A Wave Model and Diffusion Coefficients for Plasmaspheric Hiss Parameterized by Plasmapause Location

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AbstractThe scattering of electrons via plasmaspheric hiss whistler‐mode plasma waves has profound consequences for the dynamics of electrons in the inner terrestrial magnetosphere, including the radiation belts. Consequently, simulations of inner magnetospheric electron dynamics incorporate hiss wave models, though these models are often parameterized by quantities convenient to describe particle populations (e.g., L shell). However, recent studies have revealed that the spatial distribution of plasmaspheric hiss wave power is only weakly dependent on L shell. Instead, it is dictated by the density structure of the plasmasphere (including radial extent and azimuthal structure). In this work, we create a plasmaspheric hiss wave model, and corresponding particle diffusion coefficients, parameterized by plasmapause location instead of L shell, in order to quantify the importance of including plasmapause organization of hiss waves for inner magnetosphere models. Noticeable differences in electron scattering lifetimes are found when comparing L shell parameterized hiss and plasmapause‐parameterized hiss wave models on the timescales of days for 1 MeV electrons. Comparison of the lifetimes calculated from diffusion around the loss cone also show differences between L shell‐ and plasmapause‐parameterized hiss models. This implies that plasmapause parameterization of hiss waves may be important for modeling specific geomagnetic events.