Bibliography

Statistical Properties of Hiss in Plasmaspheric Plumes and Associated Scattering Losses of Radiation Belt Electrons

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

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

VLF waves from ground-based transmitters observed by the Van Allen Probes: Statistical model and effects on plasmaspheric electrons

Whistler-mode Very Low Frequency (VLF) waves from powerful ground-based transmitters can resonantly scatter energetic plasmaspheric electrons and precipitate them into the atmosphere. A comprehensive 4-year statistics of Van Allen Probes measurements is carried out to assess their consequences on the dynamics of the inner radiation belt and slot region. Statistical models of the measured wave electric field power and of the inferred full wave magnetic amplitude are provided as a function of L, magnetic local time, season, and Kp over L=1-3, revealing the localization of VLF wave intensity and its variation with geomagnetic activity over 2012-2016. Since this VLF wave model can be directly used together with existing hiss and lightning-generated wave models in radiation belt simulation codes, we perform numerical calculations of the corresponding quasilinear pitch angle diffusion rates, allowing us to demonstrate the crucial role played by VLF waves from transmitters in energetic electron loss at L<2.5.

Ma, Qianli; Mourenas, Didier; Li, Wen; Artemyev, Anton; Thorne, Richard;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 06/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2017GL073885

Electron scattering; Statistical wave model; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes observation; VLF waves

Electron scattering by magnetosonic waves in the inner magnetosphere

We investigate the importance of electron scattering by magnetosonic waves in the Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere. A statistical survey of the magnetosonic wave amplitude and wave frequency spectrum, as a function of geomagnetic activity, is performed using the Van Allen Probes wave measurements, and is found to be generally consistent with the wave distribution obtained from previous spacecraft missions. Outside the plasmapause the statistical frequency distribution of magnetosonic waves follows the variation of the lower hybrid resonance frequency, but this trend is not observed inside the plasmasphere. Drift and bounce averaged electron diffusion rates due to magnetosonic waves are calculated using a recently developed analytical formula. The resulting time scale of electron energization during disturbed conditions (when AE* > 300 nT) is more than ten days. We perform a 2D simulation of the electron phase space density evolution due to magnetosonic wave scattering during disturbed conditions. Outside the plasmapause, the waves accelerate electrons with pitch angles between 50\textdegree and 70\textdegree, and form butterfly pitch angle distributions at energies from ~100 keV to a few MeV over a time scale of several days; whereas inside the plasmapause, the electron acceleration is very weak. Our study suggests that intense magnetosonic waves may cause the butterfly distribution of radiation belt electrons especially outside the plasmapause, but electron acceleration due to magnetosonic waves is generally not as effective as chorus wave acceleration.

Ma, Qianli; Li, Wen; Thorne, Richard; Bortnik, Jacob; Kletzing, C.; Kurth, W.; Hospodarsky, G.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 12/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021992

Electron scattering; magnetosonic waves; Van Allen Probes; Van Allen Probes statistics

Global Empirical Models of Plasmaspheric Hiss using Van Allen Probes

Plasmaspheric hiss is a whistler mode emission that permeates the Earth\textquoterights plasmasphere and is a significant driver of energetic electron losses through cyclotron-resonant pitch angle scattering. The EMFISIS instrument on the Van Allen Probes mission provides vastly improved measurements of the hiss wave environment including continuous measurements of the wave magnetic field cross-spectral matrix and enhanced low frequency coverage. Here, we develop empirical models of hiss wave intensity using two years of Van Allen Probes data. First, we describe the construction of the hiss database. Then, we compare the hiss spectral distribution and integrated wave amplitude obtained from Van Allen Probes to those previously extracted from the CRRES mission. Next, we develop a cubic regression model of the average hiss magnetic field intensity as a function of Kp, L, magnetic latitude and magnetic local time. We use the full regression model to explore general trends in the data and use insights from the model to develop a simplified model of wave intensity for straightforward inclusion in quasi-linear diffusion calculations of electron scattering rates.

Spasojevic, M.; Shprits, Y.Y.; Orlova, K.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 11/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021803

Electron scattering; Empirical Model; inner magnetosphere; Plasmaspheric Hiss; Van Allen Probes

Butterfly pitch-angle distribution of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt: Evidence of nonadiabatic scattering

In this paper we investigate the scattering of relativistic electrons in the night-side outer radiation belt (around the geostationary orbit). We consider the particular case of low geomagnetic activity (|Dst|< 20 nT), quiet conditions in the solar wind, and absence of whistler wave emissions. For such conditions we find several events of Van-Allen probe observations of butterfly pitch-angle distributions of relativistic electrons (energies about 1-3 MeV). Many previous publications have described such pitch-angle distributions over a wide energy range as due to the combined effect of outward radial diffusion and magnetopause shadowing. In this paper we discuss another mechanism that produces butterfly distributions over a limited range of electron energies. We suggest that such distributions can be shaped due to relativistic electron scattering in the equatorial plane of magnetic field lines that are locally deformed by currents of hot ions injected into the inner magnetosphere. Analytical estimates, test particle simulations and observations of the AE index support this scenario. We conclude that even in the rather quiet magnetosphere, small scale (MLT-localized) injection of hot ions from the magnetotail can likely influence the relativistic electron scattering. Thus, observations of butterfly pitch-angle distributions can serve as an indicator of magnetic field deformations in the night-side inner magnetosphere. We briefly discuss possible theoretical approaches and problems formodeling such nonadiabatic electron scattering.

Artemyev, A.; Agapitov, O.; Mozer, F.; Spence, H.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 05/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020865

butterfly distribution; Electron scattering; nonadiabatic dynamics; Radiation belts; Van Allen Probes

Relativistic electron precipitation events driven by electromagnetic ion-cyclotron waves

We adopt a canonical approach to describe the stochastic motion of relativistic belt electrons and their scattering into the loss cone by nonlinear EMIC waves. The estimated rate of scattering is sufficient to account for the rate and intensity of bursty electron precipitation. This interaction is shown to result in particle scattering into the loss cone, forming \~10 s microbursts of precipitating electrons. These dynamics can account for the statistical correlations between processes of energization, pitch angle scattering, and relativistic electron precipitation events, that are manifested on large temporal scales of the order of the diffusion time \~tens of minutes.

Khazanov, G.; Sibeck, D.; Tel\textquoterightnikhin, A.; Kronberg, T.;

Published by: Physics of Plasmas      Published on: 08/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1063/1.4892185

Diffusion; Electron scattering; Nonlinear waves; wave-particle interactions; Whistler waves