ALBERT

Description: Fifteen months of pitch angle resolved Van Allen Probes REPT measurements of differential electron flux are analyzed to investigate the characteristic variability of the pitch angle distribution (PAD) of radiation belt ultra-relativistic (〉2 MeV) electrons during storm conditions and during the long-term post-storm decay. By modeling the ultra-relativistic electron pitch angle distribution as sin n α , where α is the equatorial pitch angle, we examine the spatio-temporal variations of the n-value. The results show that in general n-values increase with the level of geomagnetic activity. In principle, ultra-relativistic electrons respond to geomagnetic storms by becoming more peaked at 90° pitch angle with n-values of 2–3 as a supportive signature of chorus acceleration outside the plasmasphere. High n-values also exist inside the plasmasphere, being localized adjacent to the plasmapause and exhibiting energy dependence, which suggests a significant contribution from EMIC waves scattering. During quiet periods, n-values generally evolve to become small, i.e., 0–1. The slow and long-term decays of the ultra-relativistic electrons after geomagnetic storms, while prominent, produce energy and L-shell dependent decay timescales in association with the solar and geomagnetic activity and wave-particle interaction processes. At lower L shells inside the plasmasphere, the decay timescales τ d for electrons at REPT energies are generally larger, varying from tens of days to hundreds of days, which can be mainly attributed to the combined effect of hiss induced pitch angle scattering and inward radial diffusion. As L shell increases to L ~ 3.5, a narrow region exists (with a width of ~0.5 L) where the observed ultra-relativistic electrons decay fastest, possibly resulting from efficient EMIC wave scattering. As L shell continues to increase, τ d generally becomes larger again, indicating an overall slower loss process by waves at high L shells. Our investigation based upon the sin n α function fitting and the estimate of decay timescale offers a convenient and useful means to evaluate the underlying physical processes that play a role in driving the acceleration and loss of ultra-relativistic electrons and to assess their relative contributions.

Description: Several energetic particle sensors designed to make measurements in the current decade are described and their technology and capabilities discussed and demonstrated. Most of these instruments are already on orbit or approaching launch. These include the Magnetic Electron an Ion Spectrometers (MagEIS), the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) that are flying on the Van Allen Probes, the Fly's Eye Electron Proton Spectrometers (FEEPS) flying on the Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) Mission, and Dosimeters flying on the AC6 Cubesat Mission. We focus mostly on the electron measurement capability of these sensors while providing summary comments of their ion measurement capabilities, if they have any.

Description: The two classes of whistler mode waves (chorus and hiss) play different roles in the dynamics of radiation belt energetic electrons. Chorus can efficiently accelerate energetic electrons, and hiss is responsible for the loss of energetic electrons. Previous studies have proposed that chorus is the source of plasmaspheric hiss, but this still requires an observational confirmation because the previously observed chorus and hiss emissions were not in the same frequency range in the same time. Here we report simultaneous observations form Van Allen Probes that chorus and hiss emissions occurred in the same range ∼300 - 1500 Hz with the peak wave power density about 10 −5 nT 2 /Hz during a weak storm on 3 July 2014. Chorus emissions propagate in a broad region outside the plasmapause. Meanwhile, hiss emissions are confined inside the plasmasphere, with a higher intensity and a broader areas at a lower frequency. A sum of bi-Maxwellian distribution is used to model the observed anisotropic electron distributions and to evaluate the instability of waves. A three-dimensional ray tracing simulation shows that a portion of chorus emission outside the plasmasphere can propagate into the plasmasphere and evolve into plasmaspheric hiss. Moreover, hiss waves below 1 kHz are more intense and propagate over a broader area than those above 1 kHz, consistent with the observation. The current results can explain distributions of the observed hiss emission and provide a further support for the mechanism of evolution of chorus into hiss emissions.

Description: Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (〉1 MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. Simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited, however. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on pitch angle scattering of ultra-relativistic (〉1 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both Van Allen Probes. EMIC waves captured by THEMIS probes and on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) are also used to infer their MLT coverage. From the observed EMIC wave spectra and local plasma parameters, we compute wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. By comparing model results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, we show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron losses in the Earth's outer radiation belt.

Description: Two of the largest geomagnetic storms of the last decade were witnessed in 2015. On 17 March 2015, a coronal mass ejection-driven event occurred with a Dst (storm time ring current index) value reaching -223 nT. On 22 June 2015 another strong storm (Dst reaching -204 nT) was recorded. These two storms each produced almost total loss of radiation belt high-energy (E ≳ 1 MeV) electron fluxes. Following the dropouts of radiation belt fluxes there were complex and rather remarkable recoveries of the electrons extending up to nearly 10 MeV in kinetic energy. The energized outer zone electrons showed a rich variety of pitch angle features including strong “butterfly” distributions with deep minima in flux at α = 90°. However, despite strong driving of outer zone Earthward radial diffusion in these storms, the previously reported “impenetrable barrier” at L ≈2.8 was pushed inward, but not significantly breached, and no E ≳ 2.0 MeV electrons were seen to pass through the radiation belt slot region to reach the inner Van Allen zone. Overall these intense storms show a wealth of novel features of acceleration, transport, and loss that are demonstrated in the present detailed analysis.

