HR: 0800h
AN: SM41A-1109    [Abstracts]
TI: Characterizing Relativistic Electrons Flux Enhancement Events using sensors onboard SAMPEX and POLAR
AU: * Kanekal, S G
EM: kanekal@surya.umd.edu
AF: LASP, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Selesnick, R S
EM: Richard.S.Selesnick@aero.org
AF: Aerospace Corporation, 2350 El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245 United States
AU: Baker, D N
EM: Daniel.N.Baker@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: LASP, University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303 United States
AU: Blake, J B
EM: JBernard.Blake@aero.org
AF: Aerospace Corporation, 2350 El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245 United States
AB: Relativistic electron fluxes in the Earth's outer Van Allen belt are highly variable with flux enhancements of several orders of magnitude occurring on time scales of a few days. Radiation belt electrons often are energized to relativistic energies when the magnetosphere is subjected to high solar wind speed and the southward turning of the interplanetary magnetic field. Characterization of electron acceleration properties such as electron spectra and flux isotropization are important in understanding acceleration models. We use sensors onboard SAMPEX and POLAR to measure and survey systematically these properties. SAMPEX measurements cover the entire outer zone for more than a decade from mid 1992 to mid 2004 and POLAR covers the time period from mid 1996 to the present. We use the pulse height analyzed data from the PET detector onboard SAMPEX to measure electron spectra. Fluxes measured by the HIST detector onboard POLAR together with the PET measurements are used to characterize isotropization times. This paper presents electron spectra and isotropization time scales for a few representative events. We will eventually extend these measurements and survey the entire solar cycle 23.
DE: 2716 Energetic particles, precipitating
DE: 2720 Energetic particles, trapped
DE: 2788 Storms and substorms
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting