Bibliography

RBSP-ECT Combined Pitch Angle Resolved Electron Flux Data Product

Abstract We describe a new data product combining pitch angle resolved electron flux measurements from the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Energetic Particle Composition and Thermal Plasma (ECT) suite on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Van Allen Probes. We describe the methodology used to combine each of the data sets and produce a consistent set of pitch-angle-resolved spectra for the entire Van Allen Probes mission. Three-minute-averaged flux spectra are provided spanning energies from 15 eV up to 20 MeV. This new data product offers researchers a consistent cross calibrated data set to explore the particle dynamics of the inner magnetosphere across a wide range of energies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Boyd, A.J.; Spence, H.E.; Reeves, G.D.; Funsten, H.O; Skoug, R.K.; Larsen, B.A.; Blake, J.B.; Fennell, J.F.; Claudepierre, S.G.; Baker, D.N.; Kanekal, S.K.; Jaynes, A.N.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 02/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028637

Van Allen Probes; Radiation belts; ECT; MAGEis; REPT; HOPE

RBSP-ECT Combined Spin-Averaged Electron Flux Data Product

We describe a new data product combining the spin-averaged electron flux measurements from the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) Energetic Particle Composition and Thermal Plasma (ECT) suite on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration\textquoterights Van Allen Probes. We describe the methodology used to combine each of the data sets and produce a consistent set of spectra for September 2013 to the present. Three-minute-averaged flux spectra are provided spanning energies from 15 eV up to 20 MeV. This new data product provides additional utility to the ECT data and offers a consistent cross calibrated data set for researchers interested in examining the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere across a wide range of energies.

Boyd, A.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Funsten, H.; Larsen, B.; Skoug, R.; Blake, J.; Fennell, J.; Claudepierre, S.; Baker, D.; Kanekal, S.; Jaynes, A.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 10/2019

YEAR: 2019     DOI: 10.1029/2019JA026733

ECT; HOPE; MAGEis; Radiation belts; REPT; Van Allen Probes

Energisation of the ring current by substorms

The substorm process releases large amounts of energy into the magnetospheric system, although where the energy is transferred to and how it is partitioned remains an open question. In this study, we address whether the substorm process contributes a significant amount of energy to the ring current. The ring current is a highly variable region, and understanding the energisation processes provides valuable insight into how substorm - ring current coupling may contribute to the generation of storm conditions and provide a source of energy for wave driving. In order to quantify the energy input into the ring current during the substorm process, we analyse RBSPICE and HOPE ion flux measurements for H+, O+, and He+. The energy content of the ring current is estimated and binned spatially for L and MLT. The results are combined with an independently derived substorm event list to perform a statistical analysis of variations in the ring current energy content with substorm phase. We show that the ring current energy is significantly higher in the expansion phase compared to the growth phase, with the energy enhancement persisting into the substorm recovery phase. The characteristics of the energy enhancement suggest the injection of energised ions from the tail plasma sheet following substorm onset. The local time variations indicate a loss of energetic H+ ions in the afternoon sector, likely due to wave-particle interactions. Overall, we find that the average energy input into the ring current is \~9\% of the previously reported energy released during substorms.

Sandhu, J.; Rae, I.; Freeman, M.; Forsyth, C.; Gkioulidou, M.; Reeves, G.; Spence, H.; Jackman, C.; Lam, M.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 09/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025766

BSPICE; HOPE; Magnetosphere; ring current; substorms; Van Allen Probes

Spacecraft surface charging within geosynchronous orbit observed by the Van Allen Probes

Using the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) and Electric Field and Waves (EFW) instruments from the Van Allen Probes, we explored the relationship between electron energy fluxes in the eV and keV ranges and spacecraft surface charging. We present statistical results on spacecraft charging within geosynchronous orbit by L and MLT. An algorithm to extract the H+ charging line in the HOPE instrument data was developed to better explore intense charging events. Also, this study explored how spacecraft potential relates to electron number density, electron pressure, electron temperature, thermal electron current, and low-energy ion density between 1 and 210 eV. It is demonstrated that it is imperative to use both EFW potential measurements and the HOPE instrument ion charging line for examining times of extreme spacecraft charging of the Van Allen Probes. The results of this study show that elevated electron energy fluxes and high-electron pressures are present during times of spacecraft charging but these same conditions may also occur during noncharging times. We also show noneclipse significant negative charging events on the Van Allen Probes.

Sarno-Smith, Lois; Larsen, Brian; Skoug, Ruth; Liemohn, Michael; Breneman, Aaron; Wygant, John; Thomsen, Michelle;

Published by: Space Weather      Published on: 02/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1002/2015SW001345

EFW; HOPE; spacecraft charging; surface charging; Van Allen Probes

Whistler Anisotropy Instabilities as the Source of Banded Chorus: Van Allen Probes Observations and Particle-in-Cell Simulations

Magnetospheric banded chorus is enhanced whistler waves with frequencies ωr < Ωe, where Ωe is the electron cyclotron frequency, and a characteristic spectral gap at ωr ≃ Ωe/2. This paper uses spacecraft observations and two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations in a magnetized, homogeneous, collisionless plasma to test the hypothesis that banded chorus is due to local linear growth of two branches of the whistler anisotropy instability excited by two distinct, anisotropic electron components of significantly different temperatures. The electron densities and temperatures are derived from HOPE instrument measurements on the Van Allen Probes A satellite during a banded chorus event on 1 November 2012. The observations are consistent with a three-component electron model consisting of a cold (a few tens of eV) population, a warm (a few hundred eV) anisotropic population, and a hot (a few keV) anisotropic population. The simulations use plasma and field parameters as measured from the satellite during this event except for two numbers: the anisotropies of the warm and the hot electron components are enhanced over the measured values in order to obtain relatively rapid instability growth. The simulations show that the warm component drives the quasi-electrostatic upper-band chorus, and that the hot component drives the electromagnetic lower-band chorus; the gap at \~ Ωe/2 is a natural consequence of the growth of two whistler modes with different properties.

Fu, Xiangrong; Cowee, Misa; Friedel, Reinhard; Funsten, Herbert; Gary, Peter; Hospodarsky, George; Kletzing, Craig; Kurth, William; Larsen, Brian; Liu, Kaijun; MacDonald, Elizabeth; Min, Kyungguk; Reeves, Geoffrey; Skoug, Ruth; Winske, Dan;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 10/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020364

Chorus; HOPE; particle-in-cell simulation; Van Allen Probes