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Low Frequency Plasmaspheric Hiss Wave Activity Parameterized by Plasmapause Location: Models and Simulations
  • Anthony A. Saikin,
  • Alexander Yurievich Drozdov,
  • David M. Malaspina
Anthony A. Saikin
University of California, Los Angeles

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Alexander Yurievich Drozdov
University of California Los Angeles
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David M. Malaspina
University of Colorado Boulder
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Abstract

Plasmaspheric hiss waves are a dominant source of scattering for keV – MeV radiation belt electrons within the plasmasphere. Previous simulation and modeling work concerning hiss waves has often incorporated them via particle-based parameterizations (e.g., L-shell). However, recent work has shown that not only is hiss wave power loosely dependent on L-shell, but that proximity to the plasmapause may yield more accurate wave power distributions as it pertains to the modeling and scattering of electrons. This work serves to expand upon those previous studies by creating a low frequency (20 – 150 Hz) hiss wave model and incorporating a previously crafted high frequency (> 150 Hz) hiss wave model based on plasmapause location, proximity to the plasmapause, and Kp activity level. Diffusion coefficients created using this method produced shorter lifetimes for electrons between ~300 keV – 4 MeV than their L-sorted counterparts. Furthermore, 3D-simulations using and comparing the different hiss wave models (plasmapause sorting vs. L-sorting) find that the plasmapause based approach yields more accurate results when compared to Van Allen Probe-A observations.