Chorus acceleration of relativistic electrons in extremely low L-shell during geomagnetic storm

Author(s):  
Zhenxia Zhang ◽  
Lunjin Chen ◽  
Si Liu ◽  
Ying Xiong ◽  
Xinqiao Li ◽  
...  

<p>Based on data from the Van Allen Probes and ZH-1 satellites, relativistic electron enhancements in extremely low L-shell Regions (reaching L~3) were observed during major geomagnetic storm (minimum Dst`-190 nT).  Contrary to what occurs in the outer belt, such an intense and deep electron penetration event is rare and more interesting. Strong whistler-mode (chorus and hiss) waves, with amplitudes 81-126 pT, were also observed in the extremely low L-shell simultaneously (reaching L~2.5) where the plasmapause was suppressed. The bounce-averaged diffusion coefficient calculations support that the chorus waves can play a significantly important role in diffusing and accelerating the 1-3 MeV electrons even in such low L-shells during storms. This is the first time that the electron acceleration induced by chorus waves in the extremely low L-shell region is reported. This new finding will help to deeply understand the electron acceleration process in radiation belt physics.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedong Wang ◽  
Yuri Shprits ◽  
Alexander Drozdov ◽  
Nikita Aseev ◽  
Irina Zhelavskaya ◽  
...  

<p>Using the three-dimensional Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB-3D) code, we perform simulations to investigate the dynamic evolution of relativistic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt. In our simulations, we use data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) to set up the outer boundary condition, which is the only data input for simulations. The magnetopause shadowing effect is included by using last closed drift shell (LCDS), and it is shown to significantly contribute to the dropouts of relativistic electrons at high $L^*$. We validate our simulation results against measurements from Van Allen Probes. In long-term simulations, we test how the latitudinal dependence of chorus waves can affect the dynamics of the radiation belt electrons. Results show that the variability of chorus waves at high latitudes is critical for modeling of megaelectron volt (MeV) electrons. We show that, depending on the latitudinal distribution of chorus waves under different geomagnetic conditions, they cannot only produce a net acceleration but also a net loss of MeV electrons. Decrease in high‐latitude chorus waves can tip the balance between acceleration and loss toward acceleration, or alternatively, the increase in high‐latitude waves can result in a net loss of MeV electrons. Variations in high‐latitude chorus may account for some of the variability of MeV electrons. </p><p>Our simulation results for the NSF GEM Challenge Events show that the position of the plasmapause plays a significant role in the dynamic evolution of relativistic electrons. We also perform simulations for the COSPAR International Space Weather Action Team (ISWAT) Challenge for the year 2017. The COSPAR ISWAT is a global hub for collaborations addressing challenges across the field of space weather. One of the objectives of the G3-04 team “Internal Charging Effects and the Relevant Space Environment” is model performance assessment and improvement. One of the expected outputs is a more systematic assessment of model performance under different conditions. The G3-04 team proposed performing benchmarking challenge runs. We ‘fly’ a virtual satellite through our simulation results and compare the simulated differential electron fluxes at 0.9 MeV and 57.27 degrees local pitch-angle with the fluxes measured by the Van Allen Probes. In general, our simulation results show good agreement with observations. We calculated several different matrices to validate our simulation results against satellite observations.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nursultan Toyshiev ◽  
Galina Khachikyan ◽  
Beibit Zhumabayev

<p>Recently, attention was drawn [1] that after geomagnetic storms that cause formation of new radiation belts in slot region or in the inner magnetosphere, after about 2 months, there is an increase in seismic activity near the footprints of geomagnetic lines of new radiation belts. More detailed studies showed [2] that on May 30, 1991, an earthquake M=7.0 occurred in Alaska with (54.57N, 161.61E) near the footprint of geomagnetic line L = 2.69 belonging to new radiation belt, which was observed by the CRRES satellite [3] around geomagnetic lines 2<L<3 after geomagnetic storm on March 24, 1991. After geomagnetic storm on September 3, 2012, the Van Allen Probes satellites observed new radiation belt around 3.0≤L≤3.5 [4], and about 2 months later, on October 28, 2012, earthquake M=7.8 occurred off the coast of Canada (52.79N, 132.1W) near the footprint of geomagnetic line L=3.32 belonging to the new radiation belt. Also, Van Allen Probes observed new radiation belt around L=1.5-1.8 after geomagnetic storm on June 23, 2015 [5], and ~2 months later, in September 2015, seismic activity noticeably increased near the footprint of these geomagnetic lines. We consider variations in seismic activity in connection with the strongest geomagnetic storms in 2003 with Dst~- 400 nT (Halloween Storm) and the formation of a belt of relativistic electrons in the inner magnetosphere around L~1.5 existed until the end of 2005 as observed SAMPEX [6]. Analysis of data from the USGS global seismological catalog showed that near the footprint of geomagnetic lines L=1.4-1.6 the number of earthquakes with M≥4.5 increased in 2003-2004 by ~70% compared with their number in two previous years. On the Northern Tien Shan, on December 1, 2003 a strong for the region earthquake M=6.0 occurred on the border of Kazakhstan and China (42.9N, 80.5E) near the footprint of L = 1.63, adjacent to the new radiation belt.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geng Wang ◽  
Zhonglei Gao ◽  
Mingyu Wu ◽  
Guoqiang Wang ◽  
Sudong Xiao ◽  
...  

