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Electron source at the outer boundary of the radiation belts: Storm time case
Author(s) -
Lui A. T. Y.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/jgra.50220
Subject(s) - van allen radiation belt , physics , geomagnetic storm , electron , radiation , adiabatic invariant , plasmasphere , geophysics , population , computational physics , storm , magnetosphere , adiabatic process , atmospheric sciences , earth's magnetic field , magnetic field , meteorology , nuclear physics , demography , quantum mechanics , sociology , thermodynamics
We examine the strength of the electron source at the outer boundary of the radiation belts using multisatellite observations from Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms during one moderate geomagnetic storm. The electron phase space density (PSD) as a function of the first adiabatic invariant for an equatorially mirroring population over a broad energy range is used to determine the source strength. It is found that the source strength from dipolarization at the outer boundary of the radiation belts during this storm period is well above the observed phase space densities of relativistic electrons inside the outer radiation belt, indicating that the inward radial transport can be a potential source of the relativistic electrons within the radiation belts, even in the strong pitch angle diffusion limit.