Van Allen Probes Bibliography is from August 2012 through September 2021 Notice:
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Found 202 entries in the Bibliography.
Showing entries from 101 through 150
2016 |
Statistical Properties of the Radiation Belt Seed Population We present a statistical analysis of phase space density data from the first 26 months of the Van Allen Probes mission. In particular we investigate the relationship between the 10s-100s keV seed electrons and >1 MeV core radiation belt electron population. Using a cross correlation analysis, we find that the seed and core populations are well correlated with a coefficient of ≈ 0.73 with a time lag of 10-15 hours. We present evidence of a seed population threshold that is necessary for subsequent acceleration. The depth of ... Boyd, A.J.; Spence, H.E.; Huang, C.-L.; Reeves, G.; Baker, D.; Turner, D.L.; Claudepierre, S.; Fennell, J.; Blake, J.; Shprits, Y.Y.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022652 Phase space density; Radiation belt; seed population; Van Allen Probes |
Explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts over 50 years ago, an explanation for their complete dynamics has remained elusive. Especially challenging is understanding the recently discovered ultra-relativistic third electron radiation belt. Current theory asserts that loss in the heart of the outer belt, essential to the formation of the third belt, must be controlled by high-frequency plasma wave\textendashparticle scattering into the atmosphere, via whistler mode chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, or electromagnetic ion ... Mann, I.; Ozeke, L.; Murphy, K.; Claudepierre, S.; Turner, D.; Baker, D.; Rae, I.; Kale, A.; Milling, D.; Boyd, A.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Singer, H.; Dimitrakoudis, S.; Daglis, I.; Honary, F.; Published by: Nature Physics Published on: 06/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1038/nphys3799 Astrophysical plasmas; Magnetospheric physics; 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 p ... 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 |
Interactions between interplanetary (IP) shocks and the Earth\textquoterights magnetosphere manifest many important space physics phenomena including low-energy ion flux enhancements and particle acceleration. In order to investigate the mechanisms driving shock-induced enhancement of low-energy ion flux, we have examined two IP shock events that occurred when the Van Allen Probes were located near the equator while ionospheric and ground observations were available around the spacecraft footprints. We have found that, assoc ... Yue, Chao; Li, Wen; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; Zong, Qiugang; Ma, Qianli; Bortnik, Jacob; Thorne, Richard; Reeves, Geoffrey; Spence, Harlan; Kletzing, Craig; Wygant, John; Nicolls, Michael; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022808 adiabatic accelerations; enhancement of low-energy ion flux; ionospheric ion outflows; response to IP shocks; Van Allen Probes |
What effect do substorms have on the content of the radiation belts? Substorms are fundamental and dynamic processes in the magnetosphere, converting captured solar wind magnetic energy into plasma energy. These substorms have been suggested to be a key driver of energetic electron enhancements in the outer radiation belts. Substorms inject a keV \textquotedblleftseed\textquotedblright population into the inner magnetosphere which is subsequently energized through wave-particle interactions up to relativistic energies; however, the extent to which substorms enhance the radiation belts, either ... Forsyth, C.; Rae, I.; Murphy, K.; Freeman, M.; Huang, C.-L.; Spence, H.; Boyd, A.; Coxon, J.; Jackman, C.; Kalmoni, N.; Watt, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022620 |
Driving ionospheric outflows and magnetospheric O + energy density with Alfv\ en waves We show how dispersive Alfv\ en waves observed in the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms can extract O+ ions from the topside ionosphere and accelerate these ions to energies exceeding 50 keV in the equatorial plane. This occurs through wave trapping, a variant of \textquotedblleftshock\textquotedblright surfing, and stochastic ion acceleration. These processes in combination with the mirror force drive field-aligned beams of outflowing ionospheric ions into the equatorial plane that evolve to provide energetic O+ ... Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Reeves, G.; Skoug, R.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL069008 Alfven waves; ion acceleration; Ionosphere; ionospheric outflow; ring current |
EMIC wave spatial and coherence scales as determined from multipoint Van Allen Probe measurements Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can provide a strong source of energetic electron pitch angle scattering. These waves are often quite localized, thus their spatial extent can have a large effect on their overall scattering efficiency. Using measurements from the dual Van Allen Probes, we examine four EMIC wave events observed simultaneously on the two probes at varying spacecraft separations. Correlation of both the wave amplitude and phase observed at both spacecraft is examined to estimate the active region and ... Blum, L.; Agapitov, O.; Bonnell, J.; Kletzing, C.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068799 coherence scales; EMIC waves; multipoint measurements; Van Allen Probes |
New Chorus Wave Properties Near the Equator from Van Allen Probes Wave Observations The chorus wave properties are evaluated using Van Allen Probes data in the Earth\textquoterights equatorial magnetosphere. Two distinct modes of lower band chorus are identified: a quasi-parallel mode and a quasi-electrostatic mode, whose wave normal direction is close to the resonance cone. Statistical results indicate that the quasi-electrostatic (quasi-parallel) mode preferentially occurs during relatively quiet (disturbed) geomagnetic activity at lower (higher) L shells. Although the magnetic intensity of the quasi-elec ... Li, W.; Santolik, O.; Bortnik, J.; Thorne, R.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068780 Chorus wave; oblique; quasi-electrostatic; quasi-parallel; Van Allen Probes; wave normal angles |
Using Van Allen Probes REPT pitch angle resolved electron flux data from September 2012 to March 2015, we investigate in detail the global occurrence pattern of equatorial (|λ| <= 3\textdegree) butterfly distribution of outer zone relativistic electrons and its potential correlation with the solar wind dynamic pressure. The statistical results demonstrate that these butterfly distributions occur with the highest occurrence rate ~ 80\% at ~ 20 \textendash 04 MLT and L > ~ 5.5 and with the second peak (> ~ 50 \%) at ~ 11 \tex ... Ni, Binbin; Zou, Zhengyang; Li, Xinlin; Bortnik, Jacob; Xie, Lun; Gu, Xudong; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL069350 butterfly pitch angle distributions; global occurrence pattern; outer radiation belt; relativistic electrons; Van Allen Probes |
Cold plasma theory and parallel wave propagation are often assumed when approximating the whistler mode magnetic field wave power from electric field observations. The current study is the first to include the wave normal angle from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science package on board the Van Allen Probes in the conversion factor, thus allowing for the accuracy of these assumptions to be quantified. Results indicate that removing the assumption of parallel propagation does not significantl ... Hartley, D.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Bounds, S.; Averkamp, T.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Bonnell, J.; ik, O.; Watt, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022501 EFW; EMFISIS; Plasmaspheric Hiss; sheath impedance; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode chorus |
Cold plasma theory and parallel wave propagation are often assumed when approximating the whistler mode magnetic field wave power from electric field observations. The current study is the first to include the wave normal angle from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science package on board the Van Allen Probes in the conversion factor, thus allowing for the accuracy of these assumptions to be quantified. Results indicate that removing the assumption of parallel propagation does not significantl ... Hartley, D.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Bounds, S.; Averkamp, T.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Bonnell, J.; ik, O.; Watt, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022501 EFW; EMFISIS; Plasmaspheric Hiss; sheath impedance; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode chorus |
Electron butterfly distribution modulation by magnetosonic waves The butterfly pitch angle distribution is observed as a dip in an otherwise normal distribution of electrons centered about αeq=90\textdegree. During storm times, the formation of the butterfly distribution on the nightside magnetosphere has been attributed to L shell splitting combined with magnetopause shadowing and strong positive radial flux gradients. It has been shown that this distribution can be caused by combined chorus and magnetosonic wave scattering where the two waves work together but at different local times. ... Maldonado, Armando; Chen, Lunjin; Claudepierre, Seth; Bortnik, Jacob; Thorne, Richard; Spence, Harlan; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 04/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068161 butterfly; electron; magnetosonic; Magnetosphere; Van Allen Probes; wave particle interaction |
Formation of Energetic Electron Butterfly Distributions by Magnetosonic Waves via Landau Resonance Radiation belt electrons can exhibit different types of pitch angle distributions in response to various magnetospheric processes. Butterfly distributions, characterized by flux minima at pitch angles around 90\textdegree, are broadly observed in both the outer and inner belts and the slot region. Butterfly distributions close to the outer magnetospheric boundary have been attributed to drift shell splitting and losses to the magnetopause. However, their occurrence in the inner belt and the slot region has hitherto not been ... Li, Jinxing; Ni, Binbin; Ma, Qianli; Xie, Lun; Pu, Zuyin; Fu, Suiyan; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Chen, Lunjin; Li, Wen; Baker, Daniel; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Fennell, Joseph; Reeves, Geoffrey; Spence, Harlan; Funsten, Herbert; Summers, Danny; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 04/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016GL067853 butterfly distributions; energetic electrons; Landau resonance; magnetosonic waves; Radiation belt; Van Allen Probes |
