Low-energy Events Research Articles

Head injury metric response in finite element ATDs and a human body model in multidirectional loading regimes

Objective: The objective was to quantify head injury metric sensitivity of the 50th percentile male Hybrid III, THOR, and Global Human Body Models Consortium simplified occupant (GHBMC M50-OS) to changes in loading conditions in loading regimes that may be experienced by occupants of spaceflight vehicles or highly autonomous vehicles (HAVs) with nontraditional seating configurations.Methods: A Latin hypercube (LHD) design of experiments (DOE) was employed to develop boundary conditions for 455 unique acceleration profiles. Three previously validated finite element (FE) models of the Hybrid III anthropomorphic test device (ATD), THOR ATD, and GHBMC M50-OS were positioned in an upright 90°-90°-90° seat and with a 5-point belt. Acceleration pulses were applied to each of the three occupants in the ± X, +Y, and ± Z directions, with peak resultant acceleration magnitudes ranging from 5 to 20 G and times to peak ranging from 32.5 to 120.8 ms with duration 250 ms, resulting in 1,248 simulations. Head injury metrics included peak linear head acceleration, peak rotational head acceleration, head injury criteria (HIC15), and brain injury criteria (BrIC). Injury metrics were regressed against boundary condition parameters using 2nd order multiple polynomial regression, and compared between occupants using matched pairs Wilcoxon signed rank analysis.Results: Across the 416 matched-simulations that reached normal termination with all three models, HIC15 values ranged from 1.0–396.5 (Hybrid III), 1.2–327.9 (THOR), and 0.6–585.6 (GHBMC). BrIC ranged from 0.03–0.95 (Hybrid III), 0.03–1.21 (THOR), and 0.04–0.84 (GHBMC). Wilcoxon signed rank analysis demonstrated significant pairwise differences between each of the three occupant models for head injury metrics. For HIC15, the largest divergence between GHBMC and the ATDs was observed in simulations with components of combined underbody and rear impact loading. The three models performed most similarly with respect to BrIC output when loaded in a frontal direction. Both the GHBMC and the Hybrid III produced lower values of BrIC than the THOR on average, with the differences most pronounced in rear impact loading.Conclusion: In conclusion, observed differences between the occupant models’ head injury metric output were quantified. Loading direction had a large effect on metric outcome and metric comparability across models, with frontal and rear impacts with low vertical acceleration tending to be the most similar. One explanation for these differences could be the differences in neck stiffness between the models that allowed more rotation in the GHBMC and THOR. Care should be taken when using ATDs as human volunteer surrogates in these low energy events.

Machine learning approach to pulse shape discrimination in liquid noble gas detectors

Study of the event classification in liquid noble gas detectors is presented. The discrimination between different events usually done by prompt light fraction. To tackle this task we adopt the neural net classifier and use pulse shape as an input feature. The main difficulty comes from low-energy events that are difficult to separate. This is important because these events provide a background for dark matter searches. We find that neural networks are suitable for this task.

Coastal Impact From High-Energy Events and the Importance of Concurrent Forcing Parameters: The Cases of Storm Ophelia (2017) and Storm Hector (2018) in NW Ireland

