Evolution of electron pitch angle distributions following injection from the plasma sheet

Tao, X.; Thorne, R.M.; Li, W.; Ni, B.; Meredith, N.P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5032-3463; Horne, R.B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0412-6407. 2011 Evolution of electron pitch angle distributions following injection from the plasma sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116 (A4), A04229. 8, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JA016245

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Abstract/Summary

The temporal evolution of the phase space density of plasma sheet electrons (100 eV-30 keV) injected into the nightside at L = 6 during moderate geomagnetic activity is investigated using a quasi-linear diffusion formulation. Scattering in energy and pitch angle during interactions with both whistler mode chorus waves and electron cyclotron harmonic waves are included using an improved wave model recently obtained using CRRES spacecraft data. We compare our simulation results with observations from the THEMIS spacecraft and demonstrate that the formation of the observed electron pitch angle distributions is mainly due to resonant interactions with a combination of upper and lower band chorus waves. The pancake distributions at low energies (E < 2 keV), the flattened pitch angle distributions at medium energies (between 2-3 keV), and the distributions with enhanced pitch angle anisotropy at high energies (E > 3 keV) are explained using the banded chorus wave structure with a power minimum at half the electron cyclotron frequency. Results of the current work can be used to model the dynamical evolution and resultant global distribution of plasma sheet electrons.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JA016245
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Climate
ISSN:	0148-0227
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.:	Correction to this article at https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jgra.50154
Additional Keywords:	pancake distributions, wave-particle interactions, energetic electron distributions, quasi-linear diffusion theory
NORA Subject Terms:	Atmospheric Sciences
Date made live:	20 Jun 2011 14:21 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14489

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