Relativistic and Ultra-Relativistic Electron Bursts in Earth's Magnetotail Observed by Low-Altitude Satellites

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Zhang, Xiao-Jia, Artemyev, Anton V., Li, Xinlin, Arnold, Harry, Angelopoulos, Vassilis, Turner, Drew L., Shumko, Mykhaylo, Runov, Andrei, Mei, Yang, Xiang, Zheng
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Zhang, Xiao-Jia
Artemyev, Anton V.
Li, Xinlin
Arnold, Harry
Angelopoulos, Vassilis
Turner, Drew L.
Shumko, Mykhaylo
Runov, Andrei
Mei, Yang
Xiang, Zheng
author_facet Zhang, Xiao-Jia
Artemyev, Anton V.
Li, Xinlin
Arnold, Harry
Angelopoulos, Vassilis
Turner, Drew L.
Shumko, Mykhaylo
Runov, Andrei
Mei, Yang
Xiang, Zheng
contents Earth's magnetotail, a night-side region characterized by stretched magnetic field lines and strong plasma currents, is the primary site for the release of magnetic field energy and its transformation into plasma heating and kinetic energy plus charged particle acceleration during magnetic reconnection. In this study, we demonstrate that the efficiency of this acceleration can be sufficiently high to produce populations of relativistic and ultra-relativistic electrons, with energies up to several MeV, which exceeds all previous theoretical and simulation estimates. Using data from the low altitude ELFIN and CIRBE CubeSats, we show multiple events of relativistic electron bursts within the magnetotail, far poleward of the outer radiation belt. These bursts are characterized by power-law energy spectra and can be detected during even moderate substorms.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_17299
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Relativistic and Ultra-Relativistic Electron Bursts in Earth's Magnetotail Observed by Low-Altitude Satellites
Zhang, Xiao-Jia
Artemyev, Anton V.
Li, Xinlin
Arnold, Harry
Angelopoulos, Vassilis
Turner, Drew L.
Shumko, Mykhaylo
Runov, Andrei
Mei, Yang
Xiang, Zheng
Space Physics
Plasma Physics
Earth's magnetotail, a night-side region characterized by stretched magnetic field lines and strong plasma currents, is the primary site for the release of magnetic field energy and its transformation into plasma heating and kinetic energy plus charged particle acceleration during magnetic reconnection. In this study, we demonstrate that the efficiency of this acceleration can be sufficiently high to produce populations of relativistic and ultra-relativistic electrons, with energies up to several MeV, which exceeds all previous theoretical and simulation estimates. Using data from the low altitude ELFIN and CIRBE CubeSats, we show multiple events of relativistic electron bursts within the magnetotail, far poleward of the outer radiation belt. These bursts are characterized by power-law energy spectra and can be detected during even moderate substorms.
title Relativistic and Ultra-Relativistic Electron Bursts in Earth's Magnetotail Observed by Low-Altitude Satellites
topic Space Physics
Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.17299