sector. We estimate peak low-altitude ion flux from ENAs near the Earth s limb. For a local perspective, we use spin-averaged proton fluxes from the RBSP A Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) spectrometer. We find that the 1000 UT dipolarization triggered an abrupt and significant increase in low-altitude ions and a gradual but modest increase in the high-altitude RC. The relative strength and timing of the low versus high-altitude flux indicate that the dipolarization isotropized the injected ions and initially filled the loss cone. The substorm injection brought cooler ions in from the magnetotail, reducing the peak energy at both low and high altitudes. The post-dipolarization low-altitude flux exhibited a decay rate dispersion favoring longer decay times at lower energies, possibly caused by growth of the low energy RC providing enhanced flux into the loss cone. A variety of finer scale local injection structures were observed in the high-altitude RC both before and after the dipolarization, and the average system level RC intensity increased after 1000 UT. Goldstein, J.; Valek, P.; McComas, D.; Redfern, J.; Spence, H.; Skoug, R.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G.; Nakamura, R.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027733 substorm dipolarization; cross-scale physics; imaging; multipoint in situ; ring current; Van Allen Probes |
|
Global ENA Imaging and In Situ Observations of Substorm Dipolarization on 10 August 2016 This paper presents the first combined use of data from Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS), Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS), and Van Allen Probes (RBSP) to study the 10 August 2016 magnetic dipolarization. We report the first correlation of MMS tail observations with TWINS energetic neutral atom (ENA) images of the ring current (RC). We analyze 15-min, 1° TWINS 2 images in 1–50 keV energy bins. To characterize the high-altitude RC we extract peak ENA flux from L= 2.5 to 5 in the postmidnight sector. We estimate peak low-altitude ion flux from ENAs near the Earth s limb. For a local perspective, we use spin-averaged proton fluxes from the RBSP A Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) spectrometer. We find that the 1000 UT dipolarization triggered an abrupt and significant increase in low-altitude ions and a gradual but modest increase in the high-altitude RC. The relative strength and timing of the low versus high-altitude flux indicate that the dipolarization isotropized the injected ions and initially filled the loss cone. The substorm injection brought cooler ions in from the magnetotail, reducing the peak energy at both low and high altitudes. The post-dipolarization low-altitude flux exhibited a decay rate dispersion favoring longer decay times at lower energies, possibly caused by growth of the low energy RC providing enhanced flux into the loss cone. A variety of finer scale local injection structures were observed in the high-altitude RC both before and after the dipolarization, and the average system level RC intensity increased after 1000 UT. Goldstein, J.; Valek, P.; McComas, D.; Redfern, J.; Spence, H.; Skoug, R.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G.; Nakamura, R.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JA027733 substorm dipolarization; cross-scale physics; imaging; multipoint in situ; ring current |
|
The Role of the Dynamic Plasmapause in Outer Radiation Belt Electron Flux Enhancement Abstract The plasmasphere is a highly dynamic toroidal region of cold, dense plasma around Earth. Plasma waves exist both inside and outside this region and can contribute to the loss and acceleration of high energy outer radiation belt electrons. Early observational studies found an apparent correlation on long time scales between the observed inner edge of the outer radiation belt and the modeled innermost plasmapause location. More recent work using high-resolution Van Allen Probes data has found a more complex relationship. For this study, we determine the standoff distance of the location of maximum electron flux of the outer belt MeV electrons from the plasmapause following rapid enhancement events. We find that the location of the outer radiation belt based on maximum electron flux is consistently outside the plasmapause, with a peak radial standoff distance of ∆L ~ 1. We discuss the implications this result has for acceleration mechanisms. Bruff, M.; Jaynes, A.; Zhao, H.; Goldstein, J.; Malaspina, D.; Baker, D.; Kanekal, S.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 03/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: 10.1029/2020GL086991 Plasmapause; outer radiation belt; Magnetosphere; chorus waves; Van Allen Probes |
|
The plasmasphere is a critical region of the magnetosphere. It is important for the evolution of Earth\textquoterights radiation belts. Waves in the plasmasphere interior (hiss) and vicinity (EMIC, chorus) help control the acceleration and loss of radiation belt particles. Thus, understanding the extent, structure, content, and dynamics of the plasmasphere is crucial to understanding radiation belt losses. The Van Allen Probes mission uses two methods to determine the total plasma density. First, the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) frequency can provide electron density; this determination is the most accurate and robust. However, it requires significant analysis and is challenging during geomagnetically active times: it becomes difficult to interpret the wave spectrum, and the amount of available data is severely limited. Second, the spacecraft potential is a proxy for the plasma density. These high resolution measurements are available with high duty cycle. However, environmental effects can limit the accuracy of this method. The relation between spacecraft potential and density is empirical, requiring an independent density measurement and repeated checks. We perform a quantitative comparison of these two in situ techniques during the first 3.5 years of the Van Allen Probes mission. We show how to calibrate potential-based density measurements using only publicly available wave-derived densities to provide high fidelity results even if upper hybrid measurements are sparse or unavailable. We quantify the level of uncertainty to expect from potential-derived density data. Our approach can be applied to any in situ spacecraft mission where reliable absolute density and spacecraft potential data are available. Jahn, J.-M.; Goldstein, J.; Kurth, W.S.; Thaller, S.; De Pascuale, S.; Wygant, J.; Reeves, G.D.; Spence, H.E.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA026860 cold plasma density; plasmasphere; spacecraft charging; Van Allen Probes; wave resonances |
| 2019 |
|
Temperature Dependence of Plasmaspheric Ion Composition We analyze a database of Dynamics Explorer-1 (DE-1) Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer densities and temperatures to yield the first explicit measure of how cold ion concentration depends on temperature. We find that cold H+ and He+ concentrations have very weak dependence on temperature, but cold O+ ion concentration increases steeply as these ions become warmer. We demonstrate how this result can aid in analyzing composition data from other satellites without spacecraft potential mitigation, by applying the result to an example using data from the Van Allen Probes mission. Measurement of light ion concentrations above 1 electron volt (eV) are a reasonable proxy for the concentrations of colder (eV) ions. Warmer O+ ion concentrations may be extrapolated to colder temperatures using our fit to the statistical distribution versus temperature. Goldstein, J.; Gallagher, D.; Craven, P.; Comfort, R.; Genestreti, K.; Mouikis, C.; Spence, H.; Kurth, W.; Wygant, J.; Skoug, R.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G.; De Pascuale, S.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA026822 composition; plasmasphere: ion; temperature; Van Allen Probes |
|
Epoch-Based Model for Stormtime Plasmapause Location The output of a plasmapause test particle (PTP) code is used to formulate a new epoch-based plasmapause model. The PTP simulation is run for an ensemble of 60 storms spanning 3 September 2012 to 28 September 2017 and having peak Dst of -60 nT or less, yielding over 7 million model plasmapause locations. Events are automatically identified and epoch times calculated relative to the respective storm peaks. Epoch analysis of the simulated plasmapause is demonstrated to be an effective method to reveal the dynamical phases of plume formation and evolution. The plasmapause radius is found to be strongly correlated with positive solar wind electric field. The epoch-binned PTP data are used to create the first analytical model of the plasmapause that explicitly includes plumes. We obtain this result by employing as basis functions our derived exact solutions for the Volland-Stern convection potential. The analytical plasmapause model depends on epoch time, for moderate and strong storms, and is specified by three main parameters: the duskside plasmapause radius and two tuning coefficients. The epoch-based analytical model is shown to agree to within 0.5 RE with nightside in situ plasmapause crossings by the Van Allen Probes on 17 March 2015. Compared to dayside plume crossings on 26 June 2000, the model agrees within 0.7 RE of radius and 0.8 RE azimuthal distance. This level of agreement is comparable to that achieved by the full dynamic PTP simulation. Goldstein, J.; De Pascuale, S.; Kurth, W.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025996 epoch-based model; Plasmapause; plasmasphere; plume; Van Allen Probes |
| 2018 |
|
Simulations of Van Allen Probes Plasmaspheric Electron Density Observations We simulate equatorial plasmaspheric electron densities using a physics-based model (Cold PLasma, CPL; used in the ring current-atmosphere interactions model) of the source and loss processes of refilling and erosion driven by empirical inputs. The performance of CPL is evaluated against in situ measurements by the Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes) for two events: the 31 May to 5 June and 15 to 20 January 2013 geomagnetic storms observed in the premidnight and postmidnight magnetic local time (MLT) sectors, respectively. Overall, CPL reproduces the radial extent of the plasmasphere to within a mean absolute difference of urn:x-wiley:jgra:media:jgra54637:jgra54637-math-0001 L. The model electric field responsible for E \texttimes B convection and the parameterization of geomagnetic conditions (under the Kp-index and solar wind properties) implemented by CPL did not account for localized enhancements in the duskward electric field during increased activity. Rather, it was found to be largely dependent on the measure of the quiet time background. This property indicates that the agreement between these simulations and observations does not account for the complete set of physical processes during extreme (strong or weak) geomagnetic conditions impacting the plasmasphere. Nevertheless, at the presented resolution of the model CPL does provide good agreement in reproducing Radiation Belt Storm Probes observations of plasmaspheric density and plasmapause location. De Pascuale, S.; Jordanova, V.; Goldstein, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Thaller, S.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025776 convection; observations; plasmasphere; RBSP; simulation; Van Allen Probes |
|
Simultaneous observations of the magnetic field and plasma waves made by the Arase and Van Allen Probe A satellites at different magnetic local time (MLT) enable us to deduce the longitudinal structure of an oxygen torus for the first time. During 04:00\textendash07:10 UT on 24 April 2017, Arase flew from L = 6.2 to 2.0 in the morning sector and detected an enhancement of the average plasma mass up to ~3.5 amu around L = 4.9\textendash5.2 and MLT = 5.0 hr, implying that the plasma consists of approximately 15\% O+ ions. Probe A moved outbound from L = 2.0 to 6.2 in the afternoon sector during 04:10\textendash07:30 UT and observed no clear enhancements in the average plasma mass. For this event, the O+ density enhancement in the inner magnetosphere (i.e., oxygen torus) does not extend over all MLT but is skewed toward the dawn, being described more precisely as a crescent-shaped torus or a pinched torus. e, M.; Matsuoka, A.; Kumamoto, A.; Kasahara, Y.; Goldstein, J.; Teramoto, M.; Tsuchiya, F.; Matsuda, S.; Shoji, M.; Imajo, S.; Oimatsu, S.; Yamamoto, K.; Obana, Y.; Nomura, R.; Fujimoto, A.; Shinohara, I.; Miyoshi, Y.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Smith, C.; MacDowall, R.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 10/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL080122 Arase satellite; Geomagnetic storm; inner magnetosphere; oxygen torus; simultaneous observation; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes satellite |
| 2017 |
|
The Warm Plasma Composition in the Inner Magnetosphere during 2012-2015 Ionospheric heavy ions play an important role in the dynamics of Earth\textquoterights magnetosphere. The greater mass and gyro radius of ionospheric oxygen differentiates its behavior from protons at the same energies. Oxygen may have an impact on tail reconnection processes, and it can at least temporarily dominate the energy content of the ring current during geomagnetic storms. At sub-keV energies, multi-species ion populations in the inner magnetosphere form the warm plasma cloak, occupying the energy range between the plasmasphere and the ring current. Lastly, cold lighter ions from the mid-latitude ionosphere create the co-rotating plasmasphere whose outer regions can interact with the plasma cloak, plasma sheet, ring current, and outer electron belt. In this paper we present a statistical view of warm, cloak-like ion populations in the inner magnetosphere, contrasting in particular the warm plasma composition during quiet and active times. We study the relative abundances and absolute densities of warm plasma measured by the Van Allen Probes, whose two spacecraft cover the inner magnetosphere from plasmaspheric altitudes close to Earth to just inside geostationary orbit. We observe that warm (>30 eV) oxygen is most abundant closer to the plasmasphere boundary whereas warm hydrogen dominates closer to geostationary orbit. Warm helium is usually a minor constituent, but shows a noticeable enhancement in the near-Earth dusk sector. Jahn, J.-M.; Goldstein, J.; Reeves, G.; Fernandes, P.; Skoug, R.; Larsen, B.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024183 geomagnetic activity; inner magnetosphere; plasma composition; plasma density; statistics; Van Allen Probes |
|
The plasma environment inside geostationary orbit: A Van Allen Probes HOPE survey The two full precessions in local time completed by the Van Allen Probes enable global specification of the near-equatorial inner magnetosphere plasma environment. Observations by the Helium-Oxygen-Proton-Electron (HOPE) mass spectrometers provide detailed insight into the global spatial distribution of electrons, H+, He+, and O+. Near-equatorial omnidirectional fluxes and abundance ratios at energies 0.1\textendash30 keV are presented for 2 <= L <= 6 as a function of L shell, magnetic local time (MLT), and geomagnetic activity. We present a new tool built on the UBK modeling technique for classifying plasma sheet particle access to the inner magnetosphere. This new tool generates access maps for particles of constant energy for more direct comparison with in situ measurements, rather than the traditional constant μ presentation typically associated with UBK. We present for the first time inner magnetosphere abundances of O+ flux relative to H+ flux as a function of Kp, L, MLT, and energy. At L = 6, the O+/H+ ratio increases with increasing Kp, consistent with previous results. However, at L < 5 the O+/H+ ratio generally decreases with increasing Kp. We identify a new \textquotedblleftafternoon bulge\textquotedblright plasma population enriched in 10 keV O+ and superenriched in 10 keV He+ that is present during quiet/moderate geomagnetic activity (Kp < 5) at ~1100\textendash2000 MLT and L shell 2\textendash4. Drift path modeling results are consistent with the narrow energy and approximate MLT location of this enhancement, but the underlying physics describing its formation, structure, and depletion during higher geomagnetic activity are currently not understood. Fernandes, Philip; Larsen, Brian; Thomsen, Michelle; Skoug, Ruth; Reeves, Geoffrey; Denton, Michael; Friedel, Reinhard; Funsten, Herbert; Goldstein, Jerry; Henderson, Michael; Jahn, örg-Micha; MacDonald, Elizabeth; Olson, David; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024160 inner magnetosphere; magnetospheric composition; plasma access; plasma convection; UBK modeling; Van Allen Probes |
|
Storm time empirical model of O + and O 6+ distributions in the magnetosphere Recent studies have utilized different charge states of oxygen ions as a tracer for the origins of plasma populations in the magnetosphere of Earth, using O+ as an indicator of ionospheric-originating plasma and O6+ as an indicator of solar wind-originating plasma. These studies have correlated enhancements in O6+ to various solar wind and geomagnetic conditions to characterize the dominant solar wind injection mechanisms into the magnetosphere but did not include analysis of the temporal evolution of these ions. A sixth-order Fourier expansion model based empirically on a superposed epoch analysis of geomagnetic storms observed by Polar is presented in this study to provide insight into the evolution of both ionospheric-originating and solar wind-originating plasma throughout geomagnetic storms. At high energies (~200 keV) the flux of O+ and O6+ are seen to become comparable in the outer magnetosphere. Moreover, while the density of O+ is far higher than O6+, the two charge states have comparable pressures in the outer magnetosphere. The temperature of O6+ is generally higher than that of O+, because the O6+ is injected from preheated magnetosheath populations before undergoing further heating once in the magnetosphere. A comparison between the model results with O+ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission and the Van Allen Probes provides a validation of the model. In general, this empirical model agrees qualitatively well with the trends seen in both data sets. Quantitatively, the modeled density, pressure, and temperature almost always agree within a factor of at most 10, 5, and 2, respectively. Allen, R.; Livi, S.; Vines, S.; Goldstein, J.; Cohen, I.; Fuselier, S.; Mauk, B.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024245 MMS mission; Polar mission; solar wind injection; storm time dynamics; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes mission |
|
Temperature of the plasmasphere from Van Allen Probes HOPE Genestreti, K.; Goldstein, J.; Corley, G.; Farner, W.; Kistler, L.; Larsen, B.; Mouikis, C.; Ramnarace, C.; Skoug, R.; Turner, N.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023047 |
|
Temperature of the plasmasphere from Van Allen Probes HOPE We introduce two novel techniques for estimating temperatures of very low energy space plasmas using, primarily, in situ data from an electrostatic analyzer mounted on a charged and moving spacecraft. The techniques are used to estimate proton temperatures during intervals where the bulk of the ion plasma is well below the energy bandpass of the analyzer. Both techniques assume that the plasma may be described by a one-dimensional math formula drifting Maxwellian and that the potential field and motion of the spacecraft may be accounted for in the simplest possible manner, i.e., by a linear shift of coordinates. The first technique involves the application of a constrained theoretical fit to a measured distribution function. The second technique involves the comparison of total and partial-energy number densities. Both techniques are applied to Van Allen Probes Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron (HOPE) observations of the proton component of the plasmasphere during two orbits on 15 January 2013. We find that the temperatures calculated from these two order-of-magnitude-type techniques are in good agreement with typical ranges of the plasmaspheric temperature calculated using retarding potential analyzer-based measurements\textemdashgenerally between 0.2 and 2 eV (2000\textendash20,000 K). We also find that the temperature is correlated with L shell and hot plasma density and is negatively correlated with the cold plasma density. We posit that the latter of these three relationships may be indicative of collisional or wave-driven heating of the plasmasphere in the ring current overlap region. We note that these techniques may be easily applied to similar data sets or used for a variety of purposes. Genestreti, K.; Goldstein, J.; Corley, G.; Farner, W.; Kistler, L.; Larsen, B.; Mouikis, C.; Ramnarace, C.; Skoug, R.; Turner, N.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/jgra.v122.110.1002/2016JA023047 |
|
We present cross-scale magnetospheric observations of the 17 March 2015 (St. Patrick\textquoterights Day) storm, by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), and Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS), plus upstream ACE/Wind solar wind data. THEMIS crossed the bow shock or magnetopause 22 times and observed the magnetospheric compression that initiated the storm. Empirical models reproduce these boundary locations within 0.7 RE. Van Allen Probes crossed the plasmapause 13 times; test particle simulations reproduce these encounters within 0.5 RE. Before the storm, Van Allen Probes measured quiet double-nose proton spectra in the region of corotating cold plasma. About 15 min after a 0605 UT dayside southward turning, Van Allen Probes captured the onset of inner magnetospheric convection, as a density decrease at the moving