Abstract
We study the influence of fast magnetosonic (MS) waves on the temporal evolution of the phase space density (PSD) of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belts. We evaluate the bounce-averaged pitch angle, momentum and cross-diffusion rates, and find that all the diffusion rates are most pronounced within a limited region of pitch angles: ∼50°–70°. Consequently, numerical solutions of a 2D momentum–pitch angle diffusion equation show that significant increases in electron PSDs at energies of 1 MeV or above occur primarily within such a limited region of pitch angles. Moreover, neglecting cross-diffusion rates generally produces relatively large overestimates in the PSD evolution. The current results suggest that MS waves are primarily responsible for acceleration of relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons around relatively high pitch angles.
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