The Van Allen Probe observations during the recovery phase of a large storm that occurred on 17 March 2015 showed that the ultrarelativistic electrons at the inner boundary of the outer radiation belt (L* = 2.6\textendash3.7) exhibited butterfly pitch angle distributions, while the inner belt and the slot region also showed evidence of sub-MeV electron butterfly distributions. Strong magnetosonic waves were observed in the same regions and at the same time periods as these butterfly distributions. Moreover, when these magnet ... Li, Jinxing; Bortnik, Jacob; Thorne, Richard; Li, Wen; Ma, Qianli; Baker, Daniel; Reeves, Geoffrey; Fennell, Joseph; Spence, Harlan; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Angelopoulos, Vassilis; Blake, Bernard.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022370 butterfly distributions; Landau resonance; magnetosonic waves; Radiation belt; Van Allen Probes |
Lightning-generated whistler waves are electromagnetic plasma waves in the very low frequency (VLF) band, which play an important role in the dynamics of radiation belt particles. In this paper, we statistically analyze simultaneous waveform data from the Van Allen Probes (Radiation Belt Storm Probes, RBSP) and global lightning data from the World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN). Data were obtained between July to September 2013 and between March and April 2014. For each day during these periods, we predicted the mos ... Zheng, Hao; Holzworth, Robert; Brundell, James; Jacobson, Abram; Wygant, John; Hospodarsky, George; Mozer, Forrest; Bonnell, John; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA022010 |
We present a statistical survey of the latitudinal structure of the fast magnetosonic wave mode detected by the Van Allen Probes spanning the time interval of 9/21/2012 to 8/1/2014. We show that statistically the latitudinal occurrence of the wave frequency (f) normalized by the local proton cyclotron frequency (fcP) has a distinct funnel shaped appearance in latitude about the magnetic equator similar to that found in case studies. By comparing the observed E/B ratios with the model E/B ratio, using the observed plasma dens ... Boardsen, Scott; Hospodarsky, George; Kletzing, Craig; Engebretson, Mark; Pfaff, Robert; Wygant, John; Kurth, William; Averkamp, Terrance; Bounds, Scott; Green, Jim; De Pascuale, Sebastian; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 02/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021844 EMFISIS; Fast Magnetosonic Waves; latitudinal distribution; statistical study; Van Allen Probes; wave normal angle |
We present a statistical survey of the latitudinal structure of the fast magnetosonic wave mode detected by the Van Allen Probes spanning the time interval of 9/21/2012 to 8/1/2014. We show that statistically the latitudinal occurrence of the wave frequency (f) normalized by the local proton cyclotron frequency (fcP) has a distinct funnel shaped appearance in latitude about the magnetic equator similar to that found in case studies. By comparing the observed E/B ratios with the model E/B ratio, using the observed plasma dens ... Boardsen, Scott; Hospodarsky, George; Kletzing, Craig; Engebretson, Mark; Pfaff, Robert; Wygant, John; Kurth, William; Averkamp, Terrance; Bounds, Scott; Green, Jim; De Pascuale, Sebastian; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 02/2016 YEAR: 2016   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021844 EMFISIS; Fast Magnetosonic Waves; latitudinal distribution; statistical study; Van Allen Probes; wave normal angle |
2015 |
We report measurements of energized outflowing/bouncing ionospheric ions and heated electrons in the inner magnetosphere during a geomagnetic storm. The ions arrive in the equatorial plane with pitch angles that increase with energy over a range from tens of eV to > 50 keV while the electrons are field-aligned up to ~1 keV. These particle distributions are observed during intervals of broadband low frequency electromagnetic field fluctuations consistent with a Doppler-shifted spectrum of kinetic Alfv\ en waves and kinetic fi ... Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Wygant, J.; Kletzing, C.; Reeves, G.; Gerrard, A.; Lanzerotti, L.; Smith, C.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015GL066674 Alfven waves; electron precipitation; Geomagnetic storms; ion acceleration; ion outflow; ion upflo |