corotation-convection boundary (CCB) and a steep increase in ring current (RC) proton flux. During the first several hours of the storm, Van Allen Probes measured highly dynamic ion signatures (numerous injections and multiple spectral peaks). Sustained convection after \~1200 UT initiated a major buildup of the midnight-sector ring current (measured by RBSP A), with much weaker duskside fluxes (measured by RBSP B, THEMIS a and THEMIS d). A close conjunction of THEMIS d, RBSP A, and TWINS 1 at 1631 UT shows good three-way agreement in the shapes of two-peak spectra from the center of the partial RC. A midstorm injection, observed by Van Allen Probes and TWINS at 1740 UT, brought in fresh ions with lower average energies (leading to globally less energetic spectra in precipitating ions) but increased the total pressure. The cross-scale measurements of 17 March 2015 contain significant spatial, spectral, and temporal structure. Goldstein, J.; Angelopoulos, V.; De Pascuale, S.; Funsten, H.; Kurth, W.; LLera, K.; McComas, D.; Perez, J.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Thaller, S.; Valek, P.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023173 Heliophysics System Observatory; Modeling; multimission; THEMIS; TWINS; Van Allen Probes |
|
We present cross-scale magnetospheric observations of the 17 March 2015 (St. Patrick\textquoterights Day) storm, by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes), and Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers (TWINS), plus upstream ACE/Wind solar wind data. THEMIS crossed the bow shock or magnetopause 22 times and observed the magnetospheric compression that initiated the storm. Empirical models reproduce these boundary locations within 0.7 RE. Van Allen Probes crossed the plasmapause 13 times; test particle simulations reproduce these encounters within 0.5 RE. Before the storm, Van Allen Probes measured quiet double-nose proton spectra in the region of corotating cold plasma. About 15 min after a 0605 UT dayside southward turning, Van Allen Probes captured the onset of inner magnetospheric convection, as a density decrease at the moving corotation-convection boundary (CCB) and a steep increase in ring current (RC) proton flux. During the first several hours of the storm, Van Allen Probes measured highly dynamic ion signatures (numerous injections and multiple spectral peaks). Sustained convection after \~1200 UT initiated a major buildup of the midnight-sector ring current (measured by RBSP A), with much weaker duskside fluxes (measured by RBSP B, THEMIS a and THEMIS d). A close conjunction of THEMIS d, RBSP A, and TWINS 1 at 1631 UT shows good three-way agreement in the shapes of two-peak spectra from the center of the partial RC. A midstorm injection, observed by Van Allen Probes and TWINS at 1740 UT, brought in fresh ions with lower average energies (leading to globally less energetic spectra in precipitating ions) but increased the total pressure. The cross-scale measurements of 17 March 2015 contain significant spatial, spectral, and temporal structure. Goldstein, J.; Angelopoulos, V.; De Pascuale, S.; Funsten, H.; Kurth, W.; LLera, K.; McComas, D.; Perez, J.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Thaller, S.; Valek, P.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/jgra.v122.110.1002/2016JA023173 Heliophysics System Observatory; Modeling; multimission; THEMIS; TWINS; Van Allen Probes |
| 2016 |
|
The relationship between the plasmapause and outer belt electrons We quantify the spatial relationship between the plasmapause and outer belt electrons for a 5 day period, 15\textendash20 January 2013, by comparing locations of relativistic electron flux peaks to the plasmapause. A peak-finding algorithm is applied to 1.8\textendash7.7 MeV relativistic electron flux data. A plasmapause gradient finder is applied to wave-derived electron number densities >10 cm-3. We identify two outer belts. Outer belt 1 is a stable zone of >3 MeV electrons located 1\textendash2 RE inside the plasmapause. Outer belt 2 is a dynamic zone of <3 MeV electrons within 0.5 RE of the moving plasmapause. Electron fluxes earthward of each belt\textquoterights peak are anticorrelated with cold plasma density. Belt 1 decayed on hiss timescales prior to a disturbance on 17 January and suffered only a modest dropout, perhaps owing to shielding by the plasmasphere. Afterward, the partially depleted belt 1 continued to decay at the initial rate. Belt 2 was emptied out by strong disturbance-time losses but restored within 24 h. For global context we use a plasmapause test particle simulation and derive a new plasmaspheric index Fp, the fraction of a circular drift orbit inside the plasmapause. We find that the locally measured plasmapause is (for this event) a good proxy for the globally integrated opportunity for losses in cold plasma. Our analysis of the 15\textendash20 January 2013 time interval confirms that high-energy electron storage rings can persist for weeks or even months if prolonged quiet conditions prevail. This case study must be followed up by more general study (not limited to a 5 day period). Goldstein, J.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; De Pascuale, S.; Funsten, H.; Jaynes, A.; Jahn, J.-M.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Li, W.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023046 Plasmapause; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Radiation belts; simulation; storm-time dropouts; Van Allen Probes |
|
Various physical processes are known to cause acceleration, loss, and transport of energetic electrons in the Earth\textquoterights radiation belts, but their quantitative roles in different time and space need further investigation. During the largest storm over the past decade (17 March 2015), relativistic electrons experienced fairly rapid acceleration up to ~7 MeV within 2 days after an initial substantial dropout, as observed by Van Allen Probes. In the present paper, we evaluate the relative roles of various physical processes during the recovery phase of this large storm using a 3-D diffusion simulation. By quantitatively comparing the observed and simulated electron evolution, we found that chorus plays a critical role in accelerating electrons up to several MeV near the developing peak location and produces characteristic flat-top pitch angle distributions. By only including radial diffusion, the simulation underestimates the observed electron acceleration, while radial diffusion plays an important role in redistributing electrons and potentially accelerates them to even higher energies. Moreover, plasmaspheric hiss is found to provide efficient pitch angle scattering losses for hundreds of keV electrons, while its scattering effect on > 1 MeV electrons is relatively slow. Although an additional loss process is required to fully explain the overestimated electron fluxes at multi-MeV, the combined physical processes of radial diffusion and pitch angle and energy diffusion by chorus and hiss reproduce the observed electron dynamics remarkably well, suggesting that quasi-linear diffusion theory is reasonable to evaluate radiation belt electron dynamics during this big storm. Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Zhang, X.-J.; Li, J.; Baker, D.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Kanekal, S.; Angelopoulos, V.; Green, J.; Goldstein, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/jgra.v121.610.1002/2016JA022400 chorus-driven local acceleration; Electron acceleration; radial diffusion; Van Allen Probes |
| 2015 |
|
We present the first simultaneous observations of the in situ ions and global Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) images of the composition-separated, medium-energy (~1\textendash50 keV) particle populations of the inner magnetosphere. The ENA emissions are mapped into L shell/magnetic local time space based on the exospheric density along the line of sight (LOS). The ENA measurement can then be scaled to determine an average ion flux along a given LOS. The in situ ion flux tends to be larger than the scaled ENAs at the same local time. This indicates that the ion population is more concentrated in the Van Allen Probes orbital plane than distributed along the Two Wide-angle Imaging Neutral-atom Spectrometers LOS. For the large storm of 14 November 2012, we observe that the concentration of O (in situ ions and ENAs) increases during the storm\textquoterights main phase with a relatively larger increase than H. The ratio of the O+/H+ can be measured both from the in situ observations and from the ENA images. During the main phase, this O+/H+ increase is initially seen near midnight, but when the storm reaches its peak value the O+/H+ ratio increases across all local times, with the largest at dusk and dawn. Valek, P.; Goldstein, J.; Jahn, J.-M.; McComas, D.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2015 YEAR: 2015 DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021151 |
|
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been suggested to be a cause of radiation belt electron loss to the atmosphere. Here simultaneous, magnetically conjugate measurements are presented of EMIC wave activity, measured at geosynchronous orbit and on the ground, and energetic electron precipitation, seen by the Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) campaign, on two consecutive days in January 2013. Multiple bursts of precipitation were observed on the duskside of the magnetosphere at the end of 18 January and again late on 19 January, concurrent with particle injections, substorm activity, and enhanced magnetospheric convection. The structure, timing, and spatial extent of the waves are compared to those of the precipitation during both days to determine when and where EMIC waves cause radiation belt electron precipitation. The conjugate measurements presented here provide observational support of the theoretical picture of duskside interaction of EMIC waves and MeV electrons leading to radiation belt loss. Blum, L.; Halford, A.; Millan, R.; Bonnell, J.; Goldstein, J.; Usanova, M.; Engebretson, M.; Ohnsted, M.; Reeves, G.; Singer, H.; Clilverd, M.; Li, X.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 07/2015 YEAR: 2015 DOI: 10.1002/2015GL065245 electron precipitation; EMIC waves; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes |
|
