Duration of Individual Relativistic Electron Microbursts: A Probe Into
Their Scattering Mechanism
Abstract
We used the Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer
(SAMPEX) to identify and quantify the duration of relativistic,
>1 MeV, electron microbursts. A typical relativistic
microburst has a ~100 millisecond (ms) duration, and the
interquartile range of the duration distribution is 70-140 ms. We
investigated trends in the microburst duration as a function of
geomagnetic activity, L-shell, and magnetic local time (MLT). The
clearest trend is in MLT: the median microburst duration doubles from 80
milliseconds at midnight to 160 milliseconds noon MLT. This trend is
similar to the whistler mode chorus rising tone element duration trend,
suggesting a possible relationship.