Cyclotron resonance precipitation of energetic electrons from the inner magnetosphere

Abstract

Cyclotron resonance between trapped energetic electrons and VLF waves produces pitch angle scattering which leads to electron precipitation in the inner magnetosphere. Previous experiments have shown that in the drift loss cone at L values from 1.5 to 1.8 the energy spectrum of the electrons above 50 ReV is often dominated by a single narrow peak. The center energy of this peak varies with L in a manner characteristic of cyclotron resonance between the electrons and monochromatic VLF waves in the vicinity of the geomagnetic equator. The source of the waves is probably VLF communication or navigation transmitters. We report here the results of a study of 680 occurrences of these peaks detected by the low altitude polar orbiting satellite S81‐1. The present data, from altitudes between 170 and 270 km, show the resonance peaks only in two restricted longitude zones centered at 110°E and 300°E; this result contrasts with the previous measurements at higher altitudes, which detected peaks over a wide range of longitudes. The majority of nighttime events were near transmitter locations where the cyclotron resonance condition was met by electrons with pitch angles near the edge of the loss cone. Detailed study of the events occurring near 110°E reveals a 27‐day periodicity in the frequency of occurrence; peaks are most often observed during minima in solar/geomagnetic activity. The peaks observed at nighttime in both longitude zones have a possible seasonal variation, being most frequent when it is wintertime at the site of the VLF transmitters responsible for the precipitation.