Electron scattering by magnetosonic waves in the inner magnetosphere We investigate the importance of electron scattering by magnetosonic waves in the Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere. A statistical survey of the magnetosonic wave amplitude and wave frequency spectrum, as a function of geomagnetic activity, is performed using the Van Allen Probes wave measurements, and is found to be generally consistent with the wave distribution obtained from previous spacecraft missions. Outside the plasmapause the statistical frequency distribution of magnetosonic waves follows the variation of t ... Ma, Qianli; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard; Bortnik, Jacob; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021992 Electron scattering; magnetosonic waves; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes statistics |
We perform test particle simulations of energetic electrons interacting with whistler mode chorus emissions. We compute trajectories of a large number of electrons forming a delta function with the same energy and equatorial pitch angle. The electrons are launched at different locations along the magnetic field line and different timings with respect to a pair of chorus emissions generated at the magnetic equator. We follow the evolution of the delta function and obtain a distribution function in energy and equatorial pitch ... Omura, Yoshiharu; Miyashita, Yu; Yoshikawa, Masato; Summers, Danny; Hikishima, Mitsuru; Ebihara, Yusuke; Kubota, Yuko; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021563 Chorus; nonlinear wave-particle interaction; Particle acceleration; Radiation belts; relativistic electrons; simulation |
Whistler mode chorus waves generally occur outside the plasmapause in the magnetosphere. The most striking feature of the waves is their occurrence in discrete elements. One of the parameters that describe the discrete elements is the repetition period (Trp), the time between consecutive elements. The Trp has not been studied statistically before. We use high-resolution waveform data to derive distributions of Trp for different local times. We find that the average Trp for the nightside (0.56 s) and dawnside (0.53 s) are sma ... Shue, Jih-Hong; Hsieh, Yi-Kai; W. Y. Tam, Sunny; Wang, Kaiti; Fu, Hui; Bortnik, Jacob; Tao, Xin; Hsieh, Wen-Chieh; Pi, Gilbert; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 10/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015GL066107 |
Plasmaspheric hiss plays an important role in controlling the overall structure and dynamics of the Earth\textquoterights radiation belts. The interaction of plasmaspheric hiss with radiation belt electrons is commonly evaluated using diffusion codes, which rely on statistical models of wave observations that may not accurately reproduce the instantaneous global wave distribution, or the limited in-situ satellite wave measurements from satellites. This paper evaluates the performance and limitations of a novel technique capa ... de Soria-Santacruz, M.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Ma, Q.; Bortnik, J.; Ni, B.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021148 Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes; wave-particle interactions; Waves global model |
To improve our understanding of the role of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in radiation belt electron dynamics, we perform a comprehensive analysis of EMIC wave-induced resonant scattering of outer zone relativistic (>0.5 MeV) electrons and resultant electron loss time scales with respect to EMIC wave band, L shell, and wave normal angle model. The results demonstrate that while H+-band EMIC waves dominate the scattering losses of ~1\textendash4 MeV outer zone relativistic electrons, it is He+-band and O+-band wa ... Ni, Binbin; Cao, Xing; Zou, Zhengyang; Zhou, Chen; Gu, Xudong; Bortnik, Jacob; Zhang, Jichun; Fu, Song; Zhao, Zhengyu; Shi, Run; Xie, Lun; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021466 electron loss time scales; EMIC waves; outer radiation belt; relativistic electrons; resonant wave-particle interactions |
Determining preferential solar wind conditions leading to efficient radiation belt electron acceleration is crucial for predicting radiation belt electron dynamics. Using Van Allen Probes electron observations (>1 MeV) from 2012 to 2015, we identify a number of efficient and inefficient acceleration events separately to perform a superposed epoch analysis of the corresponding solar wind parameters and geomagnetic indices. By directly comparing efficient and inefficient acceleration events, we clearly show that prolonged sout ... Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Baker, D.; Reeves, G.; Kanekal, S.; Spence, H.; Green, J.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 09/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015GL065342 Chorus wave; Electron acceleration; solar wind conditions; Van Allen Probes |
Broadband low frequency electromagnetic waves in the inner magnetosphere A prominent yet largely unrecognized feature of the inner magnetosphere associated with particle injections, and more generally geomagnetic storms, is the occurrence of broadband electromagnetic field fluctuations over spacecraft frame frequencies (fsc) extending from effectively zero to fsc ≳ 100 Hz. Using observations from the Van Allen Probes we show that these waves most commonly occur pre-midnight but are observed over a range of local times extending into the dayside magnetosphere. We find that the variation of magne ... Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Kletzing, C.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Smith, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021690 Alfven waves; Geomagnetic storms; ring current; turbulence; Van Allen Probes |
