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Relativistic electron flux decay and recovery: relative roles of EMIC waves, chorus waves, and electron injections
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  • Zijin Zhang,
  • Anton V Artemyev,
  • Didier Mourenas,
  • Vassilis Angelopoulos,
  • Xiao-Jia Zhang,
  • Satoshi Kasahara,
  • Yoshizumi Miyoshi,
  • Ayako Matsuoka,
  • Yoshiya Kasahara,
  • Takefumi Mitani,
  • Shoichiro Yokota,
  • Tomoaki Hori,
  • Kunihiro Keika,
  • Takeshi Takashima,
  • Mariko Teramoto,
  • Shoya Matsuda,
  • Iku Shinohara
Zijin Zhang
University of California, Los Angeles

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Anton V Artemyev
UCLA IGPP
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Didier Mourenas
CEA
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Vassilis Angelopoulos
University of California Los Angeles
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Xiao-Jia Zhang
The University of Texas at Dallas
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Satoshi Kasahara
The University of Tokyo
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Yoshizumi Miyoshi
Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University
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Ayako Matsuoka
Kyoto University
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Yoshiya Kasahara
Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University
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Takefumi Mitani
ISAS/JAXA
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Shoichiro Yokota
Osaka University
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Tomoaki Hori
Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, Nagoya University
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Kunihiro Keika
The University of Tokyo
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Takeshi Takashima
JAXA/ISAS
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Mariko Teramoto
Kyushu Institute of Technology
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Shoya Matsuda
Kanazawa University
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Iku Shinohara
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
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Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of relativistic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt by analyzing the interplay of several key physical processes: electron losses due to pitch angle scattering from electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and chorus waves, and electron flux increases from chorus wave-driven acceleration of ~100-300 keV seed electrons injected from the plasma sheet. We examine a weak geomagnetic storm on April 17, 2021, using observations from various spacecraft, including GOES, Van Allen Probes, ERG/ARASE, MMS, ELFIN, and POES. Despite strong EMIC- and chorus wave-driven electron precipitation in the outer radiation belt, trapped 0.1-1.5 MeV electron fluxes actually increased. We use theoretical estimates of electron quasi-linear diffusion rates by chorus and EMIC waves, based on statistics of their wave power distribution, to examine the role of those waves in the observed relativistic electron flux variations. We find that a significant supply of 100-300 keV electrons by plasma sheet injections together with chorus wave-driven acceleration can overcome the rate of chorus and EMIC wave-driven electron losses through pitch angle scattering toward the loss cone, explaining the observed net increase in electron fluxes. Our study emphasizes the importance of simultaneously taking into account resonant wave-particle interactions and modeled local energy gradients of electron phase space density following injections, to accurately forecast the dynamical evolution of trapped electron fluxes.
15 Aug 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
15 Aug 2024Published in ESS Open Archive