Signatures of Ultrarelativistic Electron Loss in the Heart of the Outer Radiation Belt Measured by Van Allen Probes
- Up until recently, signatures of the ultrarelativistic electron loss driven by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the Earth's outer radiation belt have been limited to direct or indirect measurements of electron precipitation or the narrowing of normalized pitch angle distributions in the heart of the belt. In this study, we demonstrate additional observational evidence of ultrarelativistic electron loss that can be driven by resonant interaction with EMIC waves. We analyzed the profiles derived from Van Allen Probe particle data as a function of time and three adiabatic invariants between 9 October and 29 November 2012. New local minimums in the profiles are accompanied by the narrowing of normalized pitch angle distributions and ground‐based detection of EMIC waves. Such a correlation may be indicative of ultrarelativistic electron precipitation into the Earth's atmosphere caused by resonance with EMIC waves.
Author details: | Nikita AseevORCiDGND, Yuri ShpritsORCiDGND, Alexander DrozdovORCiDGND, Adam C. KellermanORCiD, Maria E. UsanovaORCiD, D. Wang, Irina ZhelavskayaORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024485 |
ISSN: | 2169-9380 |
ISSN: | 2169-9402 |
Title of parent work (English): | Journal of geophysical research : Space physics |
Publisher: | American Geophysical Union |
Place of publishing: | Washington |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2017 |
Publication year: | 2017 |
Release date: | 2020/04/20 |
Volume: | 122 |
Number of pages: | 10 |
First page: | 10102 |
Last Page: | 10111 |
Funding institution: | Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (HGF); NSFGEM [AGS-1203747]; NASA [NNX12AE34G, NNX16AF91G]; project PROGRESS - EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (H2020) [637302]; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [CRC 1294] |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
Peer review: | Referiert |