Observations Directly Linking Relativistic Electron Microbursts to Whistler Mode Chorus: Van Allen Probes and FIREBIRD II

We present observations that provide the strongest evidence yet that discrete whistler mode chorus packets cause relativistic electron microbursts. On 20 January 2016 near 1944 UT the low Earth orbiting CubeSat Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Bursts: Intensity, Range, and Dynamics (F...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2017-11, Vol.44 (22), p.11,265-11,272
Main Authors: Breneman, A. W., Crew, A., Sample, J., Klumpar, D., Johnson, A., Agapitov, O., Shumko, M., Turner, D. L., Santolik, O., Wygant, J. R., Cattell, C. A., Thaller, S., Blake, B., Spence, H., Kletzing, C. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bursts
chorus
Chorus waves
Coherent scattering
conjunction
Cubesat
Dynamics
Earth
Earth orbits
Electron drift
Electron microbursts
Electrons
FIREBIRD
Magnetosphere
Magnetospheres
microburst
Microbursts
Microbursts (meteorology)
Outer radiation belt
Plasma waves
Probes
Radiation
Relativism
Relativistic effects
Sensors
Storms
Trapped electrons
Van Allen Probe
Wave dispersion
Waves
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Summary:We present observations that provide the strongest evidence yet that discrete whistler mode chorus packets cause relativistic electron microbursts. On 20 January 2016 near 1944 UT the low Earth orbiting CubeSat Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Bursts: Intensity, Range, and Dynamics (FIREBIRD II) observed energetic microbursts (near L = 5.6 and MLT = 10.5) from its lower limit of 220 keV, to 1 MeV. In the outer radiation belt and magnetically conjugate, Van Allen Probe A observed rising‐tone, lower band chorus waves with durations and cadences similar to the microbursts. No other waves were observed. This is the first time that chorus and microbursts have been simultaneously observed with a separation smaller than a chorus packet. A majority of the microbursts do not have the energy dispersion expected for trapped electrons bouncing between mirror points. This confirms that the electrons are rapidly (nonlinearly) scattered into the loss cone by a coherent interaction with the large amplitude (up to ∼900 pT) chorus. Comparison of observed time‐averaged microburst flux and estimated total electron drift shell content at L = 5.6 indicate that microbursts may represent a significant source of energetic electron loss in the outer radiation belt. Plain Language Summary Relativistic microbursts are impulsive (
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2017GL075001