Evolution of Ring Current Protons Induced by Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of the phase space density (PSD) of ring current protons induced by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves at the location L = 3.5, calculate the diffusion coefficients in pitch angle and momentum, and solve the standard two-dimensional Fokker–Planck diffusion equation. The pitch angle diffusion coefficient is found to be larger than the momentum diffusion coefficient by a factor of about 103 or above at lower pitch angles. We show that EMIC waves can produce efficient pitch angle scattering of energetic (≈ 100 keV) protons, yielding a rapid decrement in PSD, typically by a factor of ≈ 10 within a few hours, consistent with observational data. This result further supports previous findings that wave-particle interaction is responsible for the rapid ring current decay.