Bibliography
|
Notice:
|
Found 22 entries in the Bibliography.
Showing entries from 1 through 22
| 2021 |
|
Modeling the Dynamics of Radiation Belt Electrons with Source and Loss Driven by the Solar Wind Abstract A radial diffusion model directly driven by the solar wind is developed to reproduce MeV electron variations between L=2-12 (L is L* in this study) from October 2012 to April 2015. The radial diffusion coefficient, internal source rate, quick loss due to EMIC waves, and slow loss due to hiss waves are all expressed in terms of the solar wind speed, dynamic pressure, and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The model achieves a prediction efficiency (PE) of 0.45 at L=5 and 0.51 at L=4 after converting the electron phase space densities to differential fluxes and comparing with Van Allen Probes measurements of 2 MeV and 3 MeV electrons at L=5 and L=4, respectively. Machine learning techniques are used to tune parameters to get higher PE. By tuning parameters for every 60-day period, the model obtains PE values of 0.58 and 0.82 at L=5 and L=4, respectively. Inspired by these results, we divide the solar wind activity into three categories based on the condition of solar wind speed, IMF Bz, and dynamic pressure, and then tune these three sets of parameters to obtain the highest PE. This experiment confirms that the solar wind speed has the greatest influence on the electron flux variations, particularly at higher L, while the dynamic pressure has more influence at lower L. Also, the PE at L=4 is mostly higher than those at L=5, suggesting that the electron loss due to the magnetopause shadowing combined with the outward radial diffusion is not well captured in the model. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Xiang, Zheng; Li, Xinlin; Kapali, Sudha; Gannon, Jennifer; Ni, Binbin; Zhao, Hong; Zhang, Kun; Khoo, Leng; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028988 Radiation belt; Solar wind; flux prediction; radial diffusion; magnetopause shadowing; wave-particle interactions; Van Allen Probes |
|
Energetic electron detection packages on board Chinese navigation satellites in MEO Abstract Energetic electron measurements and spacecraft charging are of great significance for theoretical research in space physics and space weather applications. In this paper, the energetic electron detection package (EEDP) deployed on three Chinese navigation satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO) is reviewed. The instrument was developed by the space science payload team led by Peking University. The EEDP includes a pinhole medium-energy electron spectrometer (MES), a high-energy electron detector (HED) based on ΔE-E telescope technology, and a deep dielectric charging monitor (DDCM). The MES measures the energy spectra of 50−600 keV electrons from nine directions with a 180°×30° field of view (FOV). The HED measures the energy spectrum of 0.5−3.0 MeV electrons from one direction with a 30° cone-angle FOV. The ground test and calibration results indicate that these three sensors exhibit excellent performance. Preliminary observations show that the electron spectra measured by the MES and HED are in good agreement with the results from the magnetic electron-ion spectrometer (MagEIS) of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft, with an average relative deviation of 27.3\% for the energy spectra. The charging currents and voltages measured by the DDCM during storms are consistent with the high-energy electron observations of the HED, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DDCM. The observations of the EEDP on board the three MEO satellites can provide important support for theoretical research on the radiation belts and the applications related to space weather. YuGuang, Ye; Hong, Zou; Qiu-Gang, Zong; HongFei, Chen; JiQing, Zou; WeiHong, Shi; XiangQian, Yu; WeiYing, Zhong; YongFu, Wang; YiXin, Hao; ZhiYang, Liu; XiangHong, Jia; Bo, Wang; XiaoPing, Yang; XiaoYun, Hao; Published by: Earth and Planetary Physics Published on: 04/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26464/epp2021021 Radiation belts; energetic electron detection; Pin-hole technology; Chinese navigation satellites; MEO; internal charging; Van Allen Probes |
|
