Effects of Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Wind

Effects of Coronal Mass Ejections and Solar Wind Streams on the Earth’s Radiation Belts D. N. Baker, S. Kanekal, X. Li, S. Elkington Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences University of Colorado - Boulder LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Adiabatic Invariants Associated with each motion is a corresponding adiabatic invariant: • Gyro: M=p 2/2 m 0 B • Bounce: K • Drift: L • M: perpendicular motion • K: parallel motion • L: radial distance of eqcrossing in a dipole field If the fields guiding the particle change slowly compared to the characteristic motion, the corresponding invariant is conserved. LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

The Earth’s Radiation Belts Contours of the omnidirectional flux (particles per square centimeter per second) of protons with energies greater than 10 Me. V Contours of the omnidirectional flux of electrons with energies greater than 0. 5 Me. V LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

The South Atlantic Anomaly Region TOPEX (1992 -1998) and TERRA-MODIS (2001) LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Solar Activity Cycle LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

The Disturbed Solar Wind: Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) • Occur most often near the peak of the Sun’s 11 -year activity cycle • Propel >109 tons of matter into interplanetary space • Can travel at speeds exceeding 2000 km/s • Drive interplanetary shocks • Can trigger geomagnetic storms when they impact Earth’s magnetosphere LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Courtesy of NASA Coronal Mass Ejection - Earth Impact LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Impulsive Injection Due to Shock Wave [Li et al. , 1993] LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Outer Belt Electrons: 1992 -2002 LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Mapping of the Radiation Belt SAMPEX: 18 August 1993 LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Dynamic Radiation Belts: 1993 -1995 LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Acceleration by Radial Transport Nonrelativistically, and in a dipole, or so transport in L while conserving M will necessarily lead to change in energy, W. LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Transport in M, K: Local Heating LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Local Heating Example: Resonant Interactions with VLF Waves Summers et al. (JGR 103, 20487, 1998) proposed that resonant interactions with VLF waves could heat particles: • Whistler mode chorus at dawn combined with EMIC interactions heat and isotropize particles • Leads to transport in M, K, and L LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

MHD Simulations of ULF Power, 09/24/1998 • ULF power in MHD shows expected radial, frequency dependence • Azimuthal dependence: frequently see structure in local time LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Shear Waves and Particle Acceleration • Limited local time: propagating waves dusk and counterpropagating waves dawn still lead to energization LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

MHD Simulation of a Strong Storm LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

MHD/Particle Simulations of Energetic Electron Trapping • 60 ke. V test electrons, constant M • Started 20 RE downtail, 15 s intervals • Evolves naturally under MHD E and B fields • Removed from simulation at magnetopause • Color coded by energy LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

High-Energy Electrons LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

High-Energy Electrons: Deep-Dielectric Charging 1. Electrons bury themselves in the insulator 4. Electrons build up faster than they leak off 2. Electrons slowly leak out of the insulator 5. Discharge (electrical spark) that damages or destroys the material 3. Influx of electrons increases to levels higher than the leakage rate LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Star Tracker Anomalies at GEO Baker et al. (1987) LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Anomalies Due to Dielectric Charging Probability of discharges goes up dramatically with increasing electron fluence. Vampola (1977) LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Radiation Belt Content Index • Idea introduced in Baker et al. (1999) • Integrates over energy spectrum and 2. 5 < L < 6. 5 • Gives a single “Radiation Belt Electron content” Index (RBI) LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

RBI-Solar Wind Speed Comparison • Many operational anomalies in 1994 period • Late 1993 and early 1994 were remarkable times for VSW LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

ANIK Failures: Deep-Dielectric Charging ANIK Anomalies ANIK/Intelsat failures in January 1994 occurred during the highest radiation belt content interval of the last decade LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

The RBI Allows Averaging and Superposition • Annual and seasonal averaging is readily done • Gives a true global view Baker et al. , GRL (1999) • Builds on idea of radiation belt “coherence” LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Radiation Belt Content : POLAR/SAMPEX Baker et al. , JGR (2001) LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

October 2003 Events LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

The Halloween Storm in the Heliosphere LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005 D. N. Baker et al. , Nature, 16 Dec 2004

Spacecraft Anomalies: October-November POLAR Genesis ADEOS-2, Stardust, Chandra, Various GOES RHESSI KODAMA, Mars Odyssey NOAA-17 INTEGRAL, Chandra, SMART-1 LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Day-to-Day Variation of the Radiation Belts LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Selected Days: Outer Belt Properties LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Resonant Scattering He+ 15% 30. 4 nm EUV (Courtesy of J. Goldstein ) Plasmasphere LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

EUV Images of the Plasmasphere Global EUV He+ Image Plasmasphere He+ 15% plasmasphere LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Extreme Plasmasphere Erosion LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

D. N. Baker et al. , Nature, 16 Dec 2004 LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Regions of Wave-Particle Interactions LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005

Largest Flare in Recorded History, Extremely Fast CME - Narrow Miss at Earth X-28 Class Flare Fast CME, 2657 km/s SEP Glancing Blow LWS CDAW Workshop 14 March 2005