scholarly journals Recent Observations of Low-Energy Charged Particles in the Earth’s Magnetosphere

1968 ◽  
pp. 271-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Frank
Keyword(s):  
Charged Particles ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Earth’S Magnetosphere ◽  
Earth's Magnetosphere

Low-energy plasma in the Earth's magnetosphere

1969 ◽  
Vol 7 (1, 2) ◽  
pp. 339 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. I. Gringauz
Keyword(s):  
Low Energy ◽  
Earth’S Magnetosphere ◽  
Earth's Magnetosphere

scholarly journals EVIDENCE OF THE EARTH’S INNER RADIATION BELTS DURING THE LOW SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY OBTAINED WITH THE STEP-F INSTRUMENT

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-238
Author(s):  
O. V. Dudnik ◽  
◽  
O. V. Yakovlev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Activity ◽  
Radiation Belt ◽  
Charged Particles ◽  
Radiation Belts ◽  
Outer Radiation Belt ◽  
Earth’S Magnetosphere ◽  
High Latitude Region ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Earth's Magnetosphere ◽  
Particle Fluxes

Purpose: The subject of research is the spatio-temporal charged particles in the Earth’s magnetosphere outside the South Atlantic magnetic Anomaly during the 11-year cycle of solar activity minimum. The work aims at searching for and clarifying the sustained and unstable new spatial zones of enhanced subrelativistic electron fluxes at the altitudes of the low Earth orbit satellites. Design/methodology/approach: Finding and ascertainment of new radiation belts of the Earth were made by using the data analysis from the D1e channel of recording the electrons of energies of ΔEe=180–510 keV and protons of energies of ΔEp=3.5–3.7 MeV of the satellite telescope of electrons and protons (STEP-F) aboard the “CORONAS-Photon” Earth low-orbit satellite. For the analysis, the data array with the 2 s time resolution normalized onto the active area of the position-sensitive silicon matrix detector and onto the solid angle of view of the detector head of the instrument was used. Findings: A sustained structure of three electron radiation belts in the Earth’s magnetosphere was found at the low solar and geomagnetic activity in May 2009. The two belts are known since the beginning of the space age as the Van Allen radiation belts, another additional permanent layer is formed around the drift shell with the McIlwaine parameter of L = 1.65±0.05. On some days in May 2009, the new two inner radiation belts were observed simultaneously, one of those latter being recorded between the investigated sustained belt at L≈1.65 and the Van Allen inner belt at L≈2.52. Increased particle fluxes in this unstable belt have been formed with the drift shell L≈2.06±0.14. Conclusions: The new found inner radiation belts are recorded in a wide range of geographic longitudes λ, both at the ascending and descending nodes of the satellite orbit, from λ1≈150° to λ2≈290°. Separately in the Northern or in the Southern hemispheres, outside the outer edge of the outer radiation belt, at L≥7–8, there are cases of enhanced particle fl ux density in wide range of L-shells. These shells correspond to the high-latitude region of quasi-trapped energetic charged particles. Increased particle fluxes have been recorded up to the bow shock wave border of the Earth’s magnetosphere (L≈10-12). Key words: radiation belt, STEP-F instrument, electrons, magnetosphere, drift L-shell, particle flux density

scholarly journals Charge-Exchange Byproduct Cold Protons in the Earth’s Magnetosphere

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph E. Borovsky ◽  
Jianghuai Liu ◽  
Raluca Ilie ◽  
Michael W. Liemohn
Keyword(s):  
Production Rate ◽  
Charge Exchange ◽  
Plasma Sheet ◽  
Impact Ionization ◽  
Neutral Hydrogen ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Geosynchronous Orbit ◽  
Earth’S Magnetosphere ◽  
Earth's Magnetosphere

Owing to the spatial overlap of the ion plasma sheet (ring current) with the Earth’s neutral-hydrogen geocorona, there is a significant rate of occurrence of charge-exchange collisions in the dipolar portion of the Earth’s magnetosphere. During a charge-exchange collision between an energetic proton and a low-energy hydrogen atom, a low-energy proton is produced. These “byproduct” cold protons are trapped in the Earth’s magnetic field where they advect via E×B drift. In this report, the number density and behavior of this cold-proton population are assessed. Estimates of the rate of production of byproduct cold protons from charge exchange are in the vicinity of 1.14 cm−3 per day at geosynchronous orbit or about 5 tons per day for the entire dipolar magnetosphere. The production rate of cold protons owing to electron-impact ionization of the geocorona by the electron plasma sheet at geosynchronous orbit is about 12% of the charge-exchange production rate, but the production rate by solar photoionization of the neutral geocorona is comparable or larger than the charge-exchange production rate. The byproduct-ion production rates are smaller than observed early time refilling rates for the outer plasmasphere. Numerical simulations of the production and transport of cold charge-exchange byproduct protons find that they have very low densities on the nightside of geosynchronous orbit, and they can have densities of 0.2–0.3 cm−3 at geosynchronous orbit on the dayside. These dayside byproduct-proton densities might play a role in shortening the early phase of plasmaspheric refilling.

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