Nature Communications (Mar 2022)

Superfast precipitation of energetic electrons in the radiation belts of the Earth

  • Xiao-Jia Zhang,
  • Anton Artemyev,
  • Vassilis Angelopoulos,
  • Ethan Tsai,
  • Colin Wilkins,
  • Satoshi Kasahara,
  • Didier Mourenas,
  • Shoichiro Yokota,
  • Kunihiro Keika,
  • Tomoaki Hori,
  • Yoshizumi Miyoshi,
  • Iku Shinohara,
  • Ayako Matsuoka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29291-8
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Energetic electron densities in the radiation belt increases during geomagnetic storms. Here, the authors show oblique whistler mode waves enhance electron losses and create strong fluxes of about 100 keV electrons precipitating into the atmosphere, that should be considered in radiation belt models.