HR: 11:04h
AN: SM32A-03 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Electron Acceleration by Stochastic Gyroresonant Interactions: Applications to Planetary Radiation Belts and Solar Flares
AU: * Horne, R B
EM: R.Horne@bas.ac.uk
AF: British Antarctic Survey, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET United Kingdom
AB: Electron acceleration occurs in planetary radiation belts, solar flares and many other astrophysical objects. Although these systems have very diverse plasma properties, scaling of the plasma parameters is such that the same physical process can operate effectively. Here we focus on the mechanism whereby whistler mode, electromagnetic ion cyclotron and magnetosonic waves cause stochastic pitch angle and energy diffusion of electrons via gyroresonant interactions. We emphasise the importance of cross diffusion terms, which are often neglected. By calculating pitch angle and energy diffusion coefficients we show the conditions whereby these processes are most effective for accelerating electrons in the radiation belts. We discuss how these parameters might scale to other systems, and how effective pitch angle and energy diffusion might be as a result.
DE: 2720 Energetic particles: trapped
DE: 2774 Radiation belts
DE: 7845 Particle acceleration
DE: 7867 Wave/particle interactions (2483, 6984)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005