Electron acceleration in the Van Allen radiation belts by fast magnetosonic waves

Richard B. Horne, Richard M. Thorne, Sarah A. Glauert, Nigel P. Meredith, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Ondřej Santolík

doi:10.1029/2007gl030267

Electron acceleration in the Van Allen radiation belts by fast magnetosonic waves

DOI Web Site Web Site 被引用文献16件

Richard B. Horne

British Antarctic Survey Cambridge UK
Richard M. Thorne

Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences University of California Los Angeles California USA
Sarah A. Glauert

British Antarctic Survey Cambridge UK
Nigel P. Meredith

British Antarctic Survey Cambridge UK
Dimitry Pokhotelov

Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering University of Bath Bath UK
Ondřej Santolík

Department of Mathematics and Physics Charles University Prague Czech Republic

書誌事項

公開日: 2007-09

権利情報

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor

DOI

10.1029/2007gl030267

公開者: American Geophysical Union (AGU)

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説明

<jats:p>Local acceleration is required to explain electron flux increases in the outer Van Allen radiation belt during magnetic storms. Here we show that fast magnetosonic waves, detected by Cluster 3, can accelerate electrons between ∼10 keV and a few MeV inside the outer radiation belt. Acceleration occurs via electron Landau resonance, and not Doppler shifted cyclotron resonance, due to wave propagation almost perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. Using quasi‐linear theory, pitch angle and energy diffusion rates are comparable to those for whistler mode chorus, suggesting that these waves are very important for local electron acceleration. Since pitch angle diffusion does not extend into the loss cone, these waves, on their own, are not important for loss to the atmosphere. We suggest that magnetosonic waves, which are generated by unstable proton ring distributions, are an important energy transfer process from the ring current to the Van Allen radiation belts.</jats:p>