Bibliography
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Found 116 entries in the Bibliography.
Showing entries from 1 through 50
| 2021 |
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Inter-calibrated Measurements of Intense Whistlers by Arase and Van Allen Probes Abstract Measurements of electromagnetic waves in space plasmas are an important tool for our understanding of physical processes in this environment. Inter-calibration of data from different spacecraft missions is necessary for combining their measurements in empirical models or in case studies. We show results collected during a close conjunction of the Van Allen Probes and Arase spacecraft. The inter-calibration is based on a fortuitous case of common observations of strong whistlers at frequencies between a few hundred hertz and 10 kHz, which are generated by the same lightning strokes and which propagate along very similar paths to the two spacecraft. Measured amplitudes of the magnetic field fluctuations are the same within ∼14\% precision of our analysis, corresponding to 1.2 dB. Currently archived electric field measurements show twice larger amplitudes on Arase compared to Van Allen Probes but they start to match within ∼33\% precision (2.5 dB) once the newest results on the interface of the antennas to the surrounding plasma are included in the calibration procedures. Ray tracing simulations help us to build a consistent scenario of wave propagation to both spacecraft reflected by a successful inter-calibration of the polarization and propagation parameters obtained from multicomponent measurements. We succeed in linking the spacecraft observations to localizations of lightning return strokes by two different ground based networks which independently verify the correctness of the Universal Time tags of waveform measurements by both spacecraft missions, with an uncertainty better than 10 ms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Santolik, O.; Miyoshi, Y.; Kolmašová, I.; Matsuda, S.; Hospodarsky, G.; Hartley, D.; Kasahara, Y.; Kojima, H.; Matsuoka, A.; Shinohara, I.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029700 calibration of measeurements of electromagnetic waves; Whistlers; ducts; Van Allen Probes |
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Plain Language Summary The plasmasphere is the region filled with cold, dense ionized gas in geospace. The ionized gas mainly consists in protons, helium ions, oxygen ions and electrons, which come from Earth’s ionosphere and fill in magnetic flux tubes. The density distribution of the ionized gas along the flux tube provides important information to understand how the ions and electrons have been supplied from the ionosphere. Many satellites fly in the equatorial plane, hence, do not provide information on the electron density along the field. The RBSP and the Arase satellites have different inclinations and sometimes they simultaneously fly near the equator and off the equator on the same magnetic field line. Using electron densities observed by these satellites during the 7 Sep 2017 storm, we successfully estimated the electron density distribution along of the field lines inside the partially refilled plasmasphere, outside of the plasmasphere and in the tail-like structure called a plume. Obana, Yuki; Miyashita, Yukinaga; Maruyama, Naomi; Shinbori, Atsuki; Nosé, Masahito; Shoji, Masafumi; Kumamoto, Atsushi; Tsuchiya, Fuminori; Matsuda, Shoya; Matsuoka, Ayako; Kasahara, Yoshiya; Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Shinohara, Iku; Kurth, William; Smith, Charles; MacDowall, Robert; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA029073 plasmasphere; inner magnetosphere; Arase satellite; Van Allen Probes satellite; simultaneous observation; Geomagnetic storm; Van Allen Probes |
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Global Survey of Electron Precipitation due to Hiss Waves in the Earth s Plasmasphere and Plumes Abstract We present a global survey of energetic electron precipitation from the equatorial magnetosphere due to hiss waves in the plasmasphere and plumes. Using Van Allen Probes measurements, we calculate the pitch angle diffusion coefficients at the bounce loss cone, and evaluate the energy spectrum of precipitating electron flux. Our ∼6.5-year survey shows that, during disturbed times, hiss inside the plasmasphere primarily causes the electron precipitation at L > 4 over 8 h < MLT < 18 h, and hiss waves in plumes cause the precipitation at L > 5 over 8 h < MLT < 14 h and L > 4 over 14 h < MLT < 20 h. The precipitating energy flux increases with increasing geomagnetic activity, and is typically higher in the plasmaspheric plume than the plasmasphere. The characteristic energy of precipitation increases from ∼20 keV at L = 6 to ∼100 keV at L = 3, potentially causing the loss of electrons at several hundred keV. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Zhang, X.-J.; Bortnik, J.; Shen, X.-C.; Connor, H.; Boyd, A.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Claudepierre, S.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JA029644 electron precipitation; hiss wave; plasmasphere; plasmaspheric plume; Precipitating Energy Flux; Van Allen Probes Survey; Van Allen Probes |
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Abstract We compare ESA PROBA-V observations of electron flux at LEO with those from the NASA Van Allen Probes mostly at MEO for October 2013. Dropouts are visible at all energy during 4 storms from both satellites. Equatorial trapped electron fluxes are higher than at LEO by 102 (<1 MeV) to 105 (>2.5 MeV). We observe a quite isotropic structure of the outer belt during quiet times, contrary to the inner belt, and pitch angle dependence of high energy injection. We find very good overlap of the outer belt at MEO and LEO at ∼0.5 MeV. We use test-particle simulations of the energetic electrons trapped in the terrestrial magnetic field to study the outer radiation belt electron flux changes during geomagnetic storms. We show that the Dst (Disturbance storm time) effect during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm results in a betatron mechanism causing outward radial drift and a deceleration of the electrons. This outward drift motion is energy independent, pitch angle dependent, and represent a significant distance (∼1 L-shell at L=5 for moderate storms). At fixed L-shell, this causes a decay of the LEO precipitating flux (adiabatic outward motion), followed by a return to the normal state (adiabatic inward motion) during main and recovery phases. Dst effect, associated with magnetopause shadowing and radial diffusion can explain the main characteristics of outer radiation belt electron dropouts in October 2013. We also use Fokker-Planck simulations with event-driven diffusion coefficients at high temporal resolution, in order to distinguish instantaneous loss from the gradual scattering that depopulates the slot region and the outer belt after storms. Simulations reproduce the slot formation and the gradual loss in the outer belt. The typical energy-dependence of these losses leads to the absence of scattering for relativistic and ultra-relativistic electrons in the outer belt, oppositely to dropouts. Pierrard, V.; Ripoll, J.-F.; Cunningham, G.; Botek, E.; Santolik, O.; Thaller, S.; Kurth, W.; Cosmides, M.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028850 Radiation belts; relativistic electrons; Geomagnetic storms; energetic particles; Van Allen Probes |
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AbstractThe two Van Allen Probes simultaneously recorded a coherently modulated quasiperiodic (QP) emission that persisted for 3 hours. The magnetic field pulsation at the locations of the two satellites showed a substantial difference, and their frequencies were close to but did not exactly match the repetition frequency of QP emissions for most of the time, suggesting that those coherent QP emissions probably originated from a common source, which then propagated over a broad area in the magnetosphere. The QP emissions were amplified by local anisotropic electron distributions, and their large-scale amplitudes were modulated by the plasma density. A novel observation of this event is that chorus waves at frequencies above QP emissions exhibit a strong correlation with QP emissions. Those chorus waves intensified when the QP emissions reach their peak frequency. This indicates that embryonic QP emissions may be critical for its own intensification as well as chorus waves under certain circumstances. The low-earth-orbit POES satellite observed enhanced energetic electron precipitation in conjunction with the Van Allen Probes, providing direct evidence that QP emissions precipitate energetic electrons into the atmosphere. This scenario is quantitatively confirmed by our quasilinear diffusion simulation results. Li, Jinxing; Bortnik, Jacob; Ma, Qianli; Li, Wen; Shen, Xiaochen; Nishimura, Yukitoshi; An, Xin; Thaller, Scott; Breneman, Aaron; Wygant, John; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Hartley, David; Reeves, Geoffrey; Funsten, Herbert; Blake, Bernard; Spence, Harlan; Baker, Daniel; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028484 quasiperiodic emissions; electron precipitation; Radiation belt; chorus waves; Van Allen Probes; ULF wave |
| 2020 |
