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Physical mechanism causing rapid changes in ultrarelativistic electron pitch angle distributions right after a shock arrival: Evaluation of an electron dropout event
- Source :
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics. 121:8300-8316
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2016.
-
Abstract
- Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain relativistic electron flux depletions (dropouts) in the Earth's outer radiation belt during storm times: adiabatic expansion of electron drift shells due to a decrease in magnetic field strength, magnetopause shadowing and subsequent outward radial diffusion, and precipitation into the atmosphere (driven by EMIC wave scattering). Which mechanism predominates in causing electron dropouts commonly observed in the outer radiation belt is still debatable. In the present study, we evaluate the physical mechanism that may be primarily responsible for causing the sudden change in relativistic electron pitch angle distributions during a dropout event observed by Van Allen Probes during the main phase of the 27 February 2014 storm. During this event, the phase space density of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons was depleted by more than 1 order of magnitude over the entire radial extent of the outer radiation belt (3
- Subjects :
- Physics
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Scattering
Electron
01 natural sciences
Shock (mechanics)
symbols.namesake
Solar wind
Geophysics
Space and Planetary Science
Van Allen radiation belt
Physics::Space Physics
0103 physical sciences
symbols
Magnetopause
Van Allen Probes
Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Pitch angle
Atomic physics
010303 astronomy & astrophysics
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 21699402 and 21699380
- Volume :
- 121
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........6027fc8633a595d7394579c955cf9dc2