Three‐dimensional electron radiation belt simulations using the BAS Radiation Belt Model with new diffusion models for chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, and lightning‐generated whistlers

By S. Glauert, R. Horne, Nigel P. Meredith. 2014

199 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The flux of relativistic electrons in the Earth's radiation belts is highly variable and can change by orders of magnitude on timescales of a few hours. Understanding the drivers for these changes is important as energetic electrons can damage satellites. We present results from a new code, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Radiation Belt model, which solves a 3‐D Fokker‐Planck equation, following a similar approach to the Versatile Electron Radiation Belt (VERB) code, incorporating the effects of radial diffusion, wave‐particle interactions, and collisions. Whistler mode chorus waves, plasmaspheric hiss, and lightning‐generated whistlers (LGW) are modeled using new diffusion coefficients, calculated by the Pitch Angle and Energy Diffusion of Ions and Electrons (PADIE) code, with new wave models based on satellite data that have been parameterized by both the AE and Kp indices. The model for plasmaspheric hiss and LGW includes variation in the wave‐normal angle distribution of the waves with latitude. Simulations of 100 days from the CRRES mission demonstrate that the inclusion of chorus waves in the model is needed to reproduce the observed increase in MeV flux during disturbed conditions. The model reproduces the variation of the radiation belts best when AE, rather than Kp, is used to determine the diffusion rates. Losses due to plasmaspheric hiss depend critically on the the wave‐normal angle distribution; a model where the peak of the wave‐normal angle distribution depends on latitude best reproduces the observed decay rates. Higher frequency waves (∼1–2 kHz) only make a significant contribution to losses for L∗<3 and the highest frequencies (2–5 kHz), representing LGW, have a limited effect on MeV electrons for 2

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Molecular Biology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/e6eb95fcf1a98cf34518e5f2e07bcab8399cb63b

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In Astronomy and Astrophysics

1. R. Thorne
2. Nigel P. Meredith
3. Wen Li
4. R. Horne
5. Binbin Ni
6. Jacob Bortnik
7. Y. Shprits
8. S. Glauert

In Molecular Biology

1. R. Thorne
2. Wen Li
3. R. Horne
4. Nigel P. Meredith
5. Binbin Ni
6. S. Glauert
7. Jacob Bortnik
8. J. Fennell

Citations in the corpus

• Electron losses from the radiation belts caused by EMIC waves (2014, methodology): “Since this effect only occurs for electron energies greater than about 2 MeV and the highest energy channel of the CRRES MEA instrument used in our earlier studies [Glauert et al., 2014] measured the electron flux at E = 1.582 MeV, we cannot compare our simulations with CRRES measurements.”
• Statistical properties of plasmaspheric hiss derived from Van Allen Probes data and their effects on radiation belt electron dynamics (2015, methodology): “These fitted frequency spectra have been used in the British Antarctic Survey Radiation Belt Model [Glauert et al., 2014] for modeling and forecasting applications.”
• Global morphology and spectral properties of EMIC waves derived from CRRES observations (2014, methodology): “…helium band EMIC waves provided here can be used to calculate energy and pitch angle diffusion coefficients [Glauert and Horne, 2005] and used in radiation belt models [e.g., Glauert et al., 2014], to assess the role of EMIC waves in radiation belt dynamics and to improve radiation belt forecasts.”
• Earth's Van Allen Radiation Belts: From Discovery to the Van Allen Probes Era (2019, background): “…the main features of observed radiation belt electron dynamics (Albert et al., 2009; Drozdov et al., 2015; Fok et al., 2008; Fok et al., 2014; Glauert et al., 2014; W. Li, Ma, et al., 2016; Ma et al., 2018; Shprits et al., 2009; Thorne et al., 2013a; Tu et al., 2014; Xiao et al., 2014; Zheng…”
• Radiation belt electron acceleration by chorus waves during the 17 March 2013 storm (2014, result): “This study, together with other previous studies simulating electron acceleration events [e.g., Horne et al., 2005a; Albert et al., 2009; Glauert et al., 2014; Shprits et al., 2009; Xiao et al., 2009; Su et al., 2010; Thorne et al., 2013; Tu et al., 2014; Turner et al., 2014], suggests that the…”
• Particle Dynamics in the Earth's Radiation Belts: Review of Current Research and Open Questions (2020, methodology): “…Pugacheva et al., 2000; Beutier et al., 2005; Varotsou et al., 2005, 2008; Maget et al., 2015; Herrera et al., 2016), the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Radiation Belt Code (e.g., Glauert et al., 2014a, 2014b; Glauert & Horne, 2005; Horne et al., 2013; Meredith et al., 2016, 2018), the VERB 3‐”