Comparison of Energetic Electron Fluxes Measured by GPS and THEMIS Spacecraft in the Inner Magnetosphere

Abstract

AbstractKey elements of space weather models are energetic electron fluxes in the inner magnetosphere and the outer radiation belt. Flux depletion is driven by various loss processes: scattering into atmosphere, magnetopause shadowing. Flux enhancement is driven by various acceleration processes: local wave‐particle interactions, radial transport, plasma sheet injections. Many of these processes operate on ∼ hour timescales. Such mesoscale flux variations are not well traced by equatorial spacecraft with much longer orbits. Energetic electron detectors onboard the Global Positioning System (GPS) constellation provide a unique opportunity for probing such ∼ hour‐scale flux variations. Measurements from up to 23 identically instrumented GPS satellites cover a wide energy and L‐shell range with a subhour time resolution. However, their orbits are inclined and thus all measurements at L‐shell >4.3 are off‐equatorial. In this report, we present a comparison of equatorial THEMIS and nonequatorial GPS measurements of omnidirectional ≤600 keV electron fluxes. Such a comparison allows us to derive coefficients for using off‐equatorial GPS fluxes to infer the equatorial values. These coefficients depend on particle energy and L‐shell. We demonstrate a new data set derived from GPS measurements and discuss how it can be used to investigate mesoscale dynamics of energetic electron fluxes in the inner magnetosphere.