Neoclassical Diffusion of Radiation‐Belt Electrons Across Very Low L‐Shells
Abstract
In the presence of drift‐shell splitting intrinsic to the International Geomagnetic Reference Field magnetic field model, pitch angle scattering from Coulomb collisions experienced by radiation‐belt electrons in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere produces extra radial diffusion, a form of neoclassical diffusion. The strength of the neoclassical radial diffusion at L L‐shell. In this work we construct a numerical model for this coupled (radial and pitch angle) collisional diffusion process and apply it to simulate raw count‐rate data observed aboard the Gemini spacecraft for several years after the 1962 Starfish nuclear detonation. The data show apparent lifetimes 10–100 times as long as would have been expected from collisional pitch angle diffusion and Coulomb drag alone. Our model reproduces apparent lifetimes for >0.5‐MeV electrons in the region 1.14 L L‐shells.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1002/2017ja024931
Entities
People
- G. Cunningham
- Jean-François Ripoll
- Michael Schulz
- V. Loridan
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Lockheed Martin
- Los Alamos National Laboratory