On the Spatial and Temporal Evolution of EMIC Wave‐Driven Relativistic Electron Precipitation: Magnetically Conjugate Observations From the Van Allen Probes and CALET

Abstract

Abstract Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been shown to be able to drive strong electron precipitation, particularly at MeV energies. However, the spatio‐temporal evolution of both the waves and the resulting precipitation is still not well understood. Here we investigate the evolution of relativistic electron precipitation driven by EMIC waves through combined observations from the Van Allen Probes and the CALorimetric Electron Telescope experiment onboard the International Space Station. Two case studies are examined where EMIC waves near the magnetic equator and precipitation at low altitude were detected in close magnetic conjunction, both of which were confined to narrow radial regions but persisted multiple hours. These observations, combined with quasilinear calculations, confirm that long‐lived EMIC waves can drive hours‐long MeV electron precipitation loss. However, the magnitude of the precipitation varied significantly during one of the events, as resonance conditions, particularly plasma density, evolved.

Keywords

• radiation belts
• EMIC waves
• precipitation
• conjunction
• WPI