Observations and simulations of electron flux oscillations in response to broadband ULF waves

Abstract

<p>It has recently been demonstrated through simulations and observations that flux oscillations of hundreds-keV electrons are produced in the magnetosphere in association with broadband Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves (Sarris et al., JGR, 2017). These oscillations are observed in the form of drift-periodic flux fluctuations, but are not associated with drift echoes following storm- or substorm-related energetic particle injections. They are observed in particular during quiet times, and it has been shown that they could indicate ongoing radial transport processes caused by ULF waves. It has also been shown that the width of electron energy channels is a critical parameter affecting the observed amplitude of flux oscillations, with narrower energy channel widths enabling the observation of higher-amplitude flux oscillations; this potentially explains why such features were not observed regularly before the Van Allen Probes era, as previous spacecraft generally had lower energy resolution. We extend these initial results by investigating the association between the observed flux oscillations with the amplitude of electric and magnetic fluctuations in the ULF range and with Phase Space Density gradients, both of which are expected to also affect radial transport rates.</p>