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Horne et al. 2003
Horne, R.B., Glauert, S.A. and Thorne, R.M. (2003). Resonant diffusion of radiation belt electrons by whistler-mode chorus. Geophysical Research Letters 30: doi: 10.1029/2003GL016963. issn: 0094-8276.

We present the first relativistic electron pitch-angle and momentum diffusion rates for scattering by whistler-mode waves in the low density regieme. Diffusion rates are strongly dependent on the ratio between the electron plasma and gyro-frequencies ωpee. For conditions typical of storm times, diffusion rates at a few MeV increase by more than 3 orders of magnitude as ωpee is reduced from 10 to 1.5. Diffusion rates are extremely sensitive to energy and become ineffective above 3 MeV. At energies below 100 keV pitch-angle diffusion approaches strong diffusion loss to the atmosphere, while loss at higher energies is much weaker. For storm-time whistler-mode chorus amplitudes near 100 pT, and ωpee ≤ 2.5, acceleration timescales can be less than a day at 1 MeV. This indicates that chorus diffusion could provide an important mechanism for local acceleration during the recovery phase of storms outside the plasmapause.

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Abstract

Keywords
Space Plasma Physics, Wave/particle interactions, Magnetospheric Physics, Energetic particles, trapped, Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma waves and instabilities, Space Plasma Physics, Charged particle motion and acceleration
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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