Van Allen Probes RBSPICE Observations of the March 2015 Solar Storm

Abstract:

The Van Allen Probes Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument provides the ability to measure the energetic particle composition of the Earth’s ring current from 20 KeV to approximately 1 MeV. On March 17, 2015 a solar storm impacted the Earth with a maximum negative Dst of -232. The onset of the storm was directly observed by the RBSPICE B instrument. The RBSPICE A instrument observed the development of the storm prior to onset in one orbit and a few hours after onset on the subsequent orbit. These observations displayed a number of interesting features of the storm including an Oxygen beam, high beta plasma conditions, and multiple injections of protons, helium, and oxygen into the inner magnetosphere. Our presentation will report on the observations made from each RBSPICE instrument coupled with observations from other Van Allen Probes instruments (EMFISIS, ECT, and EFW) to provide a complete picture of the impact of this storm on the Earth’s inner magnetosphere.