Observation of High‐Energy Electrons Precipitated by NWC Transmitter From PROBA‐V Low‐Earth Orbit Satellite
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Discipline
Physical sciences
Subject
inner radiation belt
ground‐based transmitter
NWC
PROBA‐V EPT
pitch‐angle scattering
drift loss cone
Audience
Scientific
Date
2020Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
The very low‐frequency transmitter in the Northwest Cape of Australia (NWC) has previously been observed to pitch‐angle scatter electrons with energies from 30–400 keV, creating enhanced fluxes measured by low‐Earth orbiting (LEO) satellites. Here we use observations from the Energetic Particle Telescope on PROBA‐V. We compare the measured flux, as a function of local magnetic field strength, when the NWC transmitter is “on” versus “off,” and find enhanced fluxes only when NWC is “on” and located on the nightside. The enhanced fluxes occur in the population gradually transitioning from “permanently trapped” to “quasi‐trapped.” We show that electrons up to 800 keV, substantially higher energy than previously studied, are scattered by resonant interactions with NWC to produce enhanced fluxes. The enhanced fluxes appear at multiple L‐shells for each energy channel, consistent with resonance conditions at distinct wave normal angles, that indicate ducted interactions at L < 1.55 and unducted interactions at L > 1.65.
Citation
Cunningham, G.S.; Botek, E.; Pierrard, V.; Cully, C.; Ripoll, J.‐F. (2020). Observation of High‐Energy Electrons Precipitated by NWC Transmitter From PROBA‐V Low‐Earth Orbit Satellite. , Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 47, Issue 16, e2020GL089077, DOI: 10.1029/2020GL089077.Identifiers
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng