Energy‐dependent dynamics of keV to MeV electrons in the inner zone, outer zone, and slot regions

GD Reeves, RHW Friedel, BA Larsen… - Journal of …, 2016 - Wiley Online Library
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2016Wiley Online Library
We present observations of the radiation belts from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron and
Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer particle detectors on the Van Allen Probes satellites that
illustrate the energy dependence and L shell dependence of radiation belt enhancements
and decays. We survey events in 2013 and analyze an event on 1 March in more detail. The
observations show the following:(a) at all L shells, lower energy electrons are enhanced
more often than higher energies;(b) events that fill the slot region are more common at lower …
Abstract
We present observations of the radiation belts from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron and Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer particle detectors on the Van Allen Probes satellites that illustrate the energy dependence and L shell dependence of radiation belt enhancements and decays. We survey events in 2013 and analyze an event on 1 March in more detail. The observations show the following: (a) at all L shells, lower energy electrons are enhanced more often than higher energies; (b) events that fill the slot region are more common at lower energies; (c) enhancements of electrons in the inner zone are more common at lower energies; and (d) even when events do not fully fill the slot region, enhancements at lower energies tend to extend to lower L shells than higher energies. During enhancement events the outer zone extends to lower L shells at lower energies while being confined to higher L shells at higher energies. The inner zone shows the opposite with an outer boundary at higher L shells for lower energies. Both boundaries are nearly straight in log(energy) versus L shell space. At energies below a few 100 keV, radiation belt electron penetration through the slot region into the inner zone is commonplace, but the number and frequency of “slot filling” events decreases with increasing energy. The inner zone is enhanced only at energies that penetrate through the slot. Energy‐ and L shell‐dependent losses (that are consistent with whistler hiss interactions) return the belts to more quiescent conditions.
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