HR: 0800h
AN: SM31B-03    [Abstracts]
TI: Acceleration and particle loss within the Van Allen radiation belts associated with the Halloween storm of 2003
AU: * Baker, D N
EM: daniel.baker@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303- 7814, United States
AU: Kanekal, S
EM: shrikanth.kanekal@lasp.colorado.edu
AF: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303- 7814, United States
AB: During and following the Halloween Storm period (October-November 2003), the Van Allen belt electron population was powerfully accelerated and redistributed inward. From November 1 to November 10, 2003, the outer belt had its center only at about 2.5 R_E geocentric distance. As shown in published papers using IMAGE spacecraft data, the Earth's plasmasphere was displaced inward (to an unprecedented degree) in late October 2003, and concurrently the whole radiation belt structure was transformed. The region between the Van Allen belts, normally devoid of particles, became the location of highest radiation belt particle intensities. After the magnetosphere relaxed to a more normal outer belt configuration, the new belt of electrons decayed over a period of days to years. We have examined quantitatively the loss rates for electrons seen in the region of 1.5 ≤ L ≤ 3.0 using SAMPEX observations. We compare these loss rates to those expected from prior observational and theoretical studies.
DE: 2720 Energetic particles: trapped
DE: 2730 Magnetosphere: inner
DE: 2768 Plasmasphere
DE: 2774 Radiation belts
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly