SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION AND TIME DECAY OF THE INTENSITIES OF GEOMAGNETICALLY TRAPPED ELECTRONS FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDE NUCLEAR BURST OF JULY 1962

Abstract

A one-year observational study of the artificial radiation belt produced by the nuclear burst Starfish on 9 July 1962 is reported. It is estimated that 1.3 x 10 to the 25th power electrons from radioactive fission products, or some 2.6% of the total yield, were presented in geomagnetically trapped orbits at 10 hours after the burst. These electrons disappeared in the manner expected from the atmospheric loss theory of Walt for values of the magnetic shell parameter L < 1.25 earth radii. At increasing values of L the rate of disappearance was progressively more rapid than expected by this theory. The maximum observed value of the apparent mean lifetime of approx. 2 MeV electrons in the time range 4000 < delta t < 10,000 hours was 2 years at L = 1. 5. About 15% of the initially injected electrons (or 0.4 of 1% of the total) survived the first 5-1/2 months, about 10% the first year. Detailed spatial distribution and temporal data are given in a series of plots. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0477432

Entities

People

  • James A. van Allen

Organizations

  • University of Iowa

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Charged Particles
  • Corpuscular Radiation
  • Cosmic Rays
  • Detectors
  • Electron Energy
  • Electrons
  • Fission Products
  • High Altitude
  • Intensity
  • Military Research
  • Orbits
  • Radiation
  • Security
  • Spatial Distribution
  • Spectra
  • Universities

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Nuclear and Radiation Engineering.
  • Space/Atmospheric Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris