Review of radiation belt relativistic electron losses

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Keywords
Abstract
We present a brief review of radiation belt electron losses which are vitally important for controlling the dynamics of the radiation belts. A historical overview of early observations is presented, followed by a brief description of important known electron loss mechanisms. We describe key theoretical results and observations related to pitch-angle scattering by resonant interaction with plasmaspheric hiss, whistler-mode chorus and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves, and review recent work on magnetopause losses. In particular, we attempt to organize recent observational data by loss mechanism and their relative importance to the overall rate of loss. We conclude by suggesting future observational and theoretical work that would contribute to our understanding of this important area of radiation belt research.
Year of Publication
2007
Journal
Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics
Volume
69
Number of Pages
362-377
Date Published
03/2007
ISSN Number
13646826
URL
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364682606002768
DOI
10.1016/j.jastp.2006.06.019
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