Run Shi

Resonant scattering of outer zone relativistic electrons by multiband EMIC waves and resultant electron loss time scales

To improve our understanding of the role of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in radiation belt electron dynamics, we perform a comprehensive analysis of EMIC wave-induced resonant scattering of outer zone relativistic (>0.5 MeV) electrons and resultant electron loss time scales with respect to EMIC wave band, L shell, and wave normal angle model. The results demonstrate that while H+-band EMIC waves dominate the scattering losses of ~1–4 MeV outer zone relativistic electrons, it is He+-band and O+-band waves that prevail over the pitch angle diffusion of ultrarelativistic electrons at higher energies. Given the wave amplitude, EMIC waves at higher L shells tend to resonantly interact with a larger population of outer zone relativistic electrons and drive their pitch angle scattering more efficiently. Obliquity of EMIC waves can reduce the efficiency of wave-induced relativistic electron pitch angle scattering. Compared to the frequently adopted parallel or quasi-parallel model, use of the latitudinally varying wave normal angle model produces the largest decrease in H+-band EMIC wave scattering rates at pitch angles  ~5 MeV. At a representative nominal amplitude of 1 nT, EMIC wave scattering produces the equilibrium state (i.e., the lowest normal mode under which electrons at the same energy but different pitch angles decay exponentially on the same time scale) of outer belt relativistic electrons within several to tens of minutes and the following exponential decay extending to higher pitch angles on time scales from <1 min to ~1 h. The electron loss cone can be either empty as a result of the weak diffusion or heavily/fully filled due to approaching the strong diffusion limit, while the trapped electron population at high pitch angles close to 90° remains intact because of no resonant scattering. In this manner, EMIC wave scattering has the potential to deepen the anisotropic distribution of outer zone relativistic electrons by reshaping their pitch angle profiles to “top-hat.” Overall, H+-band and He+-band EMIC waves are most efficient in producing the pitch angle scattering loss of relativistic electrons at ~1–2 MeV. In contrast, the presence of O+-band EMIC waves, while at a smaller occurrence rate, can dominate the scattering loss of 5–10 MeV electrons in the entire region of the outer zone, which should be considered in future modeling of the outer zone relativistic electron dynamics.

Variability of the pitch angle distribution of radiation belt ultrarelativistic electrons during and following intense geomagnetic storms: Van Allen Probes observations

Fifteen months of pitch angle resolved Van Allen Probes Relativistic Electron-Proton Telescope (REPT) measurements of differential electron flux are analyzed to investigate the characteristic variability of the pitch angle distribution of radiation belt ultrarelativistic (>2MeV) electrons during storm conditions and during the long-term poststorm decay. By modeling the ultrarelativistic electron pitch angle distribution as sin(n)alpha, where alpha is the equatorial pitch angle, we examine the spatiotemporal variations of the n value. The results show that, in general, n values increase with the level of geomagnetic activity. In principle, ultrarelativistic electrons respond to geomagnetic storms by becoming more peaked at 90 degrees pitch angle with n values of 2-3 as a supportive signature of chorus acceleration outside the plasmasphere. High n values also exist inside the plasmasphere, being localized adjacent to the plasmapause and exhibiting energy dependence, which suggests a significant contribution from electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave scattering. During quiet periods, n values generally evolve to become small, i.e., 0-1. The slow and long-term decays of the ultrarelativistic electrons after geomagnetic storms, while prominent, produce energy and L-shell-dependent decay time scales in association with the solar and geomagnetic activity and wave-particle interaction processes. At lower L shells inside the plasmasphere, the decay time scales tau(d) for electrons at REPT energies are generally larger, varying from tens of days to hundreds of days, which can be mainly attributed to the combined effect of hiss-induced pitch angle scattering and inward radial diffusion. As L shell increases to L similar to 3.5, a narrow region exists (with a width of similar to 0.5L), where the observed ultrarelativistic electrons decay fastest, possibly resulting from efficient EMIC wave scattering. As L shell continues to increase, tau(d) generally becomes larger again, indicating an overall slower loss process by waves at high L shells. Our investigation based upon the sin(n)alpha function fitting and the estimate of decay time scale offers a convenient and useful means to evaluate the underlying physical processes that play a role in driving the acceleration and loss of ultrarelativistic electrons and to assess their relative contributions.

Hemispheric asymmetry of the structure of dayside auroral oval

A comprehensive analysis of long-term and multispectral auroral observations made in the Arctic and Antarctica demonstrates that the dayside auroral ovals in two hemispheres are both presented in a two-peak structure, namely, the prenoon 09:00 magnetic local time (MLT) and postnoon 15:00 MLT peaks. The two-peak structures of dayside ovals, however, are asymmetric in the two hemispheres; i.e., the postnoon average auroral intensity is more than the prenoon one in the Northern Hemisphere but less in the Southern Hemisphere. The hemispheric asymmetry cannot be accounted for by the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field By component and the seasonal difference of ionospheric conductivities in the two hemispheres, which were used to interpret satellite-observed real-time auroral intensity asymmetries in the two hemispheres in previous studies. We suggest that the hemispheric asymmetry is the combined effect of the prenoon-postnoon variations of the magnetosheath density and local ionospheric conductivity.

