Published in

American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Research Letters, 23(35), 2008

DOI: 10.1029/2008gl035727

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Precipitation of radiation belt electrons by EMIC waves, observed from ground and space

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

We show evidence that left-hand polarised electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) plasma waves can cause the loss of relativistic electrons into the atmosphere. Our unique set of ground and satellite observations shows coincident precipitation of ions with energies of tens of keY and of relativistic electrons into an isolated proton aurora. The coincident precipitation was produced by wave-particle interactions with EMIC waves near the plasmapause. The estimation of pitch angle diffusion coefficients supports that the observed EMIC waves caused coincident precipitation ofboth ions and relativistic electrons. This study clarifies that ions with energies of tens of ke V affect the evolution of relativistic electrons in the radiation belts via cyclotron resonance with EMIC waves, an effect that was first theoretically predicted in the early 1970's.