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Whistler mode chorus waves can scatter plasma sheet electrons into the loss cone and produce the Earth s diffuse aurora. Van Allen Probes observed plasma sheet electron injections and intense chorus waves on 24 November 2012. We use quasilinear theory to calculate the precipitating electron fluxes, demonstrating that the chorus waves could lead to high differential energy fluxes of precipitating electrons with characteristic energies of 10–30 keV. Using this method, we calculate the precipitating electron flux from 2012 to 2019 when the Van Allen Probes were near the magnetic equator and perform global surveys of electron precipitation under different geomagnetic conditions. The most significant electron precipitation due to chorus is found from the nightside to dawn sectors over 4 < L < 6.5. The average total precipitating energy flux is enhanced during disturbed conditions, with time-averaged values reaching ~3–10 erg/cm2/s when AE ≥ 500 nT. Ma, Q.; Connor, H.; Zhang, X.-J.; Li, W.; Shen, X.-C.; Gillespie, D.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Claudepierre, S.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 07/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088798 Chorus wave; electron precipitation; plasma sheet electron; Van Allen Probes observation; Van Allen Probes |
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Whistler mode waves observed in the Earth s inner magnetosphere at frequencies between about 0.5 and 4 kHz which exhibit a nearly periodic time modulation of the wave intensity are called quasiperiodic (QP) emissions. Conjugate measurements of QP events at several different locations can be used to estimate their spatial extent and spatiotemporal variability. Results obtained using conjugate QP measurements provided by the ground-based station Kannuslehto (L≈5.5) and the Van Allen Probes spacecraft (L shells between about 1.1 and 6.5) between September 2012 and November 2017 are presented. Altogether, 26 simultaneously detected events were analyzed. The event modulation periods and frequency-time structures were generally the same at all observation points. Spatial separations of the spacecraft and the ground-based station during conjugate observations are typically within about 40° in azimuth and from about 1 to 3 in L shell. RBSP consistently observes events at lower L shells than Kannuslehto, with the event occurrence primarily inside of the plasmasphere. Ratios of Poynting fluxes observed by the spacecraft and on the ground are used to evaluate event intensity variations related to the spacecraft position. It is found that the intensity decreases considerably both at low L shells and outside of the plasmasphere. Finally, an event containing a gap in its frequency-time structure related to a sudden change of its properties is analyzed in detail. Bezděková, B.; Němec, F.; Manninen, J.; Hospodarsky, G.; Santolik, O.; Kurth, W.; Hartley, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA027793 |
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Whistler Mode Quasiperiodic Emissions: Contrasting Van Allen Probes and DEMETER Occurrence Rates Abstract Quasiperiodic emissions are magnetospheric whistler mode waves at frequencies between about 0.5 and 4 kHz which exhibit a nearly periodic time modulation of the wave intensity. We use large data sets of events observed by the Van Allen Probes in the equatorial region at larger radial distances and by the low-altitude DEMETER spacecraft. While Van Allen Probes observe the events at all local times and longitudes, DEMETER observations are limited nearly exclusively to the daytime and significantly less frequent at the longitudes of the South Atlantic Anomaly. Further, while the events observed by Van Allen Probes are smoothly distributed over seasons with only mild maxima in spring/autumn, DEMETER occurrence rate has a single pronounced minimum in July. The apparent inconsistency is explained by considering a nondipolar Earth s magnetic field and significant background wave intensities which in these cases prevent the quasiperiodic events from being identified in DEMETER data. Němec, F.; Santolik, O.; Hospodarsky, G.; Hajoš, M.; Demekhov, A.; Kurth, W.; Parrot, M.; Hartley, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: 10.1029/2020JA027918 quasiperiodic emissions; QP emissions; DEMETER; RBSP; Van Allen Probes |
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Whistler Mode Quasiperiodic Emissions: Contrasting Van Allen Probes and DEMETER Occurrence Rates Quasiperiodic emissions are magnetospheric whistler mode waves at frequencies between about 0.5 and 4 kHz which exhibit a nearly periodic time modulation of the wave intensity. We use large data sets of events observed by the Van Allen Probes in the equatorial region at larger radial distances and by the low-altitude DEMETER spacecraft. While Van Allen Probes observe the events at all local times and longitudes, DEMETER observations are limited nearly exclusively to the daytime and significantly less frequent at the longitudes of the South Atlantic Anomaly. Further, while the events observed by Van Allen Probes are smoothly distributed over seasons with only mild maxima in spring/autumn, DEMETER occurrence rate has a single pronounced minimum in July. The apparent inconsistency is explained by considering a nondipolar Earth s magnetic field and significant background wave intensities which in these cases prevent the quasiperiodic events from being identified in DEMETER data. Němec, F.; Santolik, O.; Hospodarsky, G.; Hajoš, M.; Demekhov, A.; Kurth, W.; Parrot, M.; Hartley, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA027918 quasiperiodic emissions; QP emissions; DEMETER; RBSP; Van Allen Probes |
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Fine Harmonic Structure of Equatorial Noise with a Quasiperiodic Modulation Abstract Equatorial noise emissions (fast magnetosonic waves) are electromagnetic waves observed routinely in the equatorial region of the inner magnetosphere. They propagate with wave vectors nearly perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field; that is, they are limited to frequencies below the lower hybrid frequency. The waves are generated by instabilities of ring-like proton distribution functions, which result in their fine harmonic structure with intensity maxima close to harmonics of the proton cyclotron frequency in the source region. Although most equatorial noise emissions are continuous in time, some events exhibit a clear quasiperiodic time modulation of the wave intensity, with typical modulation periods on the order of minutes. We analyze 72 such events (17 observed by the Cluster spacecraft, 55 observed by the Van Allen Probes spacecraft) for which high-resolution data were available. The analysis of the observed harmonic structure allows us to determine source radial distances of the events. It is found that the calculated source radial distances are generally close to the radial distances where the events were observed. The harmonic numbers where the events are generated range between about 12 and 30. Two events for which the spacecraft passed through the generation region were identified and analyzed. No simultaneous ultra-low-frequency magnetic field pulsations and no periodic plasma number density variations were observed. Although the in situ measured proton distribution functions were shown to be responsible for the wave growth, an insufficient resolution of the particle instruments prevented us from detecting a quasiperiodic modulation possibly present in the particle data. Němec, F.; Tomori, A.; Santolik, O.; Boardsen, S.; Hospodarsky, G.; Kurth, W.; Pickett, J.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027509 equatorial noise; Fast Magnetosonic Waves; quasiperiodic modulation; Van Allen Probes |
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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 |
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We investigate the global distribution and provide empirical models of fast magnetosonic waves using the combined observations by the magnetometer and waveform receiver on board Van Allen Probes. The magnetometer measurements of magnetosonic waves indicate a significant wave power within the frequency range from the helium gyrofrequency to 20 Hz at L >= 4 in the afternoon sector, both inside and outside the plasmapause. The waveform receiver measurements indicate a significant wave power from 20 Hz to the lower hybrid resonance frequency at L <= 5.5 near the dayside outside the plasmapause or in the afternoon sector inside the plasmapause. The sum of the wave powers from the two instruments provides the wave power distribution over the complete frequency range. The most significant root-mean-square wave amplitude of magnetosonic waves is typically 100\textendash200 pT inside or outside the plasmapause with a magnetic local time coverage of 30\textendash50\% during geomagnetically active times when AE* > 500 nT. The magnetosonic wave frequency increases with decreasing L shell following the trend of the proton gyrofrequency outside the plasmapause, indicating a close relation with the local wave generation. Inside the plasmapause, the dependence of wave frequency on L shell is weaker, and the wave frequency is more stable across L shells, indicating the wave propagation effects from the source located at higher L shells. We have performed polynomial fits of the global magnetosonic wave distribution and wave frequency spectra, which are useful in future radiation belt simulations. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027407 Empirical Fitting; Global Survey; magnetosonic waves; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation |
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Lightning Contribution to Overall Whistler Mode Wave Intensities in the Plasmasphere Electromagnetic waves generated by lightning propagate into the plasmasphere as dispersed whistlers. They can therefore influence the overall wave intensity in space, which, in turn, is important for dynamics of the Van Allen radiation belts. We analyze spacecraft measurements in low-Earth orbit as well as in high-altitude equatorial region, together with a ground-based estimate of lightning activity. We accumulate wave intensities when the spacecraft are magnetically connected to thunderstorms and compare them with measurements obtained when thunderstorms are absent. We show that strong lightning activity substantially affects the wave intensity in a wide range of L-shells and altitudes. The effect is observed mainly between 500 Hz and 4 kHz, but its frequency range strongly varies with L-shell, extending up to 12 kHz for L lower than 3. The effect is stronger in the afternoon, evening, and night sectors, consistent with more lightning and easier wave propagation through the ionosphere. ahlava, J.; emec, F.; Santolik, O.; a, Kolma\v; Hospodarsky, G.; Parrot, M.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 07/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083918 |
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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 |
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Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and magnetosonic waves are commonly observed in the Earth\textquoterights magnetosphere associated with enhanced ring current activity. Using wave and ion measurements from the Van Allen Probes, we identify clear correlations between the hydrogen- and helium-band EMIC waves with the enhancement of trapped helium and oxygen ion fluxes, respectively. We calculate the diffusion coefficients of different ion species using quasi-linear theory to understand the effects of resonant scattering by EMIC waves. Our calculations indicate that EMIC waves can cause pitch angle scattering loss of several keV to hundreds of keV ions, and heating of tens of eV to several keV helium and oxygen ions by hydrogen- and helium-band EMIC waves, respectively. Moreover, we found that magnetosonic waves can cause the resonant heating of thermal protons. Our study indicates the importance of energy transfer from the EMIC and magnetosonic waves to ions with different species at thermal energies. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Yue, C.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 06/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083513 electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves; Ion heating; Quasilinear modeling; Resonant interaction in plasmasphere; ring current; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation |
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Nonlinear Electron Interaction With Intense Chorus Waves: Statistics of Occurrence Rates A comprehensive statistical analysis on 8 years of lower-band chorus wave packets measured by the Van Allen Probes and THEMIS spacecraft is performed to examine whether, when, and where these waves are above the theoretical threshold for nonlinear resonant wave-particle interaction. We find that \~5\textendash30\% of all chorus waves interact nonlinearly with \~30- to 300-keV electrons possessing equatorial pitch angles of >40\textdegree in the outer radiation belt, especially during disturbed (AE>500 nT) periods with energetic particles associated with injections from the plasma sheet. Such considerable occurrence rates of nonlinear interactions imply that the evolution of energetic electron fluxes should be dominated by nonlinear effects, rather than by quasi-linear diffusion as commonly assumed. We discuss the possible consequences of such a large amount of high-amplitude chorus waves and examine their characteristics that can influence the efficiency of nonlinear wave-particle interactions. Zhang, X.-J.; Mourenas, D.; Artemyev, A.; Angelopoulos, V.; Bortnik, J.; Thorne, R.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 06/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019GL083833 chorus waves; Electron acceleration; nonlinear wave particle interaction; THEMIS; Van Allen Probes; wave packet size |
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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 |
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Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can drive precipitation of tens of keV protons and relativistic electrons, and are a potential candidate for causing radiation belt flux dropouts. In this study, we quantitatively analyze three cases of EMIC-driven precipitation, which occurred near the dusk sector observed by multiple Low-Earth-Orbiting (LEO) Polar Operational Environmental Satellites/Meteorological Operational satellite programme (POES/MetOp) satellites. During EMIC wave activity, the proton precipitation occurred from few tens of keV up to hundreds of keV, while the electron precipitation was mainly at relativistic energies. We compare observations of electron precipitation with calculations using quasi-linear theory. For all cases, we consider the effects of other magnetospheric waves observed simultaneously with EMIC waves, namely, plasmaspheric hiss and magnetosonic waves, and find that the electron precipitation at MeV energies was predominantly caused by EMIC-driven pitch angle scattering. Interestingly, each precipitation event observed by a LEO satellite extended over a limited L shell region (ΔL ~ 0.3 on average), suggesting that the pitch angle scattering caused by EMIC waves occurs only when favorable conditions are met, likely in a localized region. Furthermore, we take advantage of the LEO constellation to explore the occurrence of precipitation at different L shells and magnetic local time sectors, simultaneously with EMIC wave observations near the equator (detected by Van Allen Probes) or at the ground (measured by magnetometers). Our analysis shows that although EMIC waves drove precipitation only in a narrow ΔL, electron precipitation was triggered at various locations as identified by POES/MetOp over a rather broad region (up to ~4.4 hr MLT and ~1.4 L shells) with similar patterns between satellites. Capannolo, L.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Shen, X.-C.; Zhang, X.-J.; Redmon, R.; Rodriguez, J.; Engebretson, M.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Raita, T.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026291 EMIC waves; energetic electron precipitation; pitch angle scattering; quasi-linear theory; radiation belts dropouts; Van Allen Probes |
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Whistler mode waves are important for precipitating energetic electrons into Earth\textquoterights upper atmosphere, while the quantitative effect of each type of whistler mode wave on electron precipitation is not well understood. In this letter, we evaluate energetic electron precipitation driven by three types of whistler mode waves: plume whistler mode waves, plasmaspheric hiss, and exohiss observed outside the plasmapause. By quantitatively analyzing three conjunction events between Van Allen Probes and POES/MetOp satellites, together with quasi-linear calculation, we found that plume whistler mode waves are most effective in pitch angle scattering loss, particularly for the electrons from tens to hundreds of keV. Our new finding provides the first direct evidence of effective pitch angle scattering driven by plume whistler mode waves and is critical for understanding energetic electron loss process in the inner magnetosphere. We suggest the effect of plume whistler mode waves be accurately incorporated into future radiation belt modeling. Li, W.; Shen, X.-C.; Ma, Q.; Capannolo, L.; Shi, R.; Redmon, R.; Rodriguez, J.; Reeves, G.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 03/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019GL082095 electron precipitation; hiss; plasmaspheric plume; Plume wave; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode wave |
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This paper presents the first analysis of Van Allen Probes measurements of the cold plasma density and electric field in the inner magnetosphere to show that intervals of strong modulation at the solar rotation period occur in the locations of the outer plasmasphere and plasmapause (~0.7 RE peak-to-peak), in the large-scale electric field (~0.24 mV/m peak-to-peak), and in the cold plasma density (~250 cm-3 \textendash ~70 cm-3 peak-to-peak). Solar rotation modulation of the inner magnetosphere is more apparent in the declining phase of the solar cycle than near solar maximum. The periodicities in these parameters are compared to solar EUV irradiance, solar wind dawn-dusk electric field, and Kp. The variations in the plasmapause location at the solar rotation period anti-correlate with solar wind electric field, magnetospheric electric field, and Kp, but not with EUV irradiance, indicating that convective erosion is the dominant physical process controlling the plasmapause at these timescales. Thaller, S.; Wygant, J.; Cattell, C.; Breneman, A.; Tyler, E.; Tian, S.; Engel, A.; De Pascuale, S.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Tears, J.; Malaspina, David; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 02/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026365 convection electric field; inner magnetosphere; Plasmapause; plasmasphere; solar rotation; Van Allen Probes |