Low-harmonic magnetosonic waves observed by the Van Allen Probes Purely compressional electromagnetic waves (fast magnetosonic waves), generated at multiple harmonics of the local proton gyrofrequency, have been observed by various types of satellite instruments (fluxgate and search coil magnetometers and electric field sensors), but most recent studies have used data from search coil sensors, and many have been restricted to high harmonics. We report here on a survey of low-harmonic waves, based on electric and magnetic field data from the EFW double probe and EMFISIS fluxgate magnetomet ... Posch, J.; Engebretson, M.; Olson, C.; Thaller, S.; Breneman, A.; Wygant, J.; Boardsen, S.; Kletzing, C.; Smith, C.; Reeves, G.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021179 equatorial noise; inner magnetosphere; magnetosonic waves; Van Allen Probes; waves in plasmas |
Space Weather sits at the intersection of natural phenomena interacting with modern technology\textemdasheither in space or on Earth\textquoterights surface. A key aspect of space weather is the interaction of Earth\textquoterights extended neutral atmosphere with satellite surfaces [e.g., Samwel, 2014, and references therein]. Because neutral oxygen causes spacecraft surface erosion and oxidation, detailed knowledge of the atmosphere below 1000 km is essential for spacecraft design and operations. Bonnell, John; Lanzerotti, Louis; Published by: Space Weather Published on: 07/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015SW001229 |
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 ... 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 |
Dense plasma and Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at Earth\textquoterights dayside magnetopause Spacecraft observations of boundary waves at the dayside terrestrial magnetopause and their ground-based signatures are presented. Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft measured boundary waves at the magnetopause while ground-based HF radar measured corresponding signatures in the ionosphere indicating a large-scale response and tailward propagating waves. The properties of the oscillations are consistent with linear phase Kelvin-Helmholtz waves along the magnetopause boundar ... Walsh, B.; Thomas, E.; Hwang, K.-J.; Baker, J.; Ruohoniemi, J.; Bonnell, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021014 |
Nonlinear Bounce Resonances between Magnetosonic Waves and Equatorially Mirroring Electrons Equatorially mirroring energetic electrons pose an interesting scientific problem, since they generally cannot resonate with any known plasma waves and hence cannot be scattered down to lower pitch angles. Observationally it is well known that the fluxof these equatorial particles does not simply continue to build up indefinitely, and so a mechanism must necessarily exist that transports these particles from a equatorial pitch angle of 90 degrees down to lower values. However this mechanism has not been uniquely identified y ... Chen, Lunjin; Maldonado, Armando; Bortnik, Jacob; Thorne, Richard; Li, Jinxing; Dai, Lei; Zhan, Xiaoya; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021174 bounce resonance; equatorioal noise; magnetosonic waves; nonlinear; Radiation belt; wave particle interaction |
Plasmaspheric hiss is known to play an important role in controlling the overall structure and dynamics of radiation belt electrons inside the plasmasphere. Using newly available Van Allen Probes wave data, which provide excellent coverage in the entire inner magnetosphere, we evaluate the global distribution of the hiss wave frequency spectrum and wave intensity for different levels of substorm activity. Our statistical results show that observed hiss peak frequencies are generally lower than the commonly adopted value (~55 ... Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Nishimura, Y.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021048 hiss diffusion coefficient; hiss frequency spectrum; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes |
Poloidal ULF waves are capable of efficiently interacting with energetic particles in the ring current and the radiation belt. Using Van Allen Probes (RBSP) data from October 2012 to July 2014, we investigate the spatial distribution and storm-time occurrence of Pc4 (7-25 mHz) poloidal waves in the inner magnetosphere. Pc4 poloidal waves are sorted into two categories: waves with and without significant magnetic compressional components. Two types of poloidal waves have comparable occurrence rates, both of which are much hig ... Dai, Lei; Takahashi, Kazue; Lysak, Robert; Wang, Chi; Wygant, John; Kletzing, Craig; Bonnell, John; Cattell, Cynthia; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert; Thaller, Scott; Breneman, Aaron; Tang, Xiangwei; Tao, Xin; Chen, Lunjin; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021134 Geomagnetic storm; Pc4 ULF waves; poloidal waves; ring current; solar wind dynamic pressure; Van Allen Probes |
