Electron Microburst Generation by Wave Particle Interaction

Electron microbursts are the intense electron precipitation which durations are less than one second. We measured the energy spectra of the microbursts from 170 keV to 340 keV with solid state detectors aboard the low-altitude (680km), polar-orbiting Korean STSAT-1 (Science and Technology SATellite). The data showed that the loss cone at these energies is empty except when microbursts abruptly appear and fill the loss cone in less than 50 msec. This fast loss cone filling requires pitch angle diffusion coefficients larger than ~ 10-2rad2/sec, while ~10-5 rad2/sec was proposed by a wave particle interaction theory. We recalculated the diffusion coefficient, and reviewed of electron microburst generation mechanism with test particle simulations. This simulation successfully explained how chorus waves make pitch angle diffusion within such short period. From considering the resonance condition between wave and electrons, we also showed ~ 100 keV electrons could be easily aligned to the magnetic field, while ~ 1MeV electrons filled loss cone partially. This consideration explained why precipitating microbursts have lower e-folding energy than that of quasi-trapped electrons, and supports the theory that relativistic electron microbursts that have been observed by satellite in-situ measurement have same origin with ~100 keV electron microbursts that have been usually observed by balloon experiments.