Energetic electron detection packages on board Chinese navigation satellites in MEO Abstract Energetic electron measurements and spacecraft charging are of great significance for theoretical research in space physics and space weather applications. In this paper, the energetic electron detection package (EEDP) deployed on three Chinese navigation satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO) is reviewed. The instrument was developed by the space science payload team led by Peking University. The EEDP includes a pinhole medium-energy electron spectrometer (MES), a high-energy electron detector (HED) based on ΔE-E telescope technology, and a deep dielectric charging monitor (DDCM). The MES measures the energy spectra of 50−600 keV electrons from nine directions with a 180°×30° field of view (FOV). The HED measures the energy spectrum of 0.5−3.0 MeV electrons from one direction with a 30° cone-angle FOV. The ground test and calibration results indicate that these three sensors exhibit excellent performance. Preliminary observations show that the electron spectra measured by the MES and HED are in good agreement with the results from the magnetic electron-ion spectrometer (MagEIS) of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft, with an average relative deviation of 27.3\% for the energy spectra. The charging currents and voltages measured by the DDCM during storms are consistent with the high-energy electron observations of the HED, demonstrating the effectiveness of the DDCM. The observations of the EEDP on board the three MEO satellites can provide important support for theoretical research on the radiation belts and the applications related to space weather. YuGuang, Ye; Hong, Zou; Qiu-Gang, Zong; HongFei, Chen; JiQing, Zou; WeiHong, Shi; XiangQian, Yu; WeiYing, Zhong; YongFu, Wang; YiXin, Hao; ZhiYang, Liu; XiangHong, Jia; Bo, Wang; XiaoPing, Yang; XiaoYun, Hao; Published by: Earth and Planetary Physics Published on: 04/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26464/epp2021021 Radiation belts; energetic electron detection; Pin-hole technology; Chinese navigation satellites; MEO; internal charging; Van Allen Probes |
|
Abstract Based on Van Allen Probes observations, in this study we perform a statistical analysis of the spectral intensities of plasmaspheric hiss at L-shells of 1.8 – 3.0 in the slot region. Our results show that slot region hiss power intensifies with a strong day-night asymmetry as the level of substorm activity or L-shell increases. Using the statistical spectral profiles of plasmaspheric hiss, we calculate the drift- and bounce-averaged electron pitch angle diffusion coefficients and subsequently obtain the resultant electron loss timescales through 1-D Fokker-Planck simulations. We find that slot region electron loss timescales vary significantly from <1 day to several years, showing a strong dependence on electron energy, L-shell and substorm activity. We also construct an empirical model of slot region electron loss timescales due to scattering by plasmaspheric hiss, which agrees well with the 1-D simulation results and can be readily used in modeling the dynamics of slot region electrons. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Zhu, Qi; Cao, Xing; Gu, Xudong; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Fu, Song; Summers, Danny; Hua, Man; Lou, Yuequn; Ma, Xin; Guo, YingJie; Guo, DeYu; Zhang, Wenxun; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 04/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA029057 Plasmaspheric Hiss; Slot region; Electron loss timescales; Van Allen Probes |
|
Prediction of Dynamic Plasmapause Location Using a Neural Network Abstract As a common boundary layer that distinctly separates the regions of high-density plasmasphere and low-density plasmatrough, the plasmapause is essential to comprehend the dynamics and variability of the inner magnetosphere. Using the machine learning framework Pytorch and high-quality Van Allen Probes data set, we develop a neural network model to predict the global dynamic variation of the plasmapause location, along with the identification of 6537 plasmapause crossing events during the period from 2012 to 2017. To avoid the overfitting and optimize the model generalization, 5493 events during the period from September 2012 to December 2015 are adopted for division into the training set and validation set in terms of the 10-fold cross validation method, and the remaining 1044 events are used as the test set. The model parameterized by only AE or Kp index can reproduce the plasmapause locations similar to those modeled using all five considered solar wind and geomagnetic parameters. Model evaluation on the test set indicate that our neural network model is capable of predicting the plasmapause location with the lowest RMSE. Our model can also produce a smooth MLT variation of the plasmapause location with good accuracy, which can be incorporated into global radiation belt simulations and space weather forecasts under a variety of geomagnetic conditions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Guo, DeYu; Fu, Song; Xiang, Zheng; Ni, Binbin; Guo, YingJie; Feng, Minghang; Guo, JianGuang; Hu, Zejun; Gu, Xudong; Zhu, Jianan; Cao, Xing; Wang, Qi; Published by: Space Weather Published on: 03/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020SW002622 Plasmapause; neural network; Van Allen Probes; space weather forecast |
