Storm-Time Evolution of Energetic Electron Pitch Angle Distributions by Wave-Particle Interaction

Abstract

The quasi-pure pitch-angle scattering of energetic electrons driven by field-aligned propagating whistler mode waves during the 9∼15 October 1990 magnetic storm at L ≈ 3 ∼ 4 is studied, and numerical calculations for energetic electrons in gyroresonance with a band of frequency of whistler mode waves distributed over a standard Gaussian spectrum is performed. It is found that the whistler mode waves can efficiently drive energetic electrons from the larger pitch-angles into the loss cone, and lead to a flat-top distribution during the main phase of geomagnetic storms. This result perhaps presents a feasible interpretation for observation of time evolution of the quasi-isotropic pitch-angle distribution by Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) spacecraft at L ≈ 3 ∼ 4.