Examining the cohesive nature of radiation belt dynamics
RadiationBelt
Samuel
Walton
Date Submitted
2019-03-15 10:22:20
Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL
S. D, Walton (MSSL, UCL), C. Forsyth (MSSL, UCL), I. J. Rae (MSSL, UCL), C. E. J. Watt (University of Reading)
The electron population inside Earth’s outer radiation belt is highly variable and is typically linked to geomagnetic activity such as storms and substorms. These variations can differ with radial distance, such that the electron fluxes at the outer boundary are different from those in the heart of the belt. Using data from the Proton Electron Telescope (PET) aboard NASA’s Solar Anomalous Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), we have examined the correlation between electron fluxes at all L-shells within the radiation belts for both quiet and active times. Our analysis shows that during storm times, L-shells are correlated more locally than during quiet times, e.g. during storms the flux at L=4 is well correlated with the fluxes at L’s up to 5, whereas in quiet times it is well correlated with the fluxes at L’s up to 8. Furthermore, when particles are injected into the slot region, it is well correlated with itself but not the rest of the belts, indicating that the variability of the electron fluxes in this region is dominated by different mechanisms to the rest of the radiation belts. We examine whether, and to what extent this correlation is related to the level of enhancement of the outer radiation belt during geomagnetic storms.
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