|
Abstract Energy spectra of ring current protons are crucial to understanding the ring current dynamics. Based on high-quality Van Allen Probes RBSPICE measurements, we investigate the global distribution of the reversed proton energy spectra using the 2013-2019 RBSPICE datasets. The reversed proton energy spectra are characterized by the distinct flux minima around 50 - 100 keV and flux maxima around 200 - 400 keV. Our results show that the reversed proton energy spectrum is prevalent inside the plasmasphere, with the occurrence rates > 90\% at L ∼2 - 4 during geomagnetically quiet periods. Its occurrence also manifests a significant decrease trend with increasing L-shell and enhanced geomagnetic activity. It is indicated that the substorm-associated and/or convection processes are likely to lead to the disappearances of the reversed spectra. These results provide important clues for exploring the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for the formation and evolution of reversed proton energy spectra. Juan, Yi; Song, Fu; Binbin, Ni; Xudong, Gu; Hua, Man; Xiang, Zheng; Cao, Xing; Shi, Run; Zhao, Yiwen; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 01/2021 YEAR: 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091559 |
| 2020 |
|
Radiation belt electron dropouts indicate electron flux decay to the background level during geomagnetic storms, which is commonly attributed to the effects of wave-induced pitch angle scattering and magnetopause shadowing. To investigate the loss mechanisms of radiation belt electron dropouts triggered by a solar wind dynamic pressure pulse event on 12 September 2014, we comprehensively analyzed the particle and wave measurements from Van Allen Probes. The dropout event was divided into three periods: before the storm, the initial phase of the storm, and the main phase of the storm. The electron pitch angle distributions (PADs) and electron flux dropouts during the initial and main phases of this storm were investigated, and the evolution of the radial profile of electron phase space density (PSD) and the (μ, K) dependence of electron PSD dropouts (where μ, K, and L* are the three adiabatic invariants) were analyzed. The energy-independent decay of electrons at L > 4.5 was accompanied by butterfly PADs, suggesting that the magnetopause shadowing process may be the major loss mechanism during the initial phase of the storm at L > 4.5. The features of electron dropouts and 90°-peaked PADs were observed only for >1 MeV electrons at L < 4, indicating that the wave-induced scattering effect may dominate the electron loss processes at the lower L-shell during the main phase of the storm. Evaluations of the (μ, K) dependence of electron PSD drops and calculations of the minimum electron resonant energies of H+-band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves support the scenario that the observed PSD drop peaks around L* = 3.9 may be caused mainly by the scattering of EMIC waves, whereas the drop peaks around L* = 4.6 may result from a combination of EMIC wave scattering and outward radial diffusion. Ma, Xin; Xiang, Zheng; Ni, Binbin; Fu, Song; Cao, Xing; Hua, Man; Guo, DeYu; Guo, YingJie; Gu, Xudong; Liu, ZeYuan; Zhu, Qi; Published by: Earth and Planetary Physics Published on: 11/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26464/epp2020060 radiation belt electron flux dropouts; Geomagnetic storm; electron phase space density; magnetopause shadowing; wave–particle interactions; Van Allen Probes |
|
The Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) mission provided long-term measurements of 10s of megaelectron volt (MeV) inner belt (L < 2) protons (1992–2009) as did the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite-18 (POES-18, 2005 to present). These long-term measurements at low-Earth orbit (LEO) showed clear solar cycle variations which anticorrelate with sunspot number. However, the magnitude of the variation is much greater than the solar cycle variation of galactic cosmic rays (>GeV) that are regarded as a source of these trapped protons. Furthermore, the proton fluxes and their variations sensitively depend on the altitude above the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) region. With respect to protons (>36 MeV) mirroring near the magnetic equator, both POES measurements and simulations show no obvious solar cycle variations at L > 1.2. This is also confirmed by recent measurements from the Van Allen