Radiation belt \textquotedblleftdropouts\textquotedblright and drift-bounce resonances in broadband electromagnetic waves

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Abstract
Observations during the main phase of geomagnetic storms reveal an anti-correlation between the occurrence of broadband low frequency electromagnetic waves and outer radiation belt electron flux. We show that the drift-bounce motion of electrons in the magnetic field of these waves leads to rapid electron transport. For observed spectral energy densities it is demonstrated that the wave magnetic field can drive radial diffusion via drift-bounce resonance on timescales less than a drift orbit. This process may provide outward transport sufficient to account for electron \textquotedblleftdropouts\textquotedblright during storm main phase and more generally modulate the outer radiation belt during geomagnetic storms.
Year of Publication
2018
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Date Published
02/2018
URL
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017GL076362/full
DOI
10.1002/2017GL076362
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