The 1, 2, 3 of the Van Allen Radiation Belts: Impacts of Dynamics Driven by Observed ULF Wave Power

Ian Robert Mann1, Louis Ozeke1, Kyle R Murphy2, Seth G Claudepierre3, Drew L Turner4, Jonathan Rae5, David K Milling1, Andy Kale1, Joseph Fennell6 and Daniel N Baker7, (1)University of Alberta, Department of Physics, Edmonton, AB, Canada, (2)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States, (3)The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (4)University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (5)University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, London, United Kingdom, (6)Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA, United States, (7)University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, United States
Abstract:
We present the impacts of a properly characterised time-series of ULF wave power on the dynamics of ultra-relativistic electrons in the Van Allen belts. We compare results derived from observed wave power with those from statistical characterisations based on geomagnetic indices such as Kp through the course of the main and recovery phases of storm-time Van Allen radiation belt dynamics. We find using the observed ULF wave power presents a remarkable explanation for the overall dynamics of the belts in terms of the impacts of inward and outward radial diffusion in association with plasmasheet sources and magnetopause shadowing. At ultra-relativistic energies the resulting dynamics demonstrate a remarkable simplicity which is controlled by the ULF wave power. ULF wave power can explain all of the morphologies of the Van Allen belts at ultra-relativistic energies in the form of either one, two or three belts. Overall, our results reveal that ULF waves truly provide an explanation for the 1,2,3 of ultra-relativistic radiation belt dynamics.
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