Radial propagation velocity of energetic particle injections according to measurements onboard the Cluster satellites

Abstract

Injections of energetic electrons with a dispersion over energies were observed during the February 23, 2004 (at about 03:20 UT) substorm onboard the Cluster satellites in the vicinity of perigee near the midnight meridian. The delays in the particle observation caused by the energy dependence of the magnetic drift velocities made it possible to determine the position and time of the beginning of the drift, tracing the trajectories of the leading center of particles back in time in the magnetospheric model. The comparisons of the measurements of four satellites allowed us to determine the radial propagation of the injection front with a velocity of 100–150 km/s at a distance of 7–9 RE. The comparison with a few previous measurements shows a substantial slowing down of injections as they approached the Earth, and this confirms the prospects of this method for more detailed study of propagation of plasma injection into the inner magnetosphere.