Artikel ; Online: Local heating of radiation belt electrons to ultra-relativistic energies.
2020 Band 11, Heft 1, Seite(n) 4533
Abstract: Electrically charged particles are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field, forming the Van Allen radiation belts. Observations show that electrons in this region can have energies in excess of 7 MeV. However, whether electrons at these ultra-relativistic ... ...
| Abstract | Electrically charged particles are trapped by the Earth's magnetic field, forming the Van Allen radiation belts. Observations show that electrons in this region can have energies in excess of 7 MeV. However, whether electrons at these ultra-relativistic energies are locally accelerated, arise from betatron and Fermi acceleration due to transport across the magnetic field, or if a combination of both mechanisms is required, has remained an unanswered question in radiation belt physics. Here, we present a unique way of analyzing satellite observations which demonstrates that local acceleration is capable of heating electrons up to 7 MeV. By considering the evolution of phase space density peaks in magnetic coordinate space, we observe distinct signatures of local acceleration and the subsequent outward radial diffusion of ultra-relativistic electron populations. The results have important implications for understanding the origin of ultra-relativistic electrons in Earth's radiation belts, as well as in magnetized plasmas throughout the solar system. |
|---|---|
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Erscheinungsdatum | 2020-09-10 |
| Erscheinungsland | England |
| Dokumenttyp | Journal Article |
| ZDB-ID | 2553671-0 |
| ISSN | 2041-1723 ; 2041-1723 |
| ISSN (online) | 2041-1723 |
| ISSN | 2041-1723 |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-020-18053-z |
| Datenquelle | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
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