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Radial diffusion of trapped particles and some of its consequences
Author(s) -
Walt Martin
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg009i001p00011
Subject(s) - van allen radiation belt , diffusion , physics , magnitude (astronomy) , geophysics , motion (physics) , computational physics , classical mechanics , magnetic field , magnetosphere , astrophysics , quantum mechanics
The nonadiabatic motion of geomagnetically trapped particles across L shells has been inferred from the measured distributions of trapped particles and has also been observed directly in a number of cases. This type of motion has important influences on both the steady‐state structure and the dynamics of the radiation belts. The characteristics of the radial motion have been evaluated and are generally consistent (within an order of magnitude) with the radial diffusion expected from fluctuations in the magnetospheric electric and/or magnetic fields. However, the complexity and variability of the observed phenomena suggest that several basic processes are acting simultaneously, and further efforts are needed to identify specific mechanisms.