Resonant scattering of central plasma sheet protons by multiband EMIC waves and resultant proton loss timescales

This is a companion study to Liang et al. (2014) which reported a “reversed” energy-latitude dispersion pattern of ion precipitation in that the lower energy ion precipitation extends to lower latitudes than the higher-energy ion precipitation. Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the central plasma sheet (CPS) have been suggested to account for this reversed-type ion precipitation. To further investigate the association, we perform a comprehensive study of pitch angle diffusion rates induced by EMIC wave and the resultant proton loss timescales at L = 8–12 around the midnight. Comparing the proton scattering rates in the Earths dipole field and a more realistic quiet time geomagnetic field constructed from the Tsyganenko 2001 (T01) model, we find that use of a realistic, nondipolar magnetic field model not only decreases the minimum resonant energies of CPS protons but also considerably decreases the limit of strong diffusion and changes the proton pitch angle diffusion rates. Adoption of the T01 model increases EMIC wave diffusion rates at > ~ 60° equatorial pitch angles but decreases them at small equatorial pitch angles. Pitch angle scattering coefficients of 1–10 keV protons due to H+ band EMIC waves can exceed the strong diffusion rate for both geomagnetic field models. While He+ and O+ band EMIC waves can only scatter tens of keV protons efficiently to cause a fully filled loss cone at L > 10, in the T01 magnetic field they can also cause efficient scattering of ~ keV protons in the strong diffusion limit at L > 10. The resultant proton loss timescales by EMIC waves with a nominal amplitude of 0.2 nT vary from a few hours to several days, depending on the wave band and L shell. Overall, the results demonstrate that H+ band EMIC waves, once present, can act as a major contributor to the scattering loss of a few keV protons at lower L shells in the CPS, accounting for the reversed energy-latitude dispersion pattern of proton precipitation at low energies (~ keV) on the nightside. The pitch angle coverage for H+ band EMIC wave resonant scattering strongly depends on proton energy, L shell, and field model. He+ and O+ band EMIC waves tend to cause efficient scattering loss of protons at higher energies, thereby importantly contributing to the isotropic distribution of higher energy (> ~ 10 keV) protons at higher L shells on the nightside where the geomagnetic field line is highly stretched. Our results also suggest that scattering by H+ band EMIC waves may significantly contribute to the formation of the reversed-type CPS proton precipitation on the dawnside where both the wave activity and occurrence probability is statistically high.

Limiting energy spectrum of an electron radiation belt

To determine the Kennel-Petschek limiting particle flux in a planetary radiation belt in a fully relativistic regime, without assuming a predetermined form for the particle energy distribution, has been a long-standing challenge in space physics. In this paper, for the case of whistler mode wave-electron interaction, we meet this challenge. The limiting flux is determined by a steady state marginal stability criterion in which a convective wave gain condition is applied over all frequencies for which wave growth occurs. This condition produces an integral equation for the trapped flux. We find that in the relativistic regime the limiting electron energy spectrum varies asymptotically as 1/E, for large energy E, just as in the nonrelativistic case. However, the scaling coefficient in the relativistic case is twice that in the nonrelativistic result. We compare numerical solutions for the limiting spectra with measured energetic electron spectra at Jupiter.

A parametric study of the linear growth of magnetospheric EMIC waves in a hot plasma

Since electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the terrestrial magnetosphere play a crucial role in the dynamic losses of relativistic electrons and energetic protons and in the ion heating, it is important to pursue a comprehensive understanding of the EMIC wave dispersion relation under realistic circumstances, which can shed significant light on the generation, amplification, and propagation of magnetospheric EMIC waves. The full kinetic linear dispersion relation is implemented in the present study to evaluate the linear growth of EMIC waves in a multi-ion (H+, He+, and O+) magnetospheric plasma that also consists of hot ring current protons. Introduction of anisotropic hot protons strongly modifies the EMIC wave dispersion surface and can result in the simultaneous growth of H+-, He+-, and O+-band EMIC emissions. Our parametric analysis demonstrates that an increase in the hot proton concentration can produce the generation of H+- and He+-band EMIC waves with higher possibility. While the excitation of H+-band emissions requires relatively larger temperature anisotropy of hot protons, He+-band emissions are more likely to be triggered in the plasmasphere or plasmaspheric plume where the background plasma is denser. In addition, the generation of He+-band waves is more sensitive to the variation of proton temperature than H+-band waves. Increase of cold heavy ion (He+ and O+) density increases the H+ cutoff frequency and therefore widens the frequency coverage of the stop band above the He+ gyrofrequency, leading to a significant damping of H+-band EMIC waves. In contrast, O+-band EMIC waves characteristically exhibit the temporal growth much weaker than the other two bands, regardless of all considered variables, suggesting that O+-band emissions occur at a rate much lower than H+- and He+-band emissions, which is consistent with the observations.

Survey of radiation belt energetic electron pitch angle distributions based on the Van Allen Probes MagEIS measurements: Electron Pitch Angle Distributions

A statistical survey of electron pitch angle distributions (PADs) is performed based on the pitch angle-resolved flux observations from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) instrument on board the Van Allen Probes during the period from 1 October 2012 to 1 May 2015. By fitting the measured PADs to a sinnα form, where α is the local pitch angle and n is the power law index, we investigate the dependence of PADs on electron kinetic energy, magnetic local time (MLT), the geomagnetic Kp index, and L shell. The difference in electron PADs between the inner and outer belt is distinct. In the outer belt, the common averaged n values are less than 1.5, except for large values of the Kp index and high electron energies. The averaged n values vary considerably with MLT, with a peak in the afternoon sector and an increase with increasing L shell. In the inner belt, the averaged n values are much larger, with a common value greater than 2. The PADs show a slight dependence on MLT, with a weak maximum at noon. A distinct region with steep PADs lies in the outer edge of the inner belt where the electron flux is relatively low. The distance between the inner and outer belt and the intensity of the geomagnetic activity together determine the variation of PADs in the inner belt. Besides being dependent on electron energy, magnetic activity, and L shell, the results show a clear dependence on MLT, with higher n values on the dayside.

Modulation of the dayside diffuse auroral intensity by the solar wind dynamic pressure

Compared to the recently improved understanding of the nightside diffuse aurora, the mechanism(s) responsible for the dayside diffuse auroral precipitation remains limitedly understood. We investigate the dayside diffuse aurora observed by the all-sky imagers of Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station in the time interval of 02:00–10:00 UT (05:00–13:00 magnetic local time) on 2 January 2006. In this interval, the intensity of dayside diffuse aurora is highly correlated with the solar wind dynamic pressure with a maximum coefficient of 0.89. Moreover, there are similar spectra characteristics in the Pc5 range between the intensity of dayside diffuse aurora and solar wind dynamic pressure (proton density) during a portion of the time interval, in which the interplanetary magnetic field Bz is northward. The observation indicates that changes in solar wind dynamic pressure can efficiently modulate the magnitude of the dayside diffuse aurora, except when the interplanetary magnetic field is southward. The enhancement of the solar wind dynamic pressure can provide favorable circumstances for dayside chorus wave generation, so we consider that the dayside chorus could be a candidate for the production of the dayside diffuse aurora. Furthermore, since the compressional Pc4-Pc5 pulsations can also modulate the intensity of whistler mode chorus waves, the solar wind dynamic pressure modulates the dayside diffuse aurora through affecting dayside chorus wave activity and the associated scattering process.

Resonance zones and quasi-linear diffusion coefficients for radiation belt energetic electron interaction with oblique chorus waves in the Dungey magnetosphere

The resonance regions for resonant interactions of radiation belt electrons with obliquely propagating whistler-mode chorus waves are investigated in detail in the Dungey magnetic fields that are parameterized by the intensity of uniform southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz or, equivalently, by the values of D=(M/Bz,0)1/3 (where M is the magnetic moment of the dipole and Bz,0 is the uniform southward IMF normal to the dipole’s equatorial plane). Adoption of background magnetic field model can considerably modify the determination of resonance regions. Compared to the results for the case of D = 50 (very close to the dipole field), the latitudinal coverage of resonance regions for 200 keV electrons interacting with chorus waves tends to become narrower for smaller D-values, regardless of equatorial pitch angle, resonance harmonics, and wave normal angle. In contrast, resonance regions for 1 MeV electrons tend to have very similar spatial lengths along the field line for various Dungey magnetic ...

Systematic Evaluation of Low-Frequency Hiss and Energetic Electron Injections

The excitation of low frequency (LF) plasmaspheric hiss, over the frequency range from 20 Hz to 100 Hz, is systematically investigated by comparing the hiss wave properties with electron injections at energies from tens of keV to several hundred keV. Both particle and wave data from the Van Allen Probes during the period from September 2012 to June 2016 are used in the present study. Our results demonstrate that the intensity of LF hiss has a clear day-night asymmetry, and increases with increasing geomagnetic activity, similar to the behavior of normal hiss (~100 Hz to several kHz). The occurrence rate of LF hiss in association with electron injections is up to 80% in the outer plasmasphere (L > 4) on the dayside, and the strong correlation extends to lower L shells for more active times. In contrast, at lower L shells (L < 3.5), LF hiss is seldom associated with electron injections. The LF hiss with Poynting flux directed away from the equator is dominant at higher magnetic latitudes and higher L shells, suggesting a local amplification of LF hiss in the outer plasmasphere. The averaged electron fluxes are larger at higher L shells where significant LF hiss wave events are observed. Our study suggests the importance of electron injections and their drift trajectories towards the dayside plasmasphere in locally amplifying the LF hiss waves detected by the Van Allen Probes.