Bibliography

Energetic Electron Precipitation: Multievent Analysis of Its Spatial Extent During EMIC Wave Activity

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

High-resolution in situ observations of electron precipitation-causing EMIC waves

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are thought to be important drivers of energetic electron losses from the outer radiation belt through precipitation into the atmosphere. While the theoretical possibility of pitch angle scattering-driven losses from these waves has been recognized for more than four decades, there have been limited experimental precipitation observations to support this concept. We have combined satellite-based observations of the characteristics of EMIC waves, with satellite and ground-based observations of the EMIC-induced electron precipitation. In a detailed case study, supplemented by an additional four examples, we are able to constrain for the first time the location, size, and energy range of EMIC-induced electron precipitation inferred from coincident precipitation data and relate them to the EMIC wave frequency, wave power, and ion band of the wave as measured in situ by the Van Allen Probes. These observations will better constrain modeling into the importance of EMIC wave-particle interactions.

Rodger, Craig; Hendry, Aaron; Clilverd, Mark; Kletzing, Craig; Brundell, James; Reeves, Geoffrey;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 11/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/grl.v42.2210.1002/2015GL066581

EMIC waves; energetic electron precipitation; radiation belt electrons; Van Allen Probes; wave-particle interactions

The enhancement of cosmic radio noise absorption due to hiss-driven energetic electron precipitation during substorms

The Van-Allen probes, low-altitude NOAA satellite, MetOp satellite and riometer are used to analyze variations of precipitating energetic electron fluxes and cosmic radio noise absorption (CNA) driven by plasmaspheric hiss with respect to geomagnetic activities. The hiss-driven energetic electron precipitations (at L~4.7-5.3, MLT~8-9) are observed during geomagnetic quiet condition and substorms, respectively. We find that the CNA detected by riometers increased very little in the hiss-driven event during quiet condition on September 06, 2012. The hiss-driven enhancement of riometer was still little during the first substorm on September 30, 2012. However, the absorption detected by the riometer largely increased while the energies of the injected electrons became higher during the second substorm on September 30, 2012. The enhancement of CNA (ΔCNA) observed by the riometer and calculated with precipitating energetic electrons are in agreement during the second substorm, implying that the precipitating energetic electrons increase CNA to an obviously detectable level of the riometer during the second substorm on September 30, 2012. The conclusion is consistent with Rodger et al. (2012), which suggests that the higher level of ΔCNA prefer to occur in the substorms, because substorms may produce more intense energetic electron precipitation associated with electron injection. Furthermore, the combination of the observations and theory calculations also suggests that higher-energy electron (>55 keV) precipitation contribute more to the ΔCNA than the lower-energy electron precipitation. In this paper, the higher-energy electron precipitation is related to lower-frequency hiss.

Li, Haimeng; Yuan, Zhigang; Yu, Xiongdong; Huang, Shiyong; Wang, Dedong; Wang, Zhenzhen; Qiao, Zheng; Wygant, John;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 06/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021113

cosmic radio noise absorption; energetic electron precipitation; hiss; substorm; Van Allen Probes

Characteristics of precipitating energetic electron fluxes relative to the plasmapause during geomagnetic storms

n this study we investigate the link between precipitating electrons from the Van Allen radiation belts and the dynamical plasmapause. We consider electron precipitation observations from the Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) constellation during geomagnetic storms. Superposed epoch analysis is performed on precipitating electron observations for the 13 year period of 1999 to 2012 in two magnetic local time (MLT) sectors, morning and afternoon. We assume that the precipitation is due to wave-particle interactions and our two MLT sectors focus on chorus (outside the plasmapause) and plasmaspheric hiss (inside the plasmapause) waves. We generate simple expressions based on the geomagnetic index, Dst, which reproduce the chorus-driven observations for the >30 keV precipitating electron flux magnitudes. Additionally, we find expressions for the fitted spectral index to describe the flux variation with energy, allowing a full energy reproduction as a function of distance from the plasmapause. The hiss-driven precipitating flux occurs inside the plasmapause but is independent of distance from the plasmapause. In the POES observations the hiss-induced electron precipitation is only detectable above the instrument noise in the >300 keV and P6 (>800 keV) channels of the flux detection instrument. We have derived expressions for the storm time variation in flux inside the plasmapause using Dst as a proxy. The observations show that there is little evidence for >800 keV electron precipitation occurring outside of the plasmapause, in the MLT sectors studied.

Whittaker, Ian; Clilverd, Mark; Rodger, Craig;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 11/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020446

energetic electron precipitation; Plasmapause; POES