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Horne & Thorne 2003
Horne, R.B. and Thorne, R.M. (2003). Relativistic electron acceleration and precipitation during resonant interactions with whistler-mode chorus. Geophysical Research Letters 30: doi: 10.1029/2003GL016973. issn: 0094-8276.

Resonant interactions with whistler-mode chorus waves provide an important process for electron loss and acceleration during storm times. We demonstrate that wave propagation significantly affects the electron scattering rates. We show that stormtime chorus waves outside the plasmapause can scatter equatorial electrons ≤60 keV into the loss cone and accelerate trapped electrons up to ~ MeV energies at large pitch-angles. Using ray tracing to map the waves to higher latitudes, we show that the decrease in the ratio between the electron plasma and gyro frequencies, along with the normalized chorus frequency bandwidth, enable much higher energy electrons ~1 MeV to be scattered into the loss cone. We suggest that off equatorial pitch-angle scattering by chorus waves is responsible for relativistic micro-burst precipitation seen on SAMPEX. Off-equatorial scattering at pitch-angles well away from the loss cone also contributes to the acceleration of higher energy ≥3 MeV electrons.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

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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