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Storm-time depletions of multi-MeV radiation belt electrons observed at different pitch angles
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  • Alexander, Yurievich Drozdov,
  • Nikita, Alexandrovich Aseev,
  • Frederic Effenberger,
  • Drew, L. Turner,
  • Anthony, A. Saikin,
  • Yuri, Y Shprits
Alexander, Yurievich Drozdov
University of California Los Angeles

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Nikita, Alexandrovich Aseev
Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam - Deutsches Geoforschungszentrum
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Frederic Effenberger
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ, German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
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Drew, L. Turner
The Aerospace Corporation
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Anthony, A. Saikin
University of California, Los Angeles
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Yuri, Y Shprits
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
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Abstract

During geomagnetic storms, the rapid depletion of the high-energy (several MeV) outer radiation belt electrons is a result of loss to the interplanetary medium through the magnetopause, outward radial diffusion and loss to the atmosphere due to wave-particle interactions. We have performed a statistical study of 110 storms using pitch angle resolved electron flux measurement from the Van Allen Probes mission and found that inside of the radiation belt (L*=3-5) the number of storms that result in depletion electrons with equatorial pitch angle α=30 is higher than number of storms that result in depletion of electrons with equatorial pitch angle α=75. We conclude that this is an indication of electron scattering by electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. At the outer edge of the radiation belt (L* >= 5.2) the number of storms that result in depletion is also large (~40-50%), supporting the significance of the magnetopause shadowing effect and outward radial transport.
Nov 2019Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics volume 124 issue 11 on pages 8943-8953. 10.1029/2019JA027332