Ring Current He-Ion Control by Bounce Resonant ULF Waves

Ring current energy He-ion (\~65 keV to \~520 keV) differential flux data from the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument aboard the Van Allan Probes spacecraft show considerable variability during quiet solar wind and geomagnetic time periods. Such variability is apparent from orbit to orbit (\~9 hours) of the spacecraft and is observed to be \~50\textendash100\% of the nominal flux. Using data from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) instrument, also aboard the Van Allen Probes spacecraft, we identify that a dominant source of this variability is from ULF waveforms with periods of 10\textquoterights of sec. These periods correspond to the bounce resonant timescales of the ring current He-ions being measured by RBSPICE. A statistical survey using the particle and field data for one full spacecraft precession period (approximately two years) shows that the wave and He-ion flux variations are generally anti-correlated, suggesting the bounce resonant pitch-angle scattering process as a major component in the scattering of He-ions.