In this study, a magnetic dip event in which a small‐scale magnetic dip is embedded within a large‐scale magnetic dip is analyzed based on the observations of the Van Allen Probes. The small‐scale dip is contributed by a sharp electron injection at the energy range of 1 to 10 keV, but the large‐scale dip is contributed by a smooth proton injection at the energy range higher than 10 keV. The formation of dip caused by the suprathermal electrons is supported by the self‐consistent magnetic model. Moreover, the echoes of butterfly distributions of relativistic electrons at the energy range of 0.5 to 3.4 MeV is observed. The time separations of the neighboring butterfly distributions are comparable to the drift periods of the electrons at the different energies. We suggest that the potential nonadiabatic processes in response to the magnetic dips possibly account for the butterfly distribution echoes.
In this study, we statistically investigate the features of magnetic dips by constructing superposed epoch analysis on Van Allen Probe data. Based on the values of electron and proton plasma betas, we categorize dips into two types: electron‐dominant and proton‐dominant. The global distributions of dips are obtained. Superposed epoch analysis on two types reveals a correlation between the magnetic fluctuations and plasma betas. Moreover, the occurrences of butterfly pitch angle distributions of relativistic electrons driven by the magnetic dips are confirmed on a statistical basis. Our results reveal the statistical characteristics of magnetic dips and establish the relationship among the magnetic fluctuations and background plasma parameters, indicating the potentially important role of magnetic dips in the inner magnetosphere dynamics.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10375384
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Volume:
- 48
- Issue:
- 21
- ISSN:
- 0094-8276
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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