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Intense duskside lower band chorus waves observed by Van Allen Probes: Generation and potential acceleration effect on radiation belt electrons
Author(s) -
Su Zhenpeng,
Zhu Hui,
Xiao Fuliang,
Zheng Huinan,
Wang Yuming,
He Zhaoguo,
Shen Chao,
Shen Chenglong,
Wang C. B.,
Liu Rui,
Zhang Min,
Wang Shui,
Kletzing C. A.,
Kurth W. S.,
Hospodarsky G. B.,
Spence H. E.,
Reeves G. D.,
Funsten H. O.,
Blake J. B.,
Baker D. N.,
Wygant J. R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2014ja019919
Subject(s) - chorus , van allen radiation belt , physics , substorm , van allen probes , electron , noon , acceleration , radiation , computational physics , geophysics , electron precipitation , magnetosphere , astrophysics , atmospheric sciences , optics , plasma , nuclear physics , classical mechanics , art , literature
Local acceleration driven by whistler mode chorus waves largely accounts for the enhancement of radiation belt relativistic electron fluxes, whose favored region is usually considered to be the plasmatrough with magnetic local time approximately from midnight through dawn to noon. On 2 October 2013, the Van Allen Probes recorded a rarely reported event of intense duskside lower band chorus waves (with power spectral density up to 10 −3 nT 2 /Hz) in the low‐latitude region outside of L =5. Such chorus waves are found to be generated by the substorm‐injected anisotropic suprathermal electrons and have a potentially strong acceleration effect on the radiation belt energetic electrons. This event study demonstrates the possibility of broader spatial regions with effective electron acceleration by chorus waves than previously expected. For such intense duskside chorus waves, the occurrence probability, the preferential excitation conditions, the time duration, and the accurate contribution to the long‐term evolution of radiation belt electron fluxes may need further investigations in future.