A Summary of the BARREL Campaigns: Technique for studying electron precipitation The Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL) studies the loss of energetic electrons from Earth\textquoterights radiation belts. BARREL\textquoterights array of slowly drifting balloon payloads was designed to capitalize on magnetic conjunctions with NASA\textquoterights Van Allen Probes. Two campaigns were conducted from Antarctica in 2013 and 2014. During the first campaign in January and February of 2013, there were three moderate geomagnetic storms with Sym-Hmin < -40 nT. Similarly, two mino ... Woodger, L.; Halford, A.; Millan, R.; McCarthy, M.; Smith, D.; Bowers, G.; Sample, J.; Anderson, B.; Liang, X.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020874 electron precipitation; event timing; gamma ray burst; multi-point observation; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes; x-ray spectroscopy |
Using the Van Allen Probes we investigate the enhancement in the large scale duskward convection electric field during the geomagnetic storm (Dst ~ -120 nT) on June 1, 2013 and its role in ring current ion transport and energization, and plasmasphere erosion. During this storm, enhancements of ~1-2 mV/m in the duskward electric field in the co-rotating frame are observed down to L shells as low as ~2.3. A simple model consisting of a dipole magnetic field and constant, azimuthally westward, electric field is used to calculat ... Thaller, S.; Wygant, J.; Dai, L.; Breneman, A.W.; Kersten, K.; Cattell, C.A.; Bonnell, J.W.; Fennell, J.F.; Gkioulidou, Matina; Kletzing, C.A.; De Pascuale, S.; Hospodarsky, G.B.; Bounds, S.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020875 electric field; inner magnetosphere; plasma convection; plasmasphere; ring current; Van Allen Probes |
Using the Van Allen Probes we investigate the enhancement in the large scale duskward convection electric field during the geomagnetic storm (Dst ~ -120 nT) on June 1, 2013 and its role in ring current ion transport and energization, and plasmasphere erosion. During this storm, enhancements of ~1-2 mV/m in the duskward electric field in the co-rotating frame are observed down to L shells as low as ~2.3. A simple model consisting of a dipole magnetic field and constant, azimuthally westward, electric field is used to calculat ... Thaller, S.; Wygant, J.; Dai, L.; Breneman, A.W.; Kersten, K.; Cattell, C.A.; Bonnell, J.W.; Fennell, J.F.; Gkioulidou, Matina; Kletzing, C.A.; De Pascuale, S.; Hospodarsky, G.B.; Bounds, S.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020875 electric field; inner magnetosphere; plasma convection; plasmasphere; ring current; Van Allen Probes |
Fifteen months of pitch angle resolved Van Allen Probes REPT measurements of differential electron flux are analyzed to investigate the characteristic variability of the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of radiation belt ultra-relativistic (>2 MeV) electrons during storm conditions and during the long-term post-storm decay. By modeling the ultra-relativistic electron pitch angle distribution as sinn α, where α is the equatorial pitch angle, we examine the spatio-temporal variations of the n-value. The results show that in ge ... Ni, Binbin; Zou, Zhengyang; Gu, Xudong; Zhou, Chen; Thorne, Richard; Bortnik, Jacob; Shi, Run; Zhao, Zhengyu; Baker, Daniel; Kanekal, Shrikhanth; Spence, Harlan; Reeves, Geoffrey; Li, Xinlin; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021065 adiation belt ultra-relativistic electrons; decay timescales; Geomagnetic storms; Pitch angle distribution; resonant wave-particle interactions; Van Allen Probes |
A novel technique capable of inferring wave amplitudes from low-altitude electron measurements from the POES spacecraft has been previously proposed to construct a global dynamic model of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. In this paper we focus on plasmaspheric hiss, which is an incoherent broadband emission that plays a dominant role in the loss of energetic electrons from the inner magnetosphere. We analyze the sensitivity of the POES technique to different inputs used to infer the hiss wave amplitudes during three conj ... de Soria-Santacruz, M.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Ma, Q.; Bortnik, J.; Ni, B.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.D.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020941 Plasmaspheric Hiss; POES technique; Van Allen Probes; Waves global model |
An empirical model of electron and ion fluxes derived from observations at geosynchronous orbit Knowledge of the plasma fluxes at geosynchronous orbit is important to both scientific and operational investigations. We present a new empirical model of the ion flux and the electron flux at geosynchronous orbit (GEO) in the energy range ~1 eV to ~40 keV. The model is based on a total of 82 satellite years of observations from the magnetospheric plasma analyzer instruments on Los Alamos National Laboratory satellites at GEO. These data are assigned to a fixed grid of 24 local times and 40 energies, at all possible values o ... Denton, M.; Thomsen, M.; Jordanova, V.; Henderson, M.; Borovsky, J.; Denton, J.; Pitchford, D.; Hartley, D.; Published by: Space Weather Published on: 04/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2015SW001168 |