Global-scale coherence modulation of radiation-belt electron loss from plasmaspheric hiss Over 40 years ago it was suggested that electron loss in the region of the radiation belts that overlaps with the region of high plasma density called the plasmasphere, within four to five Earth radii1, 2, arises largely from interaction with an electromagnetic plasma wave called plasmaspheric hiss3, 4, 5. This interaction strongly influences the evolution of the radiation belts during a geomagnetic storm, and over the course of many hours to days helps to return the radiation-belt structure to its \textquoteleftquiet\textquoteright pre-storm configuration. Observations have shown that the long-term electron-loss rate is consistent with this theory but the temporal and spatial dynamics of the loss process remain to be directly verified. Here we report simultaneous measurements of structured radiation-belt electron losses and the hiss phenomenon that causes the losses. Losses were observed in the form of bremsstrahlung X-rays generated by hiss-scattered electrons colliding with the Earth\textquoterights atmosphere after removal from the radiation belts. Our results show that changes of up to an order of magnitude in the dynamics of electron loss arising from hiss occur on timescales as short as one to twenty minutes, in association with modulations in plasma density and magnetic field. Furthermore, these loss dynamics are coherent with hiss dynamics on spatial scales comparable to the size of the plasmasphere. This nearly global-scale coherence was not predicted and may affect the short-term evolution of the radiation belts during active times. Breneman, A.; Halford, A.; Millan, R.; McCarthy, M.; Fennell, J.; Sample, J.; Woodger, L.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Cattell, C.; Goldstein, J.; Malaspina, D.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Nature Published on: 06/2015 YEAR: 2015 DOI: 10.1038/nature14515 |
| 2014 |
|
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were observed at multiple observatory locations for several hours on 17 January 2013. During the wave activity period, a duskside relativistic electron precipitation (REP) event was observed by one of the BARREL balloons, and was magnetically mapped close to GOES-13. We simulate the relativistic electron pitch-angle diffusion caused by gyroresonant interactions with EMIC waves using wave and particle data measured by multiple instruments on board GOES-13 and the Van Allen Probes. We show that the count rate, the energy distribution and the time variation of the simulated precipitation all agree very well with the balloon observations, suggesting that EMIC wave scattering was likely the cause for the precipitation event. The event reported here is the first balloon REP event with closely conjugate EMIC wave observations, and our study employs the most detailed quantitative analysis on the link of EMIC waves with observed REP to date. Li, Zan; Millan, Robyn; Hudson, Mary; Woodger, Leslie; Smith, David; Chen, Yue; Friedel, Reiner; Rodriguez, Juan; Engebretson, Mark; Goldstein, Jerry; Fennell, Joseph; Spence, Harlan; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2014 YEAR: 2014 DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062273 BARREL; EMIC waves; GOES; pitch angle diffusion; RBSP; relativistic electron precipitation; Van Allen Probes |
|
Simulation of Van Allen Probes Plasmapause Encounters We use an E \texttimes B-driven plasmapause test particle (PTP) simulation to provide global contextual information for in situ measurements by the Van Allen Probes (RBSP) during 15\textendash20 January 2013. During 120 h of simulation time beginning on 15 January, geomagnetic activity produced three plumes. The third and largest simulated plume formed during enhanced convection on 17 January, and survived as a rotating, wrapped, residual plume for tens of hours. To validate the simulation, we compare its output with RBSP data. Virtual RBSP satellites recorded 28 virtual plasmapause encounters during 15\textendash19 January. For 26 of 28 (92\%) virtual crossings, there were corresponding actual RBSP encounters with plasmapause density gradients. The mean difference in encounter time between model and data is 36 min. The mean model-data difference in radial location is 0:40\textpm0:05 RE. The model-data agreement is better for strong convection than for quiet or weakly disturbed conditions. On 18 January, both RBSP spacecraft crossed a tenuous, detached plasma feature at approximately the same time and nightside location as a wrapped residual plume, predicted by the model to have formed 32 h earlier on 17 January. The agreement between simulation and data indicates that the model-provided global information is adequate to correctly interpret the RBSP density observations. Goldstein, J.; De Pascuale, S.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Genestreti, K.; Skoug, R.; Larsen, B.; Kistler, L.; Mouikis, C.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2014 YEAR: 2014 DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020252 observations; plasmasphere; residual plume; simulation; Van Allen Probes |
|
Simulated magnetopause losses and Van Allen Probe flux dropouts Three radiation belt flux dropout events seen by the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope soon after launch of the Van Allen Probes in 2012 (Baker et al., 2013a) have been simulated using the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry MHD code coupled to the Rice Convection Model, driven by measured upstream solar wind parameters. MHD results show inward motion of the magnetopause for each event, along with enhanced ULF wave power affecting radial transport. Test particle simulations of electron response on 8 October, prior to the strong flux enhancement on 9 October, provide evidence for loss due to magnetopause shadowing, both in energy and pitch angle dependence. Severe plasmapause erosion occurred during ~ 14 h of strongly southward interplanetary magnetic field Bz beginning 8 October coincident with the inner boundary of outer zone depletion. Hudson, M.; Baker, D.; Goldstein, J.; Kress, B.; Paral, J.; Toffoletto, F.; Wiltberger, M.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 02/2014 YEAR: 2014 DOI: 10.1002/2014GL059222 |
