RADIAL DIFFUSION OF OUTER-ZONE ELECTRONS: AN EMPIRICAL APPROACH TO THIRD - INVARIANT VIOLATION,
Abstract
The near-equatorial fluxes of outer zone electrons (E>0.5 MeV and E>1.9 MeV) measured by an instrument on the satellite Explorer 15 following the geomagnetic storm of December 17-18, 1962, are used to determine the electron radial diffusion coefficients and electron-lifetimes as functions of L for selected values of the conserved first invariant mu. For each value of mu the diffusion coefficient is assumed to be time-independent and respresentable in the form D = (D sub n)(L sup n). The diffusion coefficients and lifetimes are then obtained simultaneously by requiring that the L-dependent reciprocal electron-lifetime, as determined from the Fokker-Planck equation, deviate minimally from a constant in time. Applied to the data, these few assumptions yield a value of D that is smaller by approximately a factor of ten than the value obtained recently by Newkirk and Walt in a separate analysis of 1.6-MeV electron data obtained during the same time period on another satellite. The electron-lifetimes are found to be strong functions of L, with 4-6 day lifetimes observed at the higher L-values (4.6-4.8). (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0710604
Entities
People
- C. G. Maclennan
- L. J. Lanzerotti
- Michael Schulz
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation