Modeling Earth's Outer Radiation Belt Electron Dynamics---Radial Diffusion, Heating, and Loss (original) (raw)

Abstract

Earth's outer radiation belt is a relativistic electron environment that is hazardous to space systems. It is characterized by large variations in the electron flux, which are controlled by the competition between source, transport, and loss processes. One of the central questions in outer radiation belt research is to resolve the relative contribution of radial diffusion, wave heating, and loss to the enhancement and decay of the radiation belt electrons. This thesis studies them together and separately. Firstly, we develop an empirical Fokker-Planck model that includes radial diffusion, an internal source, and finite electron lifetimes parameterized as functions of geomagnetic indices. By simulating the observed electron variations, the model suggests that the required magnitudes of radial diffusion and internal heating for the enhancement of energetic electrons in the outer radiation belt vary from storm to storm, and generally internal heating contributes more to the enhance...

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