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Properties of Whistler Mode Waves in Earth\textquoterights Plasmasphere and Plumes Whistler mode wave properties inside the plasmasphere and plumes are systematically investigated using 5-year data from Van Allen Probes. The occurrence and intensity of whistler mode waves in the plasmasphere and plumes exhibit dependences on magnetic local time, L, and AE. Based on the dependence of the wave normal angle and Poynting flux direction on L shell and normalized wave frequency to electron cyclotron frequency (fce), whistler mode waves are categorized into four types. Type I: ~0.5 fce with oblique wave normal angles mostly in plumes; Type II: 0.01\textendash0.5 fce with small wave normal angles in the outer plasmasphere or inside plumes; Type III: <0.01 fce with oblique wave normal angles mostly within the plasmasphere or plumes; Type IV: 0.05\textendash0.5 fce with oblique wave normal angles deep inside the plasmasphere. The Poynting fluxes of Type I and II waves are mostly directed away from the equator, suggesting local amplification, whereas the Poynting fluxes of Type III and IV are directed either away from or toward the equator, and may originate from other source regions. Whistler mode waves in plumes have relatively small wave normal angles with Poynting flux mostly directed away from the equator and are associated with high electron fluxes from ~30 keV to hundreds of keV, all of which support local amplification. Whistler mode wave amplitudes in plumes can be stronger than typical plasmaspheric hiss, particularly during active times. Our results provide critical insights into understanding whistler mode wave generation inside the plasmasphere and plumes. Shi, Run; Li, Wen; Ma, Qianli; Green, Alex; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Claudepierre, Seth; Spence, Harlan; Reeves, Geoff; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026041 Plasmaspheric Hiss; plasmaspheric plume; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode waves |
| 2018 |
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The evolution of the radiation belts in L-shell (L), energy (E), and equatorial pitch-angle (α0) is analyzed during the calm 11-day interval (March 4 \textendashMarch 15) following the March 1 storm 2013. Magnetic Electron and Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) observations from Van Allen Probes are interpreted alongside 1D and 3D Fokker-Planck simulations combined with consistent event-driven scattering modeling from whistler mode hiss waves. Three (L, E, α0)-regions persist through 11 days of hiss wave scattering; the pitch-angle dependent inner belt core (L~<2.2 and E<700 keV), pitch-angle homogeneous outer belt low-energy core (L>~5 and E~<100 keV), and a distinct pocket of electrons (L~[4.5, 5.5] and E~[0.7, 2] MeV). The pitch-angle homogeneous outer belt is explained by the diffusion coefficients that are roughly constant for α0~<60\textdegree, E>100 keV, 3.5 Ripoll, -F.; Loridan, V.; Denton, M.; Cunningham, G.; Reeves, G.; ik, O.; Fennell, J.; Turner, D.; Drozdov, A; Villa, J.; Shprits, Y; Thaller, S.; Kurth, W.; Kletzing, C.; Henderson, M.; Ukhorskiy, A; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026111 electron lifetime; hiss waves; pitch-angle diffusion coefficient; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes; wave particle interactions |
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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 |
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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 |
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Quasiperiodic Whistler Mode Emissions Observed by the Van Allen Probes Spacecraft Quasiperiodic (QP) emissions are whistler mode electromagnetic waves observed in the inner magnetosphere which exhibit a QP time modulation of the wave intensity. We analyze 768 QP events observed during the first five years of the operation of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft (09/2012\textendash10/2017). Multicomponent wave measurements performed in the equatorial region, where the emissions are likely generated, are used to reveal new experimental information about their properties. We show that the events are observed nearly exclusively inside the plasmasphere. Wave frequencies are mostly between about 0.5 and 4 kHz. The events observed at larger radial distances and on the duskside tend to have slightly lower frequencies than the emissions observed elsewhere. The maximum event frequencies are limited by half of the equatorial electron gyrofrequency, suggesting the importance of wave ducting. Modulation periods are typically between about 0.5 and 5 minutes, and they increase with the in-situ measured plasma number density. This increase is consistent with the main mechanisms suggested to explain the origin of the QP modulation. Two-point measurements performed by the Van Allen Probes are used to estimate a typical spatial extent of the emissions to about 1RE in radial distance and 1.5 hours in magnetic local time. Detailed wave analysis shows that the emissions are right-hand circularly polarized, and they usually come from several different directions simultaneously. They, however, predominantly propagate at rather low wave normal angles and away from the geomagnetic equator. emec, F.; Hospodarsky, G.; a, B.; Demekhov, A.; Pasmanik, D.; ik, O.; Kurth, W.; Hartley, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026058 |
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Determining Plasmaspheric Densities from Observations of Plasmaspheric Hiss A new method of inferring electron plasma densities inside of the plasmasphere is presented. Utilizing observations of the electric and magnetic field wave power associated with plasmaspheric hiss, coupled with the cold plasma dispersion relation, permits calculation of the plasma density. This methodology yields a density estimate for each frequency channel and time interval where plasmaspheric hiss is observed and is shown to yield results that are generally in agreement with densities determined via other methods. A statistical calibration is performed against the density from the upper hybrid line, accounting for both systematic offsets and distribution scatter in the hiss-inferred densities. This calculation and calibration methodology provides accurate density estimates, both statistically and for individual events. These calibrated calculated densities are not subject to the same upper limit as densities inferred via other methodologies, thus permitting density estimates to be extended to lower L shells. This is of particular interest given that fpe/fce ratios indicate favorable conditions for efficient pitch-angle and energy diffusion in this region. Since hiss is almost always observable inside of the plasmasphere, the hiss-inferred densities are available for the majority of time periods, with 79\% data coverage for L < 4. This compares to 33\textendash37\% data coverage for other methods of inferring plasma densities. Due to the high-accuracy of these hiss-inferred densities and their plentiful availability, this methodology provides a viable alternative of calculating event-specific densities, and therefore diffusion coefficients, as opposed to relying on empirical models for periods when densities from other sources are not available. Hartley, D.; Kletzing, C.; De Pascuale, S.; Kurth, W.; ik, O.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025658 Density; EMFISIS; plasmasphere; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes |
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We use the measurements performed by the DEMETER (2004-2010) and the Van Allen Probes (2012-2016, still operating) spacecraft to investigate the longitudinal dependence of the intensity of whistler mode waves in the Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere. We show that a significant longitudinal dependence is observed inside the plasmasphere on the nightside, primarily in the frequency range 400 Hz\textendash2 kHz. On the other hand, almost no longitudinal dependence is observed on the dayside. The obtained results are compared to the lightning occurrence rate provided by the OTD/LIS mission normalized by a factor accounting for the ionospheric attenuation. The agreement between the two dependencies indicates that lightning generated electromagnetic waves may be responsible for the observed effect, thus substantially affecting the overall wave intensity in the given frequency range. Finally, we show that the longitudinal dependence is most pronounced for waves with oblique wave normal angles. ahlava, J.; emec, F.; ik, O.; a, I.; Hospodarskyy, G.; Parrot, M.; Kurth, W.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 07/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025284 |
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Magnetospheric plasma waves play a significant role in ring current and radiation belt dynamics, leading to pitch angle scattering loss and/or stochastic acceleration of the particles. During a non-storm time dropout event on 24 September 2013, intense electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves were detected by Van Allen Probe A (Radiation Belt Storm Probes-A). We quantitatively analyze a conjunction event when Van Allen Probe A was located approximately along the same magnetic field line as MetOp-01, which detected simultaneous precipitation of >30 keV protons and energetic electrons over an unexpectedly broad energy range (>~30 keV). Multipoint observations together with quasi-linear theory provide direct evidence that the observed electron precipitation at higher energy (>~700 keV) is primarily driven by EMIC waves. However, the newly observed feature of the simultaneous electron precipitation extending down to ~30 keV is not supported by existing theories and raises an interesting question on whether EMIC waves can scatter such low-energy electrons. Capannolo, L.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Zhang, X.-J.; Redmon, R.; Rodriguez, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Engebretson, M.; Spence, H.; Reeves, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 07/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL078604 EMIC waves; energetic particle precipitation; pitch angle scattering; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes; wave particle interactions |
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Resonant interactions between electrons and chorus waves are responsible for a wide range of phenomena in near-Earth space (e.g., diffuse aurora, acceleration of MeV electrons, etc.). Although quasi-linear diffusion is believed to be the primary paradigm for describing such interactions, an increasing number of investigations suggest that nonlinear effects are also important in controlling the rapid dynamics of electrons. However, present models of nonlinear wave-particle interactions, which have been successfully used to describe individual short-term events, are not directly applicable for a statistical evaluation of nonlinear effects and the long-term dynamics of the outer radiation belt, because they lack information on the properties of intense (nonlinearly resonating with electrons) chorus waves. In this paper, we use the THEMIS and Van Allen Probes datasets of field-aligned chorus waveforms to study two key characteristics of these waves: effective amplitude w (nonlinear interaction can occur when w > 2) and wave-packet length β (the number of wave periods within it). While as many as 10 - 15\% of chorus wave-packets are sufficiently intense (w > 2 - 3) to interact nonlinearly with relativistic electrons, most of them are short (β < 10) reducing the efficacy of such interactions. Revised models of non-linear interactions are thus needed to account for the long-term effects of these common, intense but short chorus wave packets. We also discuss the dependence of w, β on location (MLT, L-shell) and on the properties of the suprathermal electron population. Zhang, X.-J.; Thorne, R.; Artemyev, A.; Mourenas, D.; Angelopoulos, V.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025390 chorus waves; Effective amplitude; nonlinear wave-particle interaction; spatial distribution; statistics; Van Allen Probes; Wave-packet length |
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Electromagnetic wave measurements performed by the two Van Allen Probes spacecraft are used to analyze equatorial noise emissions with a quasiperiodic modulation of the wave intensity. These waves are confined to the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator, and they occur primarily on the dayside. In situ plasma number density measurements are used to evaluate density variations related to the wave occurrence. It is shown that the events are sometimes effectively confined to low density regions, being observed at successive satellite passes over a time duration as long as one hour. The events typically occur outside the plasmasphere, and they are often cease to exist just at the plasmapause. The analysis of the spatial separations of the spacecraft at the times when the events were observed simultaneously by both of them allows us to estimate the event spatial dimensions. It is found that the event spatial extent is typically lower than about 0.25RE in radial distance and within about one hour in magnetic local time. Modulation periods of the events decrease with increasing plasma number density up to about 100cm-3. Principally no dependence is observed at larger densities, possibly indicating a propagation from other locations. emec, F.; ik, O.; Boardsen, S.; Hospodarsky, G.; Kurth, W.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025482 equatorial noise; quasiperiodic modulation; RBSP; Van Allen Probes |
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We simulate the radiation belt electron flux enhancements during selected Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) challenge events to quantitatively compare the major processes involved in relativistic electron acceleration under different conditions. Van Allen Probes observed significant electron flux enhancement during both the storm time of 17\textendash18 March 2013 and non\textendashstorm time of 19\textendash20 September 2013, but the distributions of plasma waves and energetic electrons for the two events were dramatically different. During 17\textendash18 March 2013, the SYM-H minimum reached -130 nT, intense chorus waves (peak Bw ~140 pT) occurred at 3.5 < L < 5.5, and several hundred keV to several MeV electron fluxes increased by ~2 orders of magnitude mostly at 3.5 < L < 5.5. During 19\textendash20 September 2013, the SYM-H remained higher than -30 nT, modestly intense chorus waves (peak Bw ~80 pT) occurred at L > 5.5, and electron fluxes at energies up to 3 MeV increased by a factor of ~5 at L > 5.5. The two electron flux enhancement events were simulated using the available wave distribution and diffusion coefficients from the GEM focus group Quantitative Assessment of Radiation Belt Modeling. By comparing the individual roles of local electron heating and radial transport, our simulation indicates that resonant interaction with chorus waves is the dominant process that accounts for the electron flux enhancement during the storm time event particularly near the flux peak locations, while radial diffusion by ultralow-frequency waves plays a dominant role in the enhancement during the non\textendashstorm time event. Incorporation of both processes reasonably reproduces the observed location and magnitude of electron flux enhancement. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Bortnik, J.; Thorne, R.; Chu, X.; Ozeke, L.; Reeves, G.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Engebretson, M.; Spence, H.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA025114 electron accelerationl whistler mode waves; radial diffusion; radiation belt simulation; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation |
| 2017 |
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Satellite observations of a significant population of very oblique chorus waves in the outer radiation belt have fueled considerable interest in the effects of these waves on energetic electron scattering and acceleration. However, corresponding diffusion rates are extremely sensitive to the refractive index N, controlled by hot plasma effects including Landau damping and wave dispersion modifications by suprathermal (15\textendash100 eV) electrons. A combined investigation of wave and electron distribution characteristics obtained from the Van Allen Probes shows that peculiarities of the measured electron distribution significantly reduce Landau damping, allowing wave propagation with high N \~ 100\textendash200. Further comparing measured refractive indexes with theoretical estimates incorporating hot plasma corrections to the wave dispersion, we provide the first experimental demonstration that suprathermal electrons indeed control the upper limit of the refractive index of highly oblique whistler mode waves. Such results further support the importance of incorporating very oblique waves into radiation belt models. Ma, Q.; Artemyev, A.; Mourenas, D.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017GL075892 Landau damping; maximum refractive index; oblique chorus waves; thermal electron effects; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation |
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Automated Identification and Shape Analysis of Chorus Elements in the Van Allen Radiation Belts An important goal of the Van Allen Probes mission is to understand wave-particle interaction by chorus emissions in terrestrial Van Allen radiation belts. To test models, statistical characterization of chorus properties, such as amplitude variation and sweep rates, is an important scientific goal. The Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) instrumentation suite provides measurements of wave electric and magnetic fields as well as DC magnetic fields for the Van Allen Probes mission. However, manual inspection across terabytes of EMFISIS data is not feasible and as such introduces human confirmation bias. We present signal processing techniques for automated identification, shape analysis, and sweep rate characterization of high-amplitude whistler-mode chorus elements in the Van Allen radiation belts. Specifically, we develop signal processing techniques based on the radon transform that disambiguate chorus elements with a dominant sweep rate against hiss-like chorus. We present representative results validating our techniques and also provide statistical characterization of detected chorus elements across a case study of a 6 s epoch. Gupta, Ananya; Kletzing, Craig; Howk, Robin; Kurth, William; Matheny, Morgan; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 12/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA023949 |
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Chorus Wave Modulation of Langmuir Waves in the Radiation Belts Using high-resolution waveforms measured by the Van Allen Probes, we report a novel observation in the radiation belts. Namely, we show that multiband, discrete, rising-tone whistler mode chorus emissions exhibit a one-to-one correlation with Langmuir wave bursts. Moreover, the periodic Langmuir wave bursts are generally observed at the phase location where the chorus wave E|| component is oriented opposite to its propagation direction. The electron measurements show a beam in phase space density at the particle velocity that matches the parallel phase velocity of the chorus waves. Based on this evidence, we conclude that the chorus waves accelerate the suprathermal electrons via Landau resonance and generate a localized electron beam in phase space density. Consequently, the Langmuir waves are excited locally and are modulated by the chorus wave phase. This microscale interaction between chorus waves and high-frequency electrostatic waves provides a new insight into the nonlinear wave-particle interaction process. Li, Jinxing; Bortnik, Jacob; An, Xin; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard; Zhou, Meng; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Funsten, Herbert; Spence, Harlan; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017GL075877 Chorus wave; Landau resonance; Langmuir wave; nonlinear interaction; Radiation belt; Van Allen Probes; wave modulation |
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Relativistic electron increase during chorus wave activities on the 6-8 March 2016 geomagnetic storm There was a geomagnetic storm on 6\textendash8 March 2016, in which Van Allen Probes A and B separated by \~2.5 h measured increase of relativistic electrons with energies \~ several hundred keV to 1 MeV. Simultaneously, chorus waves were measured by both Van Allen Probes and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. Some of the chorus elements were rising-tones, possibly due to nonlinear effects. These measurements are compared with a nonlinear theory of chorus waves incorporating the inhomogeneity ratio and the field equation. From this theory, a chorus wave profile in time and one-dimensional space is simulated. Test particle calculations are then performed in order to examine the energization rate of electrons. Some electrons are accelerated, although more electrons are decelerated. The measured time scale of the electron increase is inferred to be consistent with this nonlinear theory. Matsui, H.; Torbert, R.; Spence, H.; Argall, M.; Alm, L.; Farrugia, C.; Kurth, W.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Funsten, H.; Reeves, G.; Ergun, R.; Khotyaintsev, Yu.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024540 chorus waves; Geomagnetic storm; relativistic electrons; Van Allen Probes |
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Diffusive transport of several hundred keV electrons in the Earth\textquoterights slot region We investigate the gradual diffusion of energetic electrons from the inner edge of the outer radiation belt into the slot region. The Van Allen Probes observed slow inward diffusion and decay of ~200-600 keV electrons following the intense geomagnetic storm that occurred on 17 March 2013. During the 10-day non-disturbed period following the storm, the peak of electron fluxes gradually moved from L~2.7 to L~2.4, and the flux levels decreased by a factor of ~2-4 depending on the electron energy. We simulated the radial intrusion and decay of electrons using a 3-dimentional diffusion code, which reproduced the energy-dependent transport of electrons from ~100 keV to 1 MeV in the slot region. At energies of 100-200 keV, the electrons experience fast transport across the slot region due to the dominance of radial diffusion; at energies of 200-600 keV, the electrons gradually diffuse and decay in the slot region due to the comparable rate of radial diffusion and pitch angle scattering by plasmaspheric hiss; at energies of E > 700 keV, the electrons stopped diffusing near the inner edge of outer radiation belt due to the dominant pitch angle scattering loss. In addition to plasmaspheric hiss, magnetosonic waves and VLF transmitters can cause the loss of high pitch angle electrons, relaxing the sharp \textquotelefttop-hat\textquoteright shaped pitch angle distributions created by plasmaspheric hiss. Our simulation indicates the importance of balance between radial diffusion and loss through pitch angle scattering in forming the diffusive intrusion of energetic electrons across the slot region. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Turner, D.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Baker, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024452 Electron transport; Energetic electron diffusion; pitch angle scattering; Slot region dynamics; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation; Waves in plasmasphere |
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Roles of hot electrons in generating upper-hybrid waves in the earth\textquoterights radiation belt Electrostatic fluctuations near upper-hybrid frequency, which are sometimes accompanied by multiple-harmonic electron cyclotron frequency bands above and below the upper-hybrid frequency, are common occurrences in the Earth\textquoterights radiation belt, as revealed through the twin Van Allen Probe spacecrafts. It is customary to use the upper-hybrid emissions for estimating the background electron density, which in turn can be used to determine the plasmapause locations, but the role of hot electrons in generating such fluctuations has not been discussed in detail. The present paper carries out detailed analyses of data from the Waves instrument, which is part of the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science suite onboard the Van Allen Probes. Combined with the theoretical calculation, it is shown that the peak intensity associated with the upper-hybrid fluctuations might be predominantly determined by tenuous but hot electrons and that denser cold background electrons do not seem to contribute much to the peak intensity. This finding shows that upper-hybrid fluctuations detected during quiet time are not only useful for the determination of the background cold electron density but also contain information on the ambient hot electrons population as well. Hwang, J.; Shin, D.; Yoon, P.; Kurth, W.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G.; Lee, D; Published by: Physics of Plasmas Published on: 06/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1063/1.4984249 Hot carriers; Magnetized plasmas; Radiation belts; Singing; Van Allen Probes; Whistler waves |
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Effects of whistler mode hiss waves in March 2013 We present simulations of the loss of radiation belt electrons by resonant pitch angle diffusion caused by whistler mode hiss waves for March 2013. Pitch angle diffusion coefficients are computed from the wave properties and the ambient plasma data obtained by the Van Allen Probes with a resolution of 8 hours and 0.1 L-shell. Loss rates follow a complex dynamic structure, imposed by the wave and plasma properties. Hiss effects can be strong, with minimum lifetimes (of ~1 day) moving from energies of ~100 keV at L~5 up to ~2 MeV at L~2, and stop abruptly, similarly to the observed energy-dependent inner belt edge. Periods when the plasmasphere extends beyond L~5 favor long-lasting hiss losses from the outer belt. Such loss rates are embedded in a reduced Fokker-Planck code and validated against MagEIS observations of the belts at all energy. Results are complemented with a sensitivity study involving different radial diffusion and lifetime models. Validation is carried out globally at all L-shells and energies. The good agreement between simulations and observations demonstrates that hiss waves drive the slot formation during quiet times. Combined with transport, they sculpt the energy-structure of the outer belt into an "S-shape". Low energy electrons (<0.3 MeV) are less subject to hiss scattering below L=4. In contrast, 0.3-1.5 MeV electrons evolve in a environment that depopulates them as they migrate from L~5 to L~2.5. Ultra-relativistic electrons are not affected by hiss losses until L~2-3. Ripoll, J.-F.; Santol?k, O.; Reeves, G.; Kurth, W.; Denton, M.; Loridan, V.; Thaller, S.; Kletzing, C.; Turner, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 06/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024139 diffusion coefficients; electron lifetimes; energy-structure; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes; Whistler-mode hiss |
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A technique to quantitatively determine the sheath impedance of the Van Allen Probes Electric Field and Waves (EFW) instrument is presented. This is achieved, for whistler mode waves, through a comparison between the total electric field wave power spectra calculated from magnetic field observations and cold plasma theory, and the total electric field wave power measured by the EFW spherical double probes instrument. In a previous study, a simple density-dependent sheath impedance model was developed in order to account for the differences between the observed and calculated wave electric field. The current study builds on this previous work by investigating the remaining discrepancies, identifying their cause, and developing an improved sheath impedance correction. Analysis reveals that anomalous gains are caused by the spin axis antennas measuring too much electric field at specific densities and frequencies. This is accounted for in an improved sheath impedance model by introducing a density-dependent function describing the relative effective length of the probe separation, Leff, in addition to the sheath capacitance and resistance values previously calculated. Leff values vary between between 0.5 and 1.2, with values >1 accounting for the anomalous gains and values <1 accounting for the shorting effect at low densities. Applying this improved sheath impedance model results in a significant increase in the agreement level between observed and calculated electric field power spectra and wave powers over the previous model. Hartley, D.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Bounds, S.; Averkamp, T.; Bonnell, J.; ik, O.; Wygant, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 03/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023597 antenna sheath impedance; EFW; electric field; EMFISIS; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode waves |
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Utilizing simultaneous twin Van Allen Probes observations of whistler mode waves at variable separations, we are able to distinguish the temporal variations from spatial variations, determine the coherence spatial scale, and suggest the possible mechanism of wave modulation. The two probes observed coherently modulated whistler mode waves simultaneously at an unexpectedly large distance up to ~4.3 RE over 3 h during a relatively quiet period. The modulation of 150\textendash500 Hz plasmaspheric hiss was correlated with whistler mode waves measured outside the plasmasphere across 3 h in magnetic local time and 3 L shells, revealing that the modulation was temporal in nature. We suggest that the coherent modulation of whistler mode waves was associated with the coherent ULF waves measured over a large scale, which modulate the plasmaspheric density and result in the modulation of hiss waves via local amplification. In a later period, the 500\textendash1500 Hz periodic rising-tone whistler mode waves were strongly correlated when the two probes traversed large spatial regions and even across the plasmapause. These periodic rising-tone emissions recurred with roughly the same period as the ULF wave, but there was no one-to-one correspondence, and a cross-correlation analysis suggests that they possibly originated from large L shells although the actual cause needs further investigation. Li, Jinxing; Bortnik, Jacob; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard; Ma, Qianli; Chu, Xiangning; Chen, Lunjin; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Wygant, John; Breneman, Aaron; Thaller, Scott; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 02/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023706 coherent waves; multisatellite; periodic rising tone; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode |
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Utilizing simultaneous twin Van Allen Probes observations of whistler mode waves at variable separations, we are able to distinguish the temporal variations from spatial variations, determine the coherence spatial scale, and suggest the possible mechanism of wave modulation. The two probes observed coherently modulated whistler mode waves simultaneously at an unexpectedly large distance up to ~4.3 RE over 3 h during a relatively quiet period. The modulation of 150\textendash500 Hz plasmaspheric hiss was correlated with whistler mode waves measured outside the plasmasphere across 3 h in magnetic local time and 3 L shells, revealing that the modulation was temporal in nature. We suggest that the coherent modulation of whistler mode waves was associated with the coherent ULF waves measured over a large scale, which modulate the plasmaspheric density and result in the modulation of hiss waves via local amplification. In a later period, the 500\textendash1500 Hz periodic rising-tone whistler mode waves were strongly correlated when the two probes traversed large spatial regions and even across the plasmapause. These periodic rising-tone emissions recurred with roughly the same period as the ULF wave, but there was no one-to-one correspondence, and a cross-correlation analysis suggests that they possibly originated from large L shells although the actual cause needs further investigation. Li, Jinxing; Bortnik, Jacob; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard; Ma, Qianli; Chu, Xiangning; Chen, Lunjin; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Hospodarsky, George; Wygant, John; Breneman, Aaron; Thaller, Scott; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 02/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023706 coherent waves; multisatellite; periodic rising tone; Van Allen Probes; whistler mode |
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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 ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. The waves exhibited strong spectral power in the 5\textendash40 mHz band and included multiharmonic toroidal waves visible up to the eleventh 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 waves originating in the foreshock region. This source mechanism is supported by the tailward propagation of the compressional magnetic field perturbations at a phase velocity of a few hundred kilometers per second that is determined by the cross-phase analysis of data from the two spacecraft. We also find that the coherence and phase delay of the azimuthal components of the magnetic field from the two spacecraft strongly depend on the radial separation of the spacecraft and attribute this feature to field line resonance effects. Finally, using the observed toroidal wave frequencies, we estimate the plasma mass density for L = 2.6\textendash5.8. By comparing the mass density with the electron number density that is estimated from the spectrum of plasma waves, we infer that the plasma was dominated by H+ ions and was distributed uniformly along the magnetic field lines. The electron density is higher than the prediction of saturated plasmasphere models, and this \textquotedblleftsuper saturated\textquotedblright plasmasphere and the uniform ion distribution are consistent with the low geomagnetic activity that prevailed. 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: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020373 multispacecraft observation; plasmasphere; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes |
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An interesting form of \textquotedblleftzipper-like\textquotedblright magnetosonic waves consisting of two bands of interleaved periodic rising-tone spectra was newly observed by the Van Allen Probes, the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), and the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) missions. The two discrete bands are distinct in frequency and intensity; however, they maintain the same periodicity which varies in space and time, suggesting that they possibly originate from one single source intrinsically. In one event, the zipper-like magnetosonic waves exhibit the same periodicity as a constant-frequency magnetosonic wave and an electrostatic emission, but the modulation comes from neither density fluctuations nor ULF waves. A statistical survey based on 3.5 years of multisatellite observations shows that zipper-like magnetosonic waves mainly occur on the dawnside to noonside, in a frequency range between 10 fcp and fLHR. The zipper-like magnetosonic waves may provide a new clue to nonlinear excitation or modulation process, while its cause still remains to be fully understood. Li, J.; Bortnik, J.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Wygant, J.; Breneman, A.; Thaller, S.; Funsten, H.; Mitchell, D.; Manweiler, J.; Torbert, R.; Le Contel, O.; Ergun, R.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Torkar, K.; Nakamura, R.; Andriopoulou, M.; Russell, C.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 01/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023536 magnetosonic wave; Radiation belt; rising-tone; Van Allen Probes; zipper-like |
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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 |
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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 |
