HR: 16:00h
AN: SM52E-01    [PDF]
TI: Stormtime Refilling of the Slot Between the Inner and Outer Radiation Belts
AU: * Thorne, R M
EM: rmt@atmos.ucla.edu
AF: Department of Atmospheric Sciences, UCLA 7127 MS, Box 951565, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Horne, R B
EM: r.horne@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antactic Survey, Madingly Road, Cambridge, CB3OET United Kingdom
AB: During geomagnetically quiet periods a pronounced slot develops between the inner and outer energetic electron radiation belts, due to wave induced scattering by whistler-mode waves inside the plasmapause. This slot can be rapidly filled during strong magnetic storms, when the plasmapause is compressed towards the location of the inner zone. The stormtime refilling of the slot at energies above several hundred keV cannot be explained by convective injection from the plasmasheet since the Alfven layer for high-energy electrons lies much further out than the plasmapause, which demarcates the convection boundary for thermal plasma. Instead we demonstrate that the refilling is due to local acceleration during resonant interactions with intense whistler-mode chorus, which is generated in the region exterior to the plasmapause during storms. The characteristic time-scale for acceleration ranges between a few hours at 100 keV to a day at 1 MeV. Refilling of the slot is consequently most effective at lower energy and is limited by the outward expansion of the plasmapause during the storm recovery.
DE: 2720 Energetic particles, trapped
DE: 2730 Magnetosphere--inner
DE: 2772 Plasma waves and instabilities
DE: 2788 Storms and substorms
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting