skip to main content

Attention:

The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 8:00 PM ET on Friday, March 21 until 8:00 AM ET on Saturday, March 22 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Statistical Analysis of the Differential Deep Penetration of Energetic Electrons and Protons into the Low L Region ( L  < 4)
Abstract

Deep penetration of energetic electrons (10s–100s of keV) to lowL‐shells (L < 4), as an important source of inner belt electrons, is commonly observed during geomagnetically active times. However, such deep penetration is not observed as frequently for similar energy protons, for which underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. To study their differential deep penetration, we conducted a statistical analysis using phase space densities (PSDs) ofµ = 10–50 MeV/G,K = 0.14 G1/2Re electrons and protons from multiyear Van Allen Probes observations. The results suggest systematic differences in electron and proton deep penetration: electron PSD enhancements at lowL‐shells occur more frequently, deeply, and faster than protons. Forµ = 10–50 MeV/G electrons, the occurrence rate of deep penetration events (defined as daily‐averaged PSD enhanced by at least a factor of 2 within a day atL < 4) is ∼2–3 events/month. For protons, only ∼1 event/month was observed forµ = 10 MeV/G, and much fewer events were identified forµ > 20 MeV/G. Leveraging dual‐Probe configurations, fast electron deep penetrations atL < 4 are revealed: ∼70% of electron deep penetration events occurred within ∼9 hr; ∼8%–13% occurred even within 3 hr, with lower‐µelectrons penetrating faster than higher‐µelectrons. These results suggest nondiffusive radial transport as the main mechanism of electron deep penetrations. In comparison, proton deep penetration happens at a slower pace. Statistics also show that the electron PSD radial gradient is much steeper than protons prior to deep penetration events, which can be responsible for these differential behaviors of electron and proton deep penetrations.

 
more » « less
Award ID(s):
1834971 2140934
PAR ID:
10409149
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Volume:
128
Issue:
4
ISSN:
2169-9380
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract

    Deep penetration of outer radiation belt electrons to lowL(<3.5) has long been recognized as an energy‐dependent phenomenon but with limited understanding. The Van Allen Probes measurements have clearly shown energy‐dependent electron penetration during geomagnetically active times, with lower energy electrons penetrating to lowerL. This study aims to improve our ability to model this phenomenon by quantitatively considering radial transport due to large‐scale azimuthal electric fields (E‐fields) as an energy‐dependent convection term added to a radial diffusion Fokker‐Planck equation. We use a modified Volland‐Stern model to represent the enhanced convection field at lowerLto match the observations of storm time values ofE‐field. We model 10–400 MeV/G electron phase space density with an energy‐dependent radial diffusion coefficient and this convection term and show that the model reproduces the observed deep penetrations well, suggesting that time‐variant azimuthalE‐fields contribute preferentially to the deep penetration of lower‐energy electrons.

     
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    Electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt are highly dynamic, with fluxes changing by up to orders of magnitude. The penetration of electrons from the outer belt to the inner belt is one such change observed during geomagnetic storms and was previously observed in electrons up to 1 MeV for some strong storms observed by the Van Allen Probes. We analyze pulse height analysis data from the Relativistic Electric and Proton Telescope (REPT) on the Van Allen Probes to produce electron flux measurements with lower minimum energy and significantly improved resolution compared to the standard REPT data and show that electron penetrations into the inner belt (L ≤ 2) extend to at least 1.3 MeV and penetrations into the slot region (2 < L < 2.8) extend to at least 1.5 MeV during certain geomagnetic storms. We also demonstrate that these penetrations are associated with butterfly pitch angle distributions from 1 to 1.3 MeV.

     
    more » « less
  3. Abstract

    Energetic electron flux enhancements for 100s keV energies are often observed at lowLshells (L < 4) in the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetic storms. However, protons with similar energies do not penetrate as deeply as electrons. Electric fields from subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) have been proposed as a mechanism to explain the difference between the 100s keV electron and proton behavior by altering the particles’ drift paths and allowing electrons to access lowerLshells than protons. Although the primary signature of SAPS is a strong radial electric field, there are corresponding westward/eastward azimuthal electric fields on the eastern/western regions of the SAPS that cause inward/outward radial transport and a differential response between the oppositely drifting electrons and protons. We examine three events where SAPS were observed by the Van Allen Probes near the same time andLshell range as 100s keV electron enhancements deep within the inner magnetosphere. The observations demonstrate that 100s keV electrons were progressively transported radially inward and trapped at lowLshells that were consistent with the spatial extent of the SAPS electric fields. Proton flux enhancements were limited to <100 keV energies and were only observed temporarily in the SAPS region, indicating that these particles were on open drift paths. The particle observations are consistent with the differential drift paths for electrons and protons predicted by a simple SAPS electric field model, suggesting that SAPS play an important role in 100s keV particle dynamics at lowLshells in the inner magnetosphere.

     
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    During active geomagnetic periods both electrons and protons in the outer radiation belt have been frequently observed to penetrate to lowL(<4). Previous studies have demonstrated systematic differences in the deep penetration of the two species of particles, most notably that the penetration of protons is observed less frequently than for electrons of the same energies. A recent study by Mei et al. (2023,https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101921) showed that the time‐varying convection electric field contributes to the deeper penetration of low‐energy electrons and that a radial diffusion‐convection model can be used to reproduce the storm‐time penetration of lower‐energy electrons to lowerL. In this study, we analyze and provide physical explanations for the different behaviors of electrons and protons in terms of their penetration depth to lowL. A radial diffusion‐convection model is applied for the two species with coefficients that are adjusted according to the mass‐dependent relativistic effects on electron and proton drift velocity, and the different loss mechanisms included for each species. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave scattering losses for 100s of keV protons during a specific event are modeled and quantified; the results suggest that EMIC waves interacting with protons of lower energies than electrons can contribute to prevent the inward transport of the protons.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    Following the largest magnetic storm in 20 years (10 May 2024), REPTile‐2 on NASA's CIRBE satellite identified two new radiation belts containing 1.3–5 MeV electrons aroundL = 2.5–3.5 and 6.8–20 MeV protons aroundL = 2. The region aroundL = 2.5–3.5 is usually devoid of relativistic electrons due to wave‐particle interactions that scatter them into the atmosphere. However, these 1.3–5 MeV electrons in this new belt seemed unaffected until a magnetic storm on 28 June 2024, perturbed the region. The long‐lasting nature of this new electron belt has physical implications for the dependence of electron wave‐particle interactions on energy, plasma density, and magnetic field strength. The enhancement of protons aroundL = 2 exceeded an order of magnitude between 6.8 and 15 MeV forming a distinct new proton belt that appears even more stable. CIRBE, after a year of successful operation, malfunctioned 25 days before the super storm but returned to functionality 1 month after the storm, enabling these discoveries.

     
    more » « less