Description: We present a statistical analysis of phase space density data from the first 26 months of the Van Allen Probes mission. In particular we investigate the relationship between the 10s-100s keV seed electrons and 〉1 MeV core radiation belt electron population. Using a cross correlation analysis, we find that the seed and core populations are well correlated with a coefficient of ≈ 0.73 with a time lag of 10-15 hours. We present evidence of a seed population threshold that is necessary for subsequent acceleration. The depth of penetration of the seed population determines the inner boundary of the acceleration process. However, we show that an enhanced seed population alone is not enough to produce acceleration in the higher energies, implying that the seed population of 100s of keV electrons is only one of several conditions required for MeV electron radiation belt acceleration.

Description: We present twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft observations of the effects of a solar wind shock impacting the magnetosphere on 8 October 2013. The event provides details both of the accelerating electric fields associated with the shock and the response of inner magnetosphere electron populations across a broad range of energies. During this period the two Van Allen Probes observed shock effects from the vantage point of the dayside magnetosphere at radial positions of L=3 and L=5, at the location where shock-induced acceleration of relativistic electrons occurs. The extended (~1 min) duration of the accelerating electric field across a broad extent of the dayside magnetosphere, coupled with energy dependent relativistic electron gradient drift velocities, selects a preferred range of energies (3 – 4 MeV) for the initial enhancement. Those electrons--whose drift velocity closely matches the azimuthal phase velocity of the shock-induced pulse-- stayed in the accelerating wave as it propagated tailward and received the largest increase in energy. Drift resonance with subsequent strong ULF waves further accentuated this range of electron energies. Phase space density and positional considerations permit identification of the source population of the energized electrons. Observations detail the promptness (〈20 min), energy range (1.5-4.5 MeV), energy increase (~500 keV), and spatial extent (L*~3.5-4.0) of the enhancement of the relativistic electrons. Prompt acceleration by impulsive shock-induced electric fields and subsequent ULF wave processes therefore comprises a significant mechanism for the acceleration of highly relativistic electrons deep inside the outer radiation belt as shown clearly by this event.

Description: In this study, we compare long-term simulations performed by the Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB) code with observations from the MagEIS and REPT instruments on the Van Allen Probes satellites. The model takes into account radial, energy, pitch-angle and mixed diffusion, losses into the atmosphere, and magnetopause shadowing. We consider the energetic (〉100 keV), relativistic (~0.5-1 MeV) and ultra-relativistic (〉2 MeV) electrons. One year of relativistic electron measurements ( μ =700 MeV/G) from October 1, 2012 to October 1, 2013, are well reproduced by the simulation during varying levels of geomagnetic activity. However, for ultra-relativistic energies ( μ =3500 MeV/G), the VERB code simulation overestimates electron fluxes and Phase Space Density. These results indicate that an additional loss mechanism is operational and efficient for these high energies. The most likely mechanism for explaining the observed loss at ultra-relativistic energies is scattering by the Electro-Magnetic Ion Cyclotron waves.

Description: The MESSENGER mission to Mercury has provided a wealth of new data about energetic particle phenomena. With observations from MESSENGER's Energetic Particle Spectrometer (EPS), as well as data arising from energetic electrons recorded by the X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) and Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) instruments, recent work greatly extends our record of the acceleration, transport, and loss of energetic electrons at Mercury. The combined data sets include measurements from a few keV up to several hundred keV in electron kinetic energy and have permitted relatively good spatial and temporal resolution for many events. We focus here on the detailed nature of energetic electron bursts measured by the GRNS system, and we place these events in the context of solar wind and magnetospheric forcing at Mercury. Our examination of data at high temporal resolution (10 ms) during the period March 2013 through October 2014 supports strongly the view that energetic electrons are accelerated in the near-tail region of Mercury's magnetosphere and are subsequently “injected” onto closed magnetic field lines on the planetary night side. The electrons populate the plasma sheet and drift rapidly eastward toward the dawn and pre-noon sectors, at time executing multiple complete drifts around the planet to form “quasi-trapped” populations.

Description: Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs) are wave-like ionospheric perturbations routinely observed by high frequency radars. We focus on a class of MSTIDs observed during the winter daytime at high and mid latitudes. The source of these MSTIDs remains uncertain, with the two primary candidates being space weather and lower atmospheric processes. We surveyed observations from four high latitude and six mid latitude SuperDARN radars in the North American sector from November through May of 2012 to 2015. The MSTIDs observed have horizontal wavelengths between ∼150 to 650 km and horizontal velocities between ∼75 to 325 m s −1 . In local fall and winter seasons the majority of MSTIDs propagated equatorward, with bearings ranging from ∼125 ∘ to 225 ∘ geographic azimuth. No clear correlation with space weather activity as parameterized by A E and Sym-H could be identified. Rather, MSTID observations were found to have a strong correlation with polar vortex dynamics on two timescales. First, a seasonal timescale follows the annual development and decay of the polar vortex. Second, a shorter 2–4 week timescale again corresponds to synoptic polar vortex variability, including stratospheric warmings. Additionally, statistical analysis shows MSTIDs are more likely during periods of strong polar vortex. Direct comparison of the MSTID observations with stratospheric zonal winds suggests a wind filtering mechanism may be responsible for the strong correlation. Collectively, these observations suggest that polar atmospheric processes, rather than space weather activity, are primarily responsible for controlling the occurrence of high and mid latitude winter daytime MSTIDs.