HR: 15:10h
AN: SM23C-06    [Abstracts]
TI: An investigation of the role of magnetic field line curvature in the detrapping of the August 1990 transient proton belt
AU: * Young, S L
EM: Shawn.Young.2@us.af.mil
AF: Air Force Research Laboratory, AFRL/VSBXR Bldg 464, Rm 404 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776, United States
AU: Denton, R E
EM: richard.e.denton@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Dartmouth College, Hanover, NM 03755-3528, United States
AU: Anderson, B J
EM: brian.anderson@jhuapl.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lboratory, Johns Hopkins Univ. 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd MS MP3 E128, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, United States
AU: Hudson, M K
EM: mary.k.hudson@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy Dartmouth College, Hanover, NM 03755-3528, United States
AB: Magnetic field line curvature (FLC) induced pitch angle scattering may be an important storm-time detrapping mechanism for energetic ions near the boundaries of the ion radiation belts. During magnetic storms the intensified ring current distorts the magnetic field causing increased curvature of the magnetic field lines. In regions where the curvature becomes strong enough the magnetic moments of the particle gyro-orbits are no longer conserved and the particles diffuse in pitch angle until they are captured by the Earth's atmosphere. To study the importance of FLC detrapping we simulate the decay of a temporarily trapped population seen in the CRRES PROTEL data. Because FLC pitch angle scattering is sensitive to the field line radius of curvature we completed multiple simulations of the decay using different Tsyganenko magnetic field models.
DE: 2716 Energetic particles: precipitating
DE: 2720 Energetic particles: trapped
DE: 2730 Magnetosphere: inner
DE: 2774 Radiation belts
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting