Observational determination of the electron flux boundary conditions of the radiation belt as a function of solar wind condition

  • Published : 2012.10.17

Abstract

The radiation belt structure can be approximately reproduced by a form of diffusion equation, which takes into account the radial diffusion process as well as those in pitch angle and energy. The solution of the equation depends on several factors including initial and boundary conditions, diffusion coefficients, and plasmapause location. In this paper, we have attempted to determine a set of approximate functions for the energetic electron fluxes near the outer edge of the outer belt in terms of solar wind variable. We used the electron flux data from SST onboard the THEMIS spacecraft and determined its correlation with solar wind conditions in a systematic way. The functions were determined separately for different energy channels from ~30 keV up to 719 keV. Our determination of these functions allows us to predict the radial boundary condition for the electron flux, which can be implemented in a forecast model.

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