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Statistical distribution of EMIC wave spectra: Observations from Van Allen Probes It has been known that electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can precipitate ultrarelativistic electrons through cyclotron resonant scattering. However, the overall effectiveness of this mechanism has yet to be quantified, because it is difficult to obtain the global distribution of EMIC waves that usually exhibit limited spatial presence. We construct a statistical distribution of EMIC wave frequency spectra and their intensities based on Van Allen Probes measurements from September 2012 to December 2015. Our results show that as the ratio of plasma frequency over electron gyrofrequency increases, EMIC wave power becomes progressively dominated by the helium band. There is a pronounced dawn-dusk asymmetry in the wave amplitude and the frequency spectrum. The frequency spectrum does not follow the commonly used single-peak Gaussian function. Incorporating these realistic EMIC wave frequency spectra into radiation belt models is expected to improve the quantification of EMIC wave scattering effects in ultrarelativistic electron dynamics. Zhang, X.-J.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Angelopoulos, V.; Bortnik, J.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 12/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016GL071158 EMIC waves; magnetic storm; outer radiation belt; relativistic electron loss; Van Allen Probes; Wave-particle interaction |
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Characteristic energy range of electron scattering due to plasmaspheric hiss We investigate the characteristic energy range of electron flux decay due to the interaction with plasmaspheric hiss in the Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere. The Van Allen Probes have measured the energetic electron flux decay profiles in the Earth\textquoterights outer radiation belt during a quiet period following the geomagnetic storm that occurred on 7 November 2015. The observed energy of significant electron decay increases with decreasing L shell and is well correlated with the energy band corresponding to the first adiabatic invariant μ = 4\textendash200 MeV/G. The electron diffusion coefficients due to hiss scattering are calculated at L = 2\textendash6, and the modeled energy band of effective pitch angle scattering is also well correlated with the constant μ lines and is consistent with the observed energy range of electron decay. Using the previously developed statistical plasmaspheric hiss model during modestly disturbed periods, we perform a 2-D Fokker-Planck simulation of the electron phase space density evolution at L = 3.5 and demonstrate that plasmaspheric hiss causes the significant decay of 100 keV\textendash1 MeV electrons with the largest decay rate occurring at around 340 keV, forming anisotropic pitch angle distributions at lower energies and more flattened distributions at higher energies. Our study provides reasonable estimates of the electron populations that can be most significantly affected by plasmaspheric hiss and the consequent electron decay profiles. Ma, Q.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Bortnik, J.; Reeves, G.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Spence, H.; Baker, D.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S.; Angelopoulos, V.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA023311 electron flux decay; pitch angle scattering; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation |
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EMIC waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation on 25-26 January 2013 Using measurements from the Van Allen Probes and the Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL), we perform a case study of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and associated relativistic electron precipitation (REP) observed on 25\textendash26 January 2013. Among all the EMIC wave and REP events from the two missions, the pair of the events is the closest both in space and time. The Van Allen Probe-B detected significant EMIC waves at L = 2.1\textendash3.9 and magnetic local time (MLT) = 21.0\textendash23.4 for 53.5 min from 2353:00 UT, 25 January 2013. Meanwhile, BARREL-1T observed clear precipitation of relativistic electrons at L = 4.2\textendash4.3 and MLT = 20.7\textendash20.8 for 10.0 min from 2358 UT, 25 January 2013. Local plasma and field conditions for the excitation of the EMIC waves, wave properties, electron minimum resonant energy Emin, and electron pitch angle diffusion coefficient Dαα of a sample EMIC wave packet are examined along with solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, geomagnetic activity, and results from the spectral analysis of the BARREL balloon observations to investigate the two types of events. The events occurred in the early main phase of a moderate storm (min. Dst* = -51.0 nT). The EMIC wave event consists of two parts. Unlike the first part, the second part of the EMIC wave event was locally generated and still in its source region. It is found that the REP event is likely associated with the EMIC wave event. Zhang, Jichun; Halford, Alexa; Saikin, Anthony; Huang, Chia-Lin; Spence, Harlan; Larsen, Brian; Reeves, Geoffrey; Millan, Robyn; Smith, Charles; Torbert, Roy; Kurth, William; Kletzing, Craig; Blake, Bernard; Fennel, Joseph; Baker, Daniel; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022918 BARREL; EMIC waves; FFT; Geomagnetic storm; relativistic electron precipitation (REP); Van Allen Probes |
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Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain relativistic electron flux depletions (dropouts) in the Earth\textquoterights outer radiation belt during storm times: adiabatic expansion of electron drift shells due to a decrease in magnetic field strength, magnetopause shadowing and subsequent outward radial diffusion, and precipitation into the atmosphere (driven by EMIC wave scattering). Which mechanism predominates in causing electron dropouts commonly observed in the outer radiation belt is still debatable. In the present study, we evaluate the physical mechanism that may be primarily responsible for causing the sudden change in relativistic electron pitch angle distributions during a dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes during the main phase of the 27 February 2014 storm. During this event, the phase space density of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons was depleted by more than 1 order of magnitude over the entire radial extent of the outer radiation belt (3 < L* < 5) in less than 6 h after the passage of an interplanetary shock. We model the electron pitch angle distribution under a compressed magnetic field topology based on actual solar wind conditions. Although these ultrarelativistic electrons exhibit highly anisotropic (peaked in 90\textdegree), energy-dependent pitch angle distributions, which appear to be associated with the typical EMIC wave scattering, comparison of the modeled electron distribution to electron measurements indicates that drift shell splitting is responsible for this rapid change in electron pitch angle distributions. This further indicates that magnetopause loss is the predominant cause of the electron dropout right after the shock arrival. Zhang, X.-J.; Li, W.; Thorne, R.; Angelopoulos, V.; Ma, Q.; Li, J.; Bortnik, J.; Nishimura, Y.; Chen, L.; Baker, D.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 09/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022517 Drift shell splitting; dropouts; magnetic storm; magnetopause shadowing; outer radiation belt; relativistic electron loss; Van Allen Probes |
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Unraveling the excitation mechanisms of highly oblique lower band chorus waves Excitation mechanisms of highly oblique, quasi-electrostatic lower band chorus waves are investigated using Van Allen Probes observations near the equator of the Earth\textquoterights magnetosphere. Linear growth rates are evaluated based on in situ, measured electron velocity distributions and plasma conditions and compared with simultaneously observed wave frequency spectra and wave normal angles. Accordingly, two distinct excitation mechanisms of highly oblique lower band chorus have been clearly identified for the first time. The first mechanism relies on cyclotron resonance with electrons possessing both a realistic temperature anisotropy at keV energies and a plateau at 100\textendash500 eV in the parallel velocity distribution. The second mechanism corresponds to Landau resonance with a 100\textendash500 eV beam. In both cases, a small low-energy beam-like component is necessary for suppressing an otherwise dominating Landau damping. Our new findings suggest that small variations in the electron distribution could have important impacts on energetic electron dynamics. Li, W.; Mourenas, D.; Artemyev, A.; Bortnik, J.; Thorne, R.; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.; Reeves, G.; Funsten, H.; Spence, H.; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 09/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/grl.v43.1710.1002/2016GL070386 beam instability; lower band chorus; oblique chorus excitation; temperature anisotropy; Van Allen Probes |