| 2013 |
|
The Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP)-Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma (ECT) suite contains an innovative complement of particle instruments to ensure the highest quality measurements ever made in the inner magnetosphere and radiation belts. The coordinated RBSP-ECT particle measurements, analyzed in combination with fields and waves observations and state-of-the-art theory and modeling, are necessary for understanding the acceleration, global distribution, and variability of radiation belt electrons and ions, key science objectives of NASA\textquoterights Living With a Star program and the Van Allen Probes mission. The RBSP-ECT suite consists of three highly-coordinated instruments: the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS), the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) sensor, and the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT). Collectively they cover, continuously, the full electron and ion spectra from one eV to 10\textquoterights of MeV with sufficient energy resolution, pitch angle coverage and resolution, and with composition measurements in the critical energy range up to 50 keV and also from a few to 50 MeV/nucleon. All three instruments are based on measurement techniques proven in the radiation belts. The instruments use those proven techniques along with innovative new designs, optimized for operation in the most extreme conditions in order to provide unambiguous separation of ions and electrons and clean energy responses even in the presence of extreme penetrating background environments. The design, fabrication and operation of ECT spaceflight instrumentation in the harsh radiation belt environment ensure that particle measurements have the fidelity needed for closure in answering key mission science questions. ECT instrument details are provided in companion papers in this same issue. In this paper, we describe the science objectives of the RBSP-ECT instrument suite on the Van Allen Probe spacecraft within the context of the overall mission objectives, indicate how the characteristics of the instruments satisfy the requirements to achieve these objectives, provide information about science data collection and dissemination, and conclude with a description of some early mission results. Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Bolton, M.; Bourdarie, S.; Chan, A.; Claudpierre, S.; Clemmons, J.; Cravens, J.; Elkington, S.; Fennell, J.; Friedel, R.; Funsten, H.; Goldstein, J.; Green, J.; Guthrie, A.; Henderson, M.; Horne, R.; Hudson, M.; Jahn, J.-M.; Jordanova, V.; Kanekal, S.; Klatt, B.; Larsen, B.; Li, X.; MacDonald, E.; Mann, I.R.; Niehof, J.; O\textquoterightBrien, T.; Onsager, T.; Salvaggio, D.; Skoug, R.; Smith, S.; Suther, L.; Thomsen, M.; Thorne, R.; Published by: Space Science Reviews Published on: 11/2013 YEAR: 2013 DOI: DOI: 10.1007/s11214-013-0007-5 |
|
Since their discovery more than 50 years ago, Earth\textquoterights Van Allen radiation belts have been considered to consist of two distinct zones of trapped, highly energetic charged particles. The outer zone is composed predominantly of megaelectron volt (MeV) electrons that wax and wane in intensity on time scales ranging from hours to days, depending primarily on external forcing by the solar wind. The spatially separated inner zone is composed of commingled high-energy electrons and very energetic positive ions (mostly protons), the latter being stable in intensity levels over years to decades. In situ energy-specific and temporally resolved spacecraft observations reveal an isolated third ring, or torus, of high-energy (>2 MeV) electrons that formed on 2 September 2012 and persisted largely unchanged in the geocentric radial range of 3.0 to ~3.5 Earth radii for more than 4 weeks before being disrupted (and virtually annihilated) by a powerful interplanetary shock wave passage. Baker, D.; Kanekal, S.; Hoxie, V.; Henderson, M.; Li, X.; Spence, H.; Elkington, S.; Friedel, R.; Goldstein, J.; Hudson, M.; Reeves, G.; Thorne, R.; Kletzing, C.; Claudepierre, S.; Published by: Science Published on: 04/2013 YEAR: 2013 DOI: 10.1126/science.1233518 |
| 2004 |
|
The Earth\textquoterights radiation belts\textemdashalso known as the Van Allen belts1\textemdashcontain high-energy electrons trapped on magnetic field lines2, 3. The centre of the outer belt is usually 20,000\textendash25,000 km from Earth. The region between the belts is normally devoid of particles2, 3, 4, and is accordingly favoured as a location for spacecraft operation because of the benign environment5. Here we report that the outer Van Allen belt was compressed dramatically by a solar storm known as the \textquoteleftHallowe\textquoterighten storm\textquoteright of 2003. From 1 to 10 November, the outer belt had its centre only ~10,000 km from Earth\textquoterights equatorial surface, and the plasmasphere was similarly displaced inwards. The region between the belts became the location of high particle radiation intensity. This remarkable deformation of the entire magnetosphere implies surprisingly powerful acceleration and loss processes deep within the magnetosphere. Baker, D.; Kanekal, S.; Li, X.; Monk, S.; Goldstein, J.; Burch, J.; Published by: Nature Published on: 12/2004 YEAR: 2004 DOI: 10.1038/nature03116 Shock-Induced Transport. Slot Refilling and Formation of New Belts. |
1