In this study, we compare long-term simulations performed by the Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB) code with observations from the MagEIS and REPT instruments on the Van Allen Probes satellites. The model takes into account radial, energy, pitch-angle and mixed diffusion, losses into the atmosphere, and magnetopause shadowing. We consider the energetic (>100 keV), relativistic (~0.5-1 MeV) and ultra-relativistic (>2 MeV) electrons. One year of relativistic electron measurements (μ=700 MeV/G) from October 1, 2012 to O ... Drozdov, A; Shprits, Y; Orlova, K.G.; Kellerman, A.; Subbotin, D.; Baker, D.; Spence, H.E.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020637 EMIC waves; Long-term simulation; Van Allen Probes; VERB code |
Study of EMIC wave excitation using direct ion measurements With data from Van Allen Probes, we investigate EMIC wave excitation using simultaneously observed ion distributions. Strong He-band waves occurred while the spacecraft was moving through an enhanced density region. We extract from Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron (HOPE) Mass Spectrometer measurement the velocity distributions of warm heavy ions as well as anisotropic energetic protons that drive wave growth through the ion cyclotron instability. Fitting the measured ion fluxes to multiple sinm-type distribution function ... Min, Kyungguk; Liu, Kaijun; Bonnell, John; Breneman, Aaron; Denton, Richard; Funsten, Herbert; Jahn, öerg-Micha; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Larsen, Brian; Reeves, Geoffrey; Spence, Harlan; Wygant, John; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020717 EMIC wave excitation; observation; linear theory and hybrid simulation; Van Allen Probes |
Field-aligned chorus wave spectral power in Earth\textquoterights outer radiation belt Chorus-type whistler waves are one of the most intense electromagnetic waves generated naturally in the magnetosphere. These waves have a substantial impact on the radiation belt dynamics as they are thought to contribute to electron acceleration and losses into the ionosphere through resonant wave\textendashparticle interaction. Our study is devoted to the determination of chorus wave power distribution on frequency in a wide range of magnetic latitudes, from 0 to 40\textdegree. We use 10 years of magnetic and electric fiel ... Breuillard, H.; Agapitov, O.; Artemyev, A.; Kronberg, E.; Haaland, S.; Daly, P.; Krasnoselskikh, V.; Boscher, D.; Bourdarie, S.; Zaliznyak, Y.; Rolland, G.; Published by: Annales Geophysicae Published on: 01/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.5194/angeo-33-583-2015 |
Field-aligned chorus wave spectral power in Earth\textquoterights outer radiation belt Chorus-type whistler waves are one of the most intense electromagnetic waves generated naturally in the magnetosphere. These waves have a substantial impact on the radiation belt dynamics as they are thought to contribute to electron acceleration and losses into the ionosphere through resonant wave\textendashparticle interaction. Our study is devoted to the determination of chorus wave power distribution on frequency in a wide range of magnetic latitudes, from 0 to 40\textdegree. We use 10 years of magnetic and electric fiel ... Breuillard, H.; Agapitov, O.; Artemyev, A.; Kronberg, E.; Haaland, S.; Daly, P.; Krasnoselskikh, V.; Boscher, D.; Bourdarie, S.; Zaliznyak, Y.; Rolland, G.; Published by: Annales Geophysicae Published on: 01/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.5194/angeo-33-583-2015 |
Recent ray tracing suggests that plasmaspheric hiss can originate from chorus observed outside of the plasmapause. Although a few individual events have been reported to support this mechanism, the number of reported conjugate events is still very limited. Using coordinated observations between THEMIS and Van Allen Probes, we report on an interesting event, where chorus was observed at a large L-shell (~9.8), different from previously reported events at L < 6, but still exhibited a remarkable correlation with hiss observed i ... Li, W.; Chen, L.; Bortnik, J.; Thorne, R.; Angelopoulos, V.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 01/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062832 |
Shock-Induced Prompt Relativistic Electron Acceleration In the Inner Magnetosphere We present twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft observations of the effects of a solar wind shock impacting the magnetosphere on 8 October 2013. The event provides details both of the accelerating electric fields associated with the shock and the response of inner magnetosphere electron populations across a broad range of energies. During this period the two Van Allen Probes observed shock effects from the vantage point of the dayside magnetosphere at radial positions of L=3 and L=5, at the location where shock-induced accelerat ... Foster, J.; Wygant, J.; Hudson, M.; Boyd, A.; Baker, D.; Erickson, P.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2015 YEAR: 2015   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020642 |
