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Abstract Angular response functions are derived for four electron channels and six proton channels of the SEM‐2 MEPED particle telescopes on the POES and MetOp satellites from Geant4 simulations previously used to derive the energy response. They are combined with model electron distributions in energy and pitch angle to show that the vertical 0° telescope, intended to measure precipitating electrons, instead usually measures trapped or quasi‐trapped electrons, except during times of enhanced pitch angle diffusion. A simplified dynamical model of the radiation belt electron distribution near the loss cone, as a function of longitude, energy, and pitch angle, that accounts for pitch angle diffusion, azimuthal drift, and atmospheric backscatter is fit to sample MEPED electron data atL = 4during times of differing diffusion rates. It is then used to compute precipitating electron flux, as function of energy and longitude, that is lower than would be estimated by assuming that the 0° telescope always measures precipitating electrons.
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Ultimate Fast Gyrosynchrotron Codes
Abstract The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in practical applications of microwave gyrosynchrotron emission for plasma diagnostics and three-dimensional modeling of solar flares and other astrophysical objects. This breakthrough became possible due to an apparently minor, technical development of fast gyrosynchrotron codes, which enormously reduced the computation time needed to calculate a single spectrum, while preserving the accuracy of the computation. However, the available fast codes are limited in that they can only be used for a factorized distribution over the energy and pitch angle, while the distribution of electrons over energy or pitch angle is limited to a number of predefined analytical functions. In realistic simulations, these assumptions do not hold; thus, the codes free from the mentioned limitations are called for. To remedy this situation, we extended our fast codes to work with an arbitrary input distribution function of radiating electrons. We accomplished this by implementing fast codes for a distribution function described by an arbitrary numerically defined array. In addition, we removed several other limitations of the available fast codes and improved treatment of the free–free component. The ultimate fast codes presented here allow for an arbitrary combination of the analytically and numerically defined distributions, which offers the most flexible use of the fast codes. We illustrate the code with a few simple examples.
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- PAR ID:
- 10344802
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Volume:
- 922
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0004-637X
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 103
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Electron cyclotron harmonic waves (ECH) play a key role in scattering and precipitation of plasma sheet electrons. Previous analysis on the resonant interaction between ECH waves and electrons assumed that these waves are generated by a loss cone distribution and propagate nearly perpendicular to the background magnetic field. Recent spacecraft observations, however, have demonstrated that such waves can also be generated by low energy electron beams and propagate at moderately oblique angles . To quantify the effects of this newly observed ECH wave mode on electron dynamics in Earth's magnetosphere, we use quasi‐linear theory to calculate the associated electron pitch angle diffusion coefficient. Utilizing THEMIS spacecraft measurements, we analyze in detail a few representative events of beam‐driven ECH waves in the plasma sheet and the outer radiation belt. Based on the observed wave properties and the hot plasma dispersion relation of these waves, we calculate their bounce‐averaged pitch angle, momentum and mixed diffusion coefficients. We find that these waves most efficiently scatter low‐energy electrons (10–500 eV) toward larger pitch angles, on time scales of to seconds. In contrast, loss‐cone‐driven ECH waves most efficiently scatter higher‐energy electrons (500 eV–5 keV) toward lower pitch‐angles. Importantly, beam‐driven ECH waves can effectively scatter ionospheric electron outflows out of the loss cone near the magnetic equator. As a result, these outflows become trapped in the magnetosphere, forming a near‐field‐aligned anisotropic electron population. Our work highlights the importance of ECH waves, particularly beam‐driven modes, in regulating magnetosphere‐ionosphere particle and energy coupling.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac29c0