Abstract Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves can cause the scattering loss of the relativistic electrons in the earth's radiation belt. They can be classified into the guided mode and the unguided mode, according to waves propagation behavior. The guided mode waves have been widely investigated in the radiation belt, but the observation of the unguided mode waves have not been expected. Based on the observations of Van Allen Probes, we demonstrate for the first time the existence of the intense unguided mode EMIC waves. The reflection interface formed by the spatial locations of local helium cutoff frequencies can be nearly parallel to the equatorial plane when the proton abundance ratio decreases sharply with L-shell. This structure combined with the anisotropic hot protons can lead to the trapping and significant amplification of the unguided mode waves. These results may help to understand the nature of EMIC waves in the radiation belt.


2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  
Elena Antonova ◽  

We analyzed the problems of formation of the outer radiation belt (ORB) taking into consideration the latest changes in our understanding of the high-latitude magnetospheric topology. This includes strong evidence that the auroral oval maps to the outer part of the ring current, meanwhile the ORB polar boundary maps inside the auroral oval. Our analysis also includes the variation of the plasma pressure distribution and the time of the acceleration of relativistic electrons during geomagnetic storm. It is shown that the maximum of ORB is formed after the geomagnetic storm in the region of plasma pressure maximum. The position of this maximum agrees with the prediction of the ORB formation theory based on the analysis of ring current development during storm. We emphasize the role of adiabatic processes in the ORB dynamics and the importance of the substorm injections during storm recovery phase for the formation of enhanced fluxes of ORB electrons after the storm.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dedong Wang ◽  
Yuri Shprits ◽  
Irina Zhelavskaya ◽  
Alexander Drozdov ◽  
Nikita Aseev ◽  
...  

<p>Modeling and observations have shown that energy diffusion by chorus waves is an important source of acceleration of electrons to relativistic energies. By performing long‐term simulations using the three‐dimensional Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB-3D) code, we test how the latitudinal dependence of chorus waves can affect the dynamics of the radiation belt electrons. Results show that the variability of chorus waves at high latitudes is critical for modeling of megaelectron volt (MeV) electrons. We show that, depending on the latitudinal distribution of chorus waves under different geomagnetic conditions, they cannot only produce a net acceleration but also a net loss of MeV electrons. Decrease in high‐latitude chorus waves can tip the balance between acceleration and loss toward acceleration, or alternatively, the increase in high‐latitude waves can result in a net loss of MeV electrons. Variations in high‐latitude chorus may account for some of the variability of MeV electrons.</p><p>Our simulation results also show that the position of the plasmapause plays a significant role in the dynamic evolution of relativistic electrons. The magnetopause shadowing effect is included by using last closed drift shell (LCDS), and it is shown to significantly contribute to the dropouts of relativistic electrons at high L*.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew Turner ◽  
Ian Cohen ◽  
Kareem Sorathia ◽  
Sasha Ukhorskiy ◽  
Geoff Reeves ◽  
...  

<p>Earth’s magnetotail plasma sheet plays a crucial role in the variability of Earth’s outer electron radiation belt. Typically, injections of energetic electrons from Earth’s magnetotail into the outer radiation belt and inner magnetosphere during periods of substorm activity are not observed exceeding ~300 keV.  Consistent with that, phase space density radial distributions of electrons typically indicate that for electrons below ~300 keV, there is a source of electrons in the plasma sheet while for electrons with energies above that, there is a local source within the outer radiation belt itself.  However, here we ask the question: is this always the case or can the plasma sheet provide a direct source of relativistic (> ~500 keV) electrons into Earth’s outer radiation belt via substorm injection? Using phase space density analysis for fixed values of electron first and second adiabatic invariants, we use energetic electron data from NASA’s Van Allen Probes and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) missions during periods in which MMS observed energetic electron injections in the plasma sheet while Van Allen Probes concurrently observed injections into the outer radiation belt. We report on cases that indicate there was a sufficient source of up to >1 MeV electrons in the electron injections in the plasma sheet as observed by MMS, yet Van Allen Probes did not see those energies injected inside of geosynchronous orbit.  From global insight with recent test-particle simulations in global, dynamic magnetospheric fields, we offer an explanation for why the highest-energy electrons might not be able to inject into the outer belt even while the lower energy (< ~300 keV) electrons do. Two other intriguing points that we will discuss concerning these results are: i) what acceleration mechanism is capable of producing such abundance of relativistic electrons at such large radial distances (X-GSE < -10 RE) in Earth’s magnetotail? and ii) during what conditions (if any) might injections of relativistic electrons be able to penetrate into the outer belt?</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 967-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhonglei Gao ◽  
Zhenpeng Su ◽  
Hui Zhu ◽  
Fuliang Xiao ◽  
Huinan Zheng ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (11) ◽  
pp. 11,100-11,108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo S. Moya ◽  
Víctor A. Pinto ◽  
David G. Sibeck ◽  
Shrikanth G. Kanekal ◽  
Daniel N. Baker

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
LI BAIWEN ◽  
S. ISHIGURO ◽  
M.M. šKORIĆ ◽  
H. TAKAMARU ◽  
T. SATO

The mechanism of electron acceleration by intense laser pulse interacting with an underdense plasma layer is examined by one-dimensional particle-in-cell (1D-PIC) simulations. The standard dephasing limit and the electron acceleration process are discussed briefly. A new phenomenon, of short high-quality, well-collimated return relativistic electron beam with thermal energy spread, is observed in the direction opposite to laser propagation. The process of the electron beam formation, its characteristics, and the time-history inxandpxspace for test electrons in the beam, are analyzed and exposed clearly. Finally, an estimate for the maximum electron energy appears in a good agreement with simulation results.


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