Open AccessVariation of energetic particle precipitation with local magnetic time
Author(s) -
Jan Maik Wissing,
J. P. Bornebusch,
May-Britt Kallenrode
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
advances in space research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1879-1948
pISSN - 0273-1177
DOI - 10.1016/j.asr.2007.05.063
Subject(s) - electron precipitation , earth's magnetic field , precipitation , electron , physics , atmosphere (unit) , atmospheric sciences , magnetosphere , computational physics , pitch angle , particle (ecology) , ionosphere , charged particle , polar , magnetic field , geophysics , ion , astronomy , geology , meteorology , nuclear physics , oceanography , quantum mechanics
The detailed study of the precipitation of magnetospheric particles into the atmosphere is complicated by the rather complex spatial configuration of the precipitation region and its variability with geomagnetic activity. In this paper we will introduce polar oval coordinates and apply them to POES observations of 30 keV to 2.5 MeV electrons and comparable protons to illustrate the dependence of particle precipitation on local time and geomagnetic activity. These coordinates also allow an easy separation of the spatial precipitation patterns of solar and magnetospheric particles. The results indicate that (a) the spatial precipitation pattern of energetic magnetospheric electrons basically follows the pattern of the field parallel Birkeland currents up to MeV energies and (b) at least in the mesosphere the influence of magnetospheric electrons is comparable to the one of solar electrons. Implications for modeling of atmospheric chemistry will be sketched. Keywords Particle precipitation Local magnetic time Birkeland
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