Probes (2012–2019), but there are clear solar cycle variations and a strong spatial gradient of the proton flux below L = 1.2. A direct comparison between measurements and simulations leads to the conclusion that energy loss of trapped protons due to collisions with free and bound electrons in the ionosphere and atmosphere is the dominant mechanism for the strong spatial gradient and solar cycle variation of the inner belt protons. This fact is also key of importance for spacecraft and instrument design and operation in near-Earth space. Li, Xinlin; Xiang, Zheng; Zhang, Kun; Khoo, Lengying; Zhao, Hong; Baker, Daniel; Temerin, Michael; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028198 Inner radiation belt; Inner Belt Proton; Solar cycle variation; Cosmic rays; neutron monitor; Low Earth Orbit satellite; Van Allen Probes |
|
Earth s slot region, lying between the outer and inner radiation belts, has been identified as due to a balance between inward radial diffusion and pitch angle (PA) scattering induced by waves. However, recent satellite observations and modeling studies indicate that cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND) may also play a significant role in energetic electron dynamics in the slot region. In this study, using a drift-diffusion-source model, we investigate the relative contribution of all significant waves and CRAND to the dynamics of energetic electrons in the slot region during July 2014, an extended period of quiet geomagnetic activity. The bounce-averaged PA diffusion coefficients from three types of waves (hiss, lightning-generated whistlers [LGW], and very low frequency [VLF] transmitters) are calculated based on quasi-linear theory, while the CRAND source follows the results in Xiang et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL081730). The simulation results indicate that both LGW and VLF transmitter waves can enhance loss and weaken the top hat PA distribution induced by hiss waves. For 470 keV electrons at L = 2.5, simulation results without CRAND show a much quicker decrease than observations from the Van Allen Probes. After including CRAND, simulated electron flux variations reproduce satellite observations, suggesting that CRAND is an important source for hundreds of keV electrons in the slot region during quiet times. The balance between the CRAND source and loss due to wave-particle interactions provides a lower limit to relativistic electron fluxes in the slot region, which can act as an important reference point for instrument calibration when a true background level is warranted. Xiang, Zheng; Li, Xinlin; Ni, Binbin; Temerin, M.; Zhao, Hong; Zhang, Kun; Khoo, Leng; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028042 Slot region; Wave-particle interaction; CRAND; energetic electrons; Van Allen Probes |
|
Using wave measurements from the EMFISIS instrument onboard Van Allen Probes, we investigate statistically the spatial distributions of the intensity of plasmaspheric hiss waves. To reproduce these empirical results, we establish a fitting model that is a third-order polynomial function of L-shell, magnetic local time (MLT), magnetic latitude (MLAT), and AE*. Quantitative comparisons indicate that the model s fitting functions can reflect favorably the major empirical features of the global distribution of hiss wave intensity, including substorm dependence and the MLT asymmetry. Our results therefore provide a useful analytic model that can be readily employed in future simulations of global radiation belt electron dynamics under the impact of plasmaspheric hiss waves in geospace. Wang, JingZhi; Zhu, Qi; Gu, Xudong; Fu, Song; Guo, JianGuang; Zhang, Xiaoxin; Yi, Juan; Guo, YingJie; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Published by: Earth and Planetary Physics Published on: 06/2020 YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26464/epp2020034 |
|
Upper Limit of Electron Fluxes Observed in the Radiation Belts Radiation belt electrons have a complicated relationship with geomagnetic activity. We select electron measurements from 7 years of DEMETER and 6 years of Van Allen Probes data during geomagnetic storms to conduct statistical analysis focusing on the correlation between electron flux and Dst index. We report, for the first time, an upper limit of electron fluxes observed by both satellites throughout the inner and outer belts across a wide energy range from ?100s keV to multi-MeV. The upper flux limit is determined at different L s and energies, for example, 1.9 × 107/cm2-s-sr-MeV at 470 keV at L = 1.5 and 3.6 × 105/cm2-s-sr-MeV at 3.4 MeV at L = 4 (Van Allen Probes). We present the energy spectra of the electron flux upper limit at different L shells and find the measured upper flux limit to be at least three times higher than the predicted flux from the AE8/AE9 models, although the spectral shape is remarkably similar. We show that the average flux with an applied time lag is better correlated with the Dst index and that the time lag optimizing the correlation coefficient is larger at lower L and at higher energies. These findings present the underlying challenges to model the dynamic variation of relativistic electrons in the inner magnetosphere and are important information for space weather considerations. Zhang, Kun; Li, Xinlin; Zhao, Hong; Xiang, Zheng; Khoo, Leng; Zhang, Wenxun; Hogan, Benjamin; Temerin, Michael; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: YEAR: 2020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028511 electron; Radiation belt; statistics; upper limit; Van Allen Probes |
| 2019 |
|
In this report, the relationship between innermost plasmapause locations (Lpp) and initial electron enhancements during both storm and nonstorm (Dst > -30 nT) periods are examined using data from the Van Allen Probes. The geomagnetic storms are classified into coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven and corotating interaction region (CIR)-driven storms to explore their influences on the initial electron enhancements, respectively. We also study nonstorm time electron enhancements and observe frequent, sudden (within two consecutive orbital passes) <400-keV electron enhancements during quiet periods. Our analysis reveals an incredibly cohesive observation that holds regardless of electron energies (~30 keV\textendash2.5 MeV) or geomagnetic conditions: the innermost Lpp is the innermost boundary of the initial energetic electron enhancements. Interestingly, the quantified energy-dependent relationship of the sudden, intense energetic electron enhancements, with respect to the innermost Lpp, also exhibit a very similar trend during both storm and nonstorm periods. In summary, the goal of this report is to provide a comprehensive quantification of this consistent relationship under various geomagnetic conditions, which will also enable better forecast and specification of energetic electrons in the inner magnetosphere. Khoo, L.-Y.; Li, X.; Zhao, H.; Chu, X.; Xiang, Z.; Zhang, K.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 11/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027412 energetic electron enhancements; Plasmapause; Radiation Belt Dynamics; Van Allen Probes |
|
Whistler mode hiss acts as an important loss mechanism contributing to the radiation belt electron dynamics inside the plasmasphere and plasmaspheric plumes. Based on Van Allen Probes observations from September 2012 to December 2015, we conduct a detailed analysis of hiss properties in plasmaspheric plumes and illustrate that corresponding to the highest occurrence probability of plumes at L = 5.0\textendash6.0 and MLT = 18\textendash21, hiss emissions occur concurrently with a rate of >~80\%. Plume hiss can efficiently scatter ~10- to 100-keV electrons at rates up to ~10-4 s-1 near the loss cone, and the resultant electron loss timescales vary largely with energy, that is, from less than an hour for tens of kiloelectron volt electrons to several days for hundreds of kiloelectron volt electrons and to >100 days for >5-MeV electrons. These newly obtained statistical properties of plume hiss and associated electron scattering effects are useful to future modeling efforts of radiation belt electron dynamics. Zhang, Wenxun; Ni, Binbin; Huang, He; Summers, Danny; Fu, Song; Xiang, Zheng; Gu, Xudong; Cao, Xing; Lou, Yuequn; Hua, Man; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2019 YEAR: 2019 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL081863 Electron scattering; plasmaspheric plumes; plume hiss; Van Allen Probes |
| 2018 |
|
Using Van Allen Probes\textquoteright observations and established plasmapause location (Lpp) models, we investigate the relationship between the location of the initial enhancement (IE) of energetic electrons and the innermost (among all magnetic local time sectors) Lpp over five intense storm periods. Our study reveals that the IE events for 30 keV to 2MeV electrons always occurred outside of the innermost Lpp. On average, the inner extent of the IE events (LIE) for <800 keV electrons was closer to the innermost Lpp when compared to the LIE for >800 keV electrons that was found consistently at ~1.5 RE outside of the innermost Lpp. The IE of 10s keV electrons was observed before the IE of 100s keV electrons, and the IE of >800 keV electrons was observed on average 12.6\textpm2.3 hours after the occurrence of the earliest IE event. In addition, we report an overall