2014 |
Van Allen Probe Observations of Periodic Rising Frequencies of the Fast Magnetosonic Mode Near simultaneous periodic dispersive features of fast magnetosonic mode emissions are observed by both Van Allen Probes spacecraft while separated in magnetic local time by ~5 hours: Probe A at 15 and Probe B at 9\textendash11 hours. Both spacecraft see similar frequency features, characterized by a periodic repetition at ~180 s. Each repetition is characterized by a rising frequency. Since no modulation is observed in the proton shell distribution, the plasma density, or in the background magnetic field at either spacecraf ... Boardsen, S.; Hospodarsky, G.; Kletzing, C.; Pfaff, R.; Kurth, W.; Wygant, J.; MacDonald, E.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014GL062020 Fast Magnetosonic Waves; Inner Dayside Magnetosphere; Periodic-Dispersive Features; Van Allen Probes |
Evolution of relativistic outer belt electrons during an extended quiescent period To effectively study steady loss due to hiss-driven precipitation of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt, it is useful to isolate this loss by studying a time of relatively quiet geomagnetic activity. We present a case of initial enhancement and slow, steady decay of 700 keV - 2 MeV electron populations in the outer radiation belt during an extended quiescent period from ~15 December 2012 - 13 January 2013. We incorporate particle measurements from a constellation of satellites, including the Colorado Student ... Jaynes, A.; Li, X.; Schiller, Q.; Blum, L.; Tu, W.; Turner, D.; Ni, B.; Bortnik, J.; Baker, D.; Kanekal, S.; Blake, J.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020125 electron lifetime; hiss waves; pitch angle scattering; precipitation loss; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes |
Externally driven plasmaspheric ULF waves observed by the Van Allen Probes We analyze data acquired by the Van Allen Probes on 8 November 2012, during a period of extended low geomagnetic activity, to gain new insight into plasmaspheric ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves. The waves exhibited strong spectral power in the 5\textendash40 mHzband and included multiharmonic toroidal waves visible up to the 11th harmonic, unprecedented in the plasmasphere. During this wave activity, the interplanetary magnetic field cone angle was small, suggesting that the waves were driven by broadband compressional ULF w ... Takahashi, Kazue; Denton, Richard; Kurth, William; Kletzing, Craig; Wygant, John; Bonnell, John; Dai, Lei; Min, Kyungguk; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020373 multispacecraft observation; Van Allen Probes; plasmasphere; ULF waves |
H-ion (~45-keV to ~600-keV), He-ion (~65-keV to ~520-keV), and O-ion (~140-keV to ~1130-keV) integral flux measurements, from the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument aboard the Van Allan Probes spacecraft B, are reported. These abundance data form a cohesive picture of ring current ions during the first nine months of measurements. Furthermore, the data presented herein are used to show injection characteristics via the He-ion/H-ion abundance ratio and the O-ion/H-ion abundance ratio. O ... Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Gkioulidou, Matina; Mitchell, Donald; Manweiler, Jerry; Bortnik, Jacob; Keika, Kunihiro; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020374 inner magnetosphere; ion decay rates; Spacecraft measurements; Van Allen Probes |
The bandwidths and coherence coefficients of lower band whistler mode waves are analyzed using Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) waveform data for rising tones, falling tones, and hiss-like emissions separately. We also evaluate their dependences on the spatial location, electron density, the ratio of plasma frequency to local electron gyrofrequency (fpe/fce), and the wave amplitude. Our results show that the bandwidth normalized by the local electron gyrofrequency (fce) of rising a ... Gao, X.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Angelopoulos, V.; Lu, Q.; Tao, X.; Wang, S.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020158 bandwidth; coherence coefficient; nonlinear; quasi-linear; THEMIS; whistler mode waves |
We present in situ observations of a shock-induced substorm-like event on 13 April 2013 observed by the newly launched Van Allen twin probes. Substorm-like electron injections with energy of 30\textendash500 keV were observed in the region from L\~5.2 to 5.5 immediately after the shock arrival (followed by energetic electron drift echoes). Meanwhile, the electron flux was clearly and strongly varying on the ULF wave time scale. It is found that both toroidal and poloidal mode ULF waves with a period of 150 s emerged followin ... Hao, Y.; Zong, Q.-G.; Wang, Y.; Zhou, X.-Z.; Zhang, Hui; Fu, S; Pu, Z; Spence, H.; Blake, J.; Bonnell, J.; Wygant, J.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2014 YEAR: 2014   DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020023 energetic particles; interplanetary shock; magnetotail ULF wave; poloidal and toroidal mode; Van Allen Probes; wave-particle interactions |