dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaA Model for Generating Relativistic Electrons in the Earth's Inner Magnetosphere Based on Gyroresonant Wave-Particle Interactions
| Authors | Danny Summers, Chun-yu Ma |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/9910020 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9910020 |
| DOI | 10.1029/1999JA900444 |
Abstract
During the recovery phase of a magnetic storm, fluxes of relativistic ($>1$ MeV) electrons in the inner magnetosphere ($3\le L \le 6$) increase to beyond pre-storm levels, reaching a peak about 4 days after the initiation of the storm. In order to account for the generation of these "killer electrons", a model is presented primarily based on stochastic acceleration of electrons by enhanced whistler-mode chorus. In terms of a quasi-linear formulation, a kinetic (Fokker-Planck) equation for the electron energy distribution is derived, comprising an energy diffusion coefficient based on gyroresonant electron-whistler-mode wave interaction and parallel wave propagation; a source term representing substorm-produced (lower energy) seed electrons; and a loss term representing electron precipitation due to pitch-angle scattering by whistler-mode waves and EMIC waves. Steady-state solutions for the electron energy distribution are constructed, and fitted to an empirically-derived relativistic Maxwellian distribution for the high energy "hard" electron population at geosynchronous orbit. The mechanism is expected to be particularly effective for the class of small and moderate storms possessing a long-lasting recovery phase during which many substorms occur.
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"abstract": "During the recovery phase of a magnetic storm, fluxes of relativistic ($\u003e1$\nMeV) electrons in the inner magnetosphere ($3\\le L \\le 6$) increase to beyond\npre-storm levels, reaching a peak about 4 days after the initiation of the\nstorm. In order to account for the generation of these \"killer electrons\", a\nmodel is presented primarily based on stochastic acceleration of electrons by\nenhanced whistler-mode chorus. In terms of a quasi-linear formulation, a\nkinetic (Fokker-Planck) equation for the electron energy distribution is\nderived, comprising an energy diffusion coefficient based on gyroresonant\nelectron-whistler-mode wave interaction and parallel wave propagation; a source\nterm representing substorm-produced (lower energy) seed electrons; and a loss\nterm representing electron precipitation due to pitch-angle scattering by\nwhistler-mode waves and EMIC waves. Steady-state solutions for the electron\nenergy distribution are constructed, and fitted to an empirically-derived\nrelativistic Maxwellian distribution for the high energy \"hard\" electron\npopulation at geosynchronous orbit. The mechanism is expected to be\nparticularly effective for the class of small and moderate storms possessing a\nlong-lasting recovery phase during which many substorms occur.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/9910020",
"authors": [
"Danny Summers",
"Chun-yu Ma"
],
"categories": [
"physics.plasm-ph",
"physics.geo-ph",
"physics.space-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1029/1999JA900444",
"title": "A Model for Generating Relativistic Electrons in the Earth\u0027s Inner Magnetosphere Based on Gyroresonant Wave-Particle Interactions",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/9910020"
},
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