electron (~30 keV to ~2 MeV) flux increase outside the plasmasphere during the selected storm periods, in contrast to the little change of energy spectrum evolution inside the plasmasphere; this demonstrates the important role of the plasmasphere in shaping energetic electron dynamics. Our investigation of the LIE-Lpp relationship also provides insights into the underlying physical processes responsible for the dynamics of tens keV to >MeV electrons. Khoo, Leng; Li, Xinlin; Zhao, Hong; Sarris, Theodore; Xiang, Zheng; Zhang, Kun; Kellerman, Adam; Blake, Bernard; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 10/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018JA026074 energetic electron; enhancements; plasmasphere; Radiation belt; Van Allen Probes |
|
We report a typical event that fast magnetosonic (MS) waves, exohiss, and two-band chorus waves occurred simultaneously on the dayside observed by Van Allen Probes on 25 December 2013. By combining calculations of electron diffusion coefficients and 2-D Fokker-Planck diffusion simulations, we quantitatively analyze the combined scattering effect of multiple waves to demonstrate that the net impact of combined scattering does not simply depend on the wave intensity dominance of various plasma waves. Although the observed MS waves are most intense, the electron butterfly distribution is inhibited by exohiss and chorus, and electrons are considerably accelerated by combined scattering of MS and chorus waves. The simulated electron pitch angle distributions exhibit the variation trend consistent with the observations. Our results strongly suggest that competition and cooperation between resonant interactions with concurrently occurring magnetospheric waves need to be carefully treated in modeling and comprehending the radiation belt electron dynamics. Hua, Man; Ni, Binbin; Fu, Song; Gu, Xudong; Xiang, Zheng; Cao, Xing; Zhang, Wenxun; He, Ying; Huang, He; Lou, Yuequn; Zhang, Yang; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 09/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL079533 Combined scattering effect; diffusion simulations; Exohiss; magnetosonic waves; resonant wave-particle interactions; two-band chorus waves; Van Allen Probes |
|
A Statistical Survey of Radiation Belt Dropouts Observed by Van Allen Probes A statistical analysis on the radiation belt dropouts is performed based on 4 years of electron phase space density data from the Van Allen Probes. The μ, K, and L* dependence of dropouts and their driving mechanisms and geomagnetic and solar wind conditions are investigated using electron phase space density data sets for the first time. Our results suggest that electronmagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave scattering is the dominant dropout mechanism at low L* region, which requires the most active geomagnetic and solar wind conditions. In contrast, dropouts at high L* have a higher occurrence and are due to a combination of EMIC wave scattering and outward radial diffusion associated with magnetopause shadowing. In addition, outward radial diffusion at high L* is found to cause larger dropouts than EMIC wave scattering and is accompanied with active geomagnetic and solar wind drivers. Xiang, Zheng; Tu, Weichao; Ni, Binbin; Henderson, M.; Cao, Xing; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 08/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL078907 EMIC wave; magnetopause shadowing; Phase space density; radial diffusion; radiation belt dropout; Van Allen Probes; wave particle interaction |
|
Electron Scattering by Plasmaspheric Hiss in a Nightside Plume Plasmaspheric hiss is known to play an important role in radiation belt electron dynamics in high plasma density regions. We present observations of two crossings of a plasmaspheric plume by the Van Allen Probes on 26 December 2012, which occurred unusually at the post-midnight-to-dawn sector between L ~ 4\textendash6 during a geomagnetically quiet period. This plume exhibited pronounced electron densities higher than those of the average plume level. Moderate hiss emissions accompanied the two plume crossings with the peak power at about 100 Hz. Quantification of quasi-linear bounce-averaged electron scattering rates by hiss in the plume demonstrates that the waves are efficient to pitch angle scatter ~10\textendash100 keV electrons at rates up to ~10-4 s-1 near the loss cone but become gradually insignificant to scatter the higher energy electron population. The resultant timescales of electron loss due to hiss in the nightside plume vary largely with electron kinetic energy over 3 orders of magnitude, that is, from several hours for tens of keV electrons to a few days for hundreds of