Stochastic simulation of inner radiation belt electron decay by atmospheric scattering
Abstract
Decay of inner radiation belt electron intensity, resulting from elastic and inelastic collisions with neutral atoms, ions, and free electrons of the upper atmosphere, ionosphere, and plasmasphere, is described by stochastic Monte Carlo simulation. Modified collision cross sections allow detailed simulation of large‐angle scattering and large‐energy‐loss collisions while preserving mean effective scattering and slowing‐down rates resulting from all collisions. Scattering from bound electrons and δ‐ray production are also included. Results show that traditional methods describing diffusion of the mirror point magnetic field, equivalent to diffusion in equatorial pitch angle, and energy loss by continuous slowing down are generally good approximations. Updated formulae for these approximations are provided. The drift‐averaging approximation is also shown to provide a generally accurate description of trapped electron decay. The approximate methods overestimate decay rates by small factors, and the detailed stochastic simulation should be used when greater accuracy is required.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1002/2015ja022180
Entities
People
- R. S. Selesnick
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration