Modeling the propagation characteristics of chorus using CRRES suprathermal electron fluxes

In the present paper, phase space density functions of the form f(v) = A N /v n are fitted to statistical distributions of suprathermal electron fluxes (E = 0.213–16.5 keV) from the CRRES satellite, parameterized by L-shell, Magnetic Local Time (MLT), and geomagnetic activity. The fitted distributions are used in conjunction with ray tracing to calculate the Landau damping rates of an ensemble of rays representing whistler-mode chorus waves. The modeled propagation characteristics are compared with observations of chorus wave power from the CRRES satellite, as a function of L-shell, MLT, and magnetic latitude, in various frequency bands, and under various geomagnetic conditions. It is shown that the model results are remarkably consistent with many aspects of the observed wave distributions, including frequency, L-shell, MLT, and latitudinal dependence. In addition, the MLT distribution of wave power becomes characteristically asymmetric during active geomagnetic conditions, with small propagation lengths on the nightside which increase with MLT and maximize on the dayside. This asymmetry is shown to be directly related to the dynamics of the Landau resonant suprathermal electrons which drift around the Earth whilst undergoing scattering and loss due to a variety of plasma waves. Consequently, the suprathermal electrons play an important role in radiation belt dynamics, by controlling the distribution of chorus, which in turn contributes to the acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons in the recovery phase of storms.