ACE EPAM and Van Allen Probes RBSPICE measurements of interplanetary oxygen injection to the inner magnetosphere

Abstract:

On March 17, 2015, a significant oxygen-rich interplanetary event was measure by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (EPAM) instrument. At the same time the Van Allen Probes Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument recorded significant enhancements of oxygen in the inner magnetosphere. We present a detailed analysis of this event utilizing a new method of exploiting the EPAM Pulse Height Analyzer (PHA) data to precisely resolve helium and oxygen spectra within the 0.5 to 5 MeV/nuc range. We also present the flux, partial particle pressures, and pitch angle distributions of the ion measurements from RBSPICE. During this event, both EPAM and RBSPICE measured O:He ratios greater than 10:1. The pitch angle distributions from RBSPICE-B show a strong beam of oxygen at an L ~ 5.8 early on March 17th during orbit. The timing between the observations of the oxygen peak at ACE and the beam observed at RBSPICE-B is consistent with the travel-time required for energetic particle transport from L1 to Earth and access to the magnetosphere. We assert that the oxygen seen by RBSPICE during the initial phase of this event is the result of direct injection from the interplanetary medium of energetic ions. This poster contains the observations and detailed calculations to support this assertion.