keV electrons to well above 100 days for >1 MeV electrons. Changing slightly with L-shell and the multiquartile profile of hiss spectral intensity, these electron loss timescales suggest that hiss emissions in the nightside plume act as a viable candidate for the fast loss of the ≲100 keV electrons and the slow decay of higher energy electrons. Zhang, Wenxun; Fu, Song; Gu, Xudong; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Summers, Danny; Zou, Zhengyang; Cao, Xing; Lou, Yuequn; Hua, Man; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 05/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1029/2018GL077212 Electron scattering; nightside plumes; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes |
|
Resonant Scattering of Radiation Belt Electrons by Off-Equatorial Magnetosonic Waves Fast magnetosonic (MS) waves are commonly regarded as electromagnetic waves that are characteristically confined within \textpm3\textdegree of the geomagnetic equator. We report two typical off-equatorial MS events observed by Van Allen Probes, that is, the 8 May 2014 event that occurred at the geomagnetic latitudes of 7.5\textdegree\textendash9.2\textdegree both inside and outside the plasmasphere with the wave amplitude up to 590 pT and the 9 January 2014 event that occurred at the latitudes of\textemdash(15.7\textdegree\textendash17.5\textdegree) outside the plasmasphere with a smaller amplitude about 81 pT. Detailed test particle simulations quantify the electron resonant scattering rates by the off-equatorial MS waves to find that they can cause the pitch angle scattering and momentum diffusion of radiation belt electrons with equatorial pitch angles < ~75\textdegree or < ~58\textdegree (depending on the wave latitudinal coverage) on timescales of a day. Subsequent two-dimensional Fokker-Planck diffusion simulations indicate that the strong off-equatorial MS waves are capable of efficiently transporting high pitch angle electrons to lower pitch angles to facilitate the formation of radiation belt electron butterfly distributions for a broad energy range from ~100 keV to >1 MeV within an hour. Our study clearly demonstrates that the presence of off-equatorial MS waves, in addition to equatorial MS waves, can contribute importantly to the dynamical variations of radiation belt electron fluxes and their pitch angle distribution. Ni, Binbin; Zou, Zhengyang; Fu, Song; Cao, Xing; Gu, Xudong; Xiang, Zheng; Published by: Geophysical Research Letters Published on: 02/2018 YEAR: 2018 DOI: 10.1002/grl.v45.310.1002/2017GL075788 butterfly pitch angle distributions; off-equatorial MS waves; radiation belt electrons; Van Allen Probes |
| 2017 |
|
Understanding the Mechanisms of Radiation Belt Dropouts Observed by Van Allen Probes To achieve a better understanding of the dominant loss mechanisms for the rapid dropouts of radiation belt electrons, three distinct radiation belt dropout events observed by Van Allen Probes are comprehensively investigated. For each event, observations of the pitch angle distribution of electron fluxes and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are analyzed to determine the effects of atmospheric precipitation loss due to pitch angle scattering induced by EMIC waves. Last closed drift shells (LCDS) and magnetopause standoff position are obtained to evaluate the effects of magnetopause shadowing loss. Evolution of electron phase space density (PSD) versus L* profiles and the μ and K (first and second adiabatic invariants) dependence of the electron PSD drops are calculated to further analyze the dominant loss mechanisms at different L*. Our findings suggest that these radiation belt dropouts can be classified into distinct classes in terms of dominant loss mechanisms: magnetopause shadowing dominant, EMIC wave scattering dominant, and combination of both mechanisms. Different from previous understanding, our results show that magnetopause shadowing can deplete electrons at L* < 4, while EMIC waves can efficiently scatter electrons at L* > 4. Compared to the magnetopause standoff position, it is more reliable to use LCDS to evaluate the impact of magnetopause shadowing. The evolution of electron PSD versus L* profile and the μ, K dependence of electron PSD drops can provide critical and credible clues regarding the mechanisms responsible for electron losses at different L* over the outer radiation belt. Xiang, Zheng; Tu, Weichao; Li, Xinlin; Ni, Binbin; Morley, S.; Baker, D.; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 08/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024487 EMIC wave; last closed drift shell; magnetopause shadowing; Phase space density; radiation belt dropout; Van Allen Probes |
|
Variations of the relativistic electron flux after a magnetospheric compression event On January 21, 2015, a sharp increase of the solar wind dynamic pressure impacted the magnetosphere. The magnetopause moved inward to the region L< 8 without causing a geomagnetic storm. The flux of the relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt decreased by half during this event based on the observations of the particle radiation monitor (PRM) of the fourth of the China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellites (CBERS-4). The flux remained low for approximately 11 d; it did not recover after a small magnetic storm on January 26 but after a small magnetic storm on February 2. The loss and recovery of the relativistic electrons during this event are investigated using the PRM data, medium- and high-energy electron observations of NOAA-15 and the Van Allen Probes, medium-energy electron observations of GOES-13, and wave observations of the Van Allen Probes. This study shows that the loss of energetic electrons in this event is related to magnetospheric compression. The chorus waves accelerate the medium-energy electrons, which causes the recovery of relativistic electrons. The Van Allen Probes detected strong chorus waves in the region L = 3\textendash6 from January 21 to February 2. However, the flux of medium-energy electrons was low in the region. This implies that the long-lasting lack of recovery of the relativistic electrons after this event is due to the lack of the medium-energy \textquotedblleftseed\textquotedblright electrons. The medium-energy electrons in the outer radiation belt may be a clue to predict the recovery of relativistic electrons. Chen, Zhe; Chen, HongFei; Li, YiFan; Xiang, HongWen; Yu, XiangQian; Shi, WeiHong; Hao, ZhiHua; Zou, Hong; Zou, JiQing; Zhong, WeiYing; Published by: Science China Technological Sciences Published on: 04/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s11431-016-9008-3 outer radiation belt high-energy electrons medium-energy electrons space environment; Van Allen Probes |
|
Zhang, Yang; Shi, Run; Ni, Binbin; Gu, Xudong; Zhang, Xianguo; Zuo, Pingbing; Fu, Song; Xiang, Zheng; Wang, Qi; Cao, Xing; Zou, Zhengyang; Published by: Advances in Space Research Published on: 03/2017 YEAR: 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2016.12.035 |
| 2016 |
|
Multiband electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can drive efficient scattering loss of radiation belt relativistic electrons. However, it is statistically uncommon to capture the three bands of EMIC waves concurrently. Utilizing data from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science magnetometer onboard Van Allen Probe A, we report the simultaneous presence of three (H+, He+, and O+) emission bands in an EMIC wave event, which provides an opportunity to look into the combined scattering effect of all EMIC emissions and the relative roles of each band in diffusing radiation belt relativistic electrons under realistic circumstances. Our quantitative results, obtained by quasi-linear diffusion rate computations and 1-D pure pitch angle diffusion simulations, demonstrate that the combined resonant scattering by the simultaneous three-band EMIC waves is overall dominated by He+ band wave diffusion, mainly due to its dominance over the wave power (the mean wave amplitudes are approximately 0.4 nT, 1.6 nT, and 0.15 nT for H+, He+, and O+ bands, respectively). Near the loss cone, while 2\textendash3 MeV electrons undergo pitch angle scattering at a rate of the order of 10-6\textendash10-5 s-1, 5\textendash10 MeV electrons can be diffused more efficiently at a rate of the order of 10-3\textendash10-2 s-1, which approaches the strong diffusion level and results in a moderately or heavily filled loss cone for the atmospheric loss. The corresponding electron loss timescales (i.e., lifetimes) vary from several days at the energies of ~2 MeV to less than 1 h at ~10 MeV. This case study indicates the leading contribution of He+ band waves to radiation belt relativistic electron losses during the coexistence of three EMIC wave bands and suggests that the roles of different EMIC wave bands in the relativistic electron dynamics should be carefully incorporated in future modeling efforts. He, Fengming; Cao, Xing; Ni, Binbin; Xiang, Zheng; Zhou, Chen; Gu, Xudong; Zhao, Zhengyu; Shi, Run; Wang, Qi; Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Published on: 05/2016 YEAR: 2016 DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022483 combined scattering rates; electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves; loss timescales; radiation belt relativistic electrons; resonant wave-particle interactions; Van Allen Probes |
1