Publication Date:
2019-07-12
Description:
The magnitudes of gyroresonant pitch angle scattering in the magnetosphere due to interactions of energetic electrons with coherent and with incoherent whistler-mode waves are compared, using a test particle method for simulating the interaction of a particle population with a finite duration wave packet. Wave packets of 400 ms duration propagating along the magnetic field at L = 4 within the plasmasphere are considered, and the wave-induced pitch angle scattering along the propagation path from one hemisphere to the other and the resulting precipitation flux are computed. Results of the test particle analysis are compared with those expected on the basis of a classical diffusion treatment, and an expression is derived for an effective 'diffusion' coefficient for pitch angle scattering by coherent waves.
Keywords:
GEOPHYSICS
Type:
Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227); 92; 127-142
Format:
text
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