Radiation-Belt Remediation Using Space-Based Antennas and Electron Beams

Abstract

Energetic electrons can be trapped in Earth’s magnetic field, forming the radiation belts (also known as the Van Allen Belts). These electrons, which can originate from the solar wind or a high-altitude nuclear explosion (HANE), have the potential to damage satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). For example, in 1962, the U.S. detonated a nuclear device at an altitude of about 400 km in the Starfish experiment. The resulting enhancement of the radiation belts disabled several satellites within a few months and energetic electrons remained in the radiation belts for up to several years. In order to address this potential vulnerability, schemes have been proposed to drain electrons from the radiation belts, with the most promising approaches based on using high-power very-low-frequency (VLF) waves to scatter the electrons into more field-aligned trajectories, forcing them to precipitate into Earth’s atmosphere. This paper will provide an overview of enhanced electron distributions in the radiation belts as well as approaches to VLF wave belt remediation including the use of either antennas or relativistic electrons beams in space to generate the VLF waves.