Review of radiation belt relativistic electron losses

The Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) on RBSP

“…Although significant advances have been made recently in the theory and modeling of wave-particle scattering (Millan and Thorne 2007), the theoretical calculations need to be thoroughly tested against in situ observations. Our measurements of local electric and magnetic fields and wave power spectral density and angular distribution will enable unprecedented progress in our physical understanding of relativistic electron losses from the inner magnetosphere.…”

“…The most dramatic variations in the outer belt occur during magnetic storms, when the enhancement in the ring current causes a global decrease in the ambient magnetic field (e.g., Tsyganenko and Stern 1996). Reduced magnetic field affects the adiabatic drifts of radiation belt particles and causes an outward motion of radiation belt electrons with an accompanying loss of energy, which in turn causes an adiabatic decrease in radiation belt flux (e.g., Kim and Chan 1997) in addition to loss by scattering into the atmosphere (Millan and Thorne 2007) and transport to the magnetopause (Ukhorskiy et al 2006). To differentiate between adiabatic and non-adiabatic changes in the radiation belts a simultaneous study of the radiation belts and ring current dynamics is needed (Jordanova 2012).…”

The Balloon Array for RBSP Relativistic Electron Losses (BARREL)

“…When this condition is met, energy can be exchanged between the wave and the particle, leading to acceleration or pitch angle scattering. A more detailed review, including a description of the relevant plasma waves, is given by Millan and Thorne (2007). Not long after their discovery, low energy microbursts were associated with whistlermode chorus (e.g., Rosenberg et al 1971), and more recently the association was made for relativistic microbursts (Lorentzen et al 2001b).…”

“…In addition to wave generation, the interaction itself is expected to be more effective from afternoon to dusk where a plasmaspheric plume stretches to high L-values (e.g., Goldstein et al 2004). The high cold plasma density in the plume lowers the minimum resonance energy for the interaction (e.g., Millan and Thorne 2007). The local time of the duskside precipitation, coincident with the location expected for strong interaction between electrons and EMIC waves, prompted further investigation into whether EMIC waves were the scattering mechanism (e.g., Lorentzen et al 2000).…”

Radial transport of radiation belt electrons due to stormtime Pc5 waves

“…At the main phase of geomagnetic storms flux levels decrease drastically over a wide range of L-shells due to adiabatic effects and permanent losses to the magnetopause and the ionosphere (e.g., Millan and Thorne, 2007). In storm recovery, however, flux levels can increase to levels greatly exceeding their pre-storm values (e.g., Reeves et al, 2003).…”