Year: 1971
Type: article
Abstract: Relativistic electrons can have cyclotron resonances with electromagnetic cyclotron waves. The resonant energy is generally well above 1 MeV throughout the magnetosphere, but it can fall to 1 MeV just within the plasmapause. This also corresponds to the region where ring current (10 to 50 keV) protons are expected to be strongly unstable. The resulting ion cyclotron wave amplitudes necessary to precipitate ring current protons leads to electron lifetimes near the strong diffusion limit ( 100 sec). Thus, 1 MeV electrons whose drift orbits intersect the stormtime plasmapause should rapidly be precipitated in the region 3 L 5 during the initial phase of a magnetic storm.
Authors: R. M. Thorne, C. F. Kennel
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Space and Planetary Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2060429666