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Impulsive solar energetic ion trapping in the magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms
Author(s) -
Kress B. T.,
Hudson M. K.,
Slocum P. L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl022373
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , physics , magnetopause , ring current , geomagnetic storm , earth's magnetic field , geophysics , van allen radiation belt , dipole , computational physics , magnetic field , quantum mechanics
A mechanism for prompt trapping of solar energetic particles (SEPs) in the inner magnetosphere during severe storms is numerically demonstrated. The mechanism can be understood in terms of a generalization of Störmer theory to a time dependently perturbed dipole magnetic field. Test particle Lorentz trajectories are computed in fields from a Lyon‐Feder‐Mobarry (LFM) global MHD magnetospheric model simulation of the 24 Nov 2001 storm to show energetic particles may be impulsively injected into the magnetosphere and trapped on a time scale of minutes by a sudden compression and de‐compression of the magnetosphere. It is also shown that SEPs with access to the innermost L ‐shells enter through the magnetopause on the day side.