Infrequent but high energy storm events can radically modify coastlines, at times displacing significant sediment volumes and changing the configuration of coastal shorelines. More frequent and more intense Atlantic storms over the last 40 years have heightened the potential risk to coastal environments, population and infrastructure. Understanding local environmental forcing conditions and associated variables involved in coastal impact and response, can better inform future coastal management planning. This study examines the coastal impacts of two separate storms that occurred at Five Finger Strand, on the northwest Irish coast, in late 2017 (Storm Ophelia) and mid-2018 (Storm Hector). Using forcing parameters (wind speed and direction, wave heights and wave run up) along with 3D topographic surveys, impacts that occurred along a sandy coastline site in NW Ireland are examined for both storm events. For Storm Ophelia, shore-oblique to shore-parallel waves (2 m height) coincident with low tide (~ 0.8m) were recorded at the study site. This resulted in minimal erosional impact which was revealed by a new proxy storm impact index, ‘Storm Dune Trimming’ (value of >0.03) as well as a sediment displacement volume of 8,300 m3, largely confined to the intertidal area with only limited foredune edge erosion. Storm Hector, on the other hand, a lower energy event than Storm Ophelia, resulted in much more pronounced sediment displacement (13,400 m3 in the intertidal area) and significantly more dune scarping taking place (Storm Dune Trimming >0.09) due to better synchronicity of forcing factors such as high tide level, high wave heights and onshore wind direction. We conclude that storm energy is not always a direct indicator of coastal impact where the synchronicity of local forcing factors and antecedent beach conditions appears to be the most important drivers of actual coastal response on sandy beaches. This study, therefore, shows the importance of particular environmental parameters and their simultaneous timing in forcing change and is a useful insight into which parameters may be more risk-relevant in producing erosion along many sandy, dune-fringed coasts of NW Europe.

FRACTALS AND CHAOS CHARACTERISTICS OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION ENERGY ABOUT GAS-BEARING COAL DURING LOADED FAILURE

To study the damage evolution mechanism of gas-bearing coal and formation causes of acoustic emission signals during this process, the loaded experiments of gas-bearing coal were performed, and acoustic emission (AE) data radiated in this process were collected. Based on the multifractal theory, the causes of AE were explored in various loaded phases. The results showed that at the low stress stage, the fractures close and the friction/slip could cause low-energy acoustic emission events, and the multifractal spectrum had a smaller width. By contrast, at the high stress stage, the cracks expand, penetrate, and rupture, which would lead to AE events with the release of high energy, reflecting an increase in the width of the multifractal spectrum. At the initial loading stage, the time-varying multifractal spectrum was characterized by a chaotic behavior, but as the loading progressed, it gradually became orderly. In the elastic stage, coal experienced elastic deformation without damage, the ratio of strong and weak AE signals was almost the same, and both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were close to 0. In the plastic fracture stage, coal body consumed huge amounts of energy and suffered fracture. This also caused the coal body to radiate a large amount of AE signals. An analysis of these signals indicated that strong signals dominated and showed an increasing trend, and [Formula: see text] was less than 0 and continued to decrease. The time-varying multifractal characteristics reveal the formation mechanism of AE signals from gas-bearing coal, which contributes to improve our understanding of the mechanism of gas-bearing coal damage.

An ab initio molecular dynamics study on the threshold displacement energies in yttrium aluminum garnet

Low-energy recoil events in yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) were investigated by using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. This work provided insights into understanding the defect formation processes and the resulting defect configurations. The threshold displacement energies (TDEs) of the lattice atoms and related defect structures were determined along specific directions. Both the TDEs and the production of defect structures showed great dependence on the orientation and atom type. The minimum TDEs are 42, 38, 41, and 19 eV for Aloct along [111], Altetra along [1¯11], Y along [001], and O along [111] directions, respectively. The O atoms exhibited smaller TDEs than the Al and Y atoms, indicating that the O-related defects are the main ones in YAG used under irradiation circumstances. These results are helpful for electronic and photoelectronic devices based on YAG under a radiation environment.

Performance of optically readout GEM-based TPC with a 55Fe source

Optical readout of large Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) with multiple Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) amplification stages has shown to provide very interesting performances for high energy particle tracking. Proposed applications for low-energy and rare event studies, such as Dark Matter search, ask for demanding performance in the keV energy range. The performance of such a readout was studied in details as a function of the electric field configuration and GEM gain by using a 55Fe source within a 7 litre sensitive volume detector developed as a part of the R&D for the CYGNUS project. Results reported in this paper show that the low noise level of the sensor allows to operate with a 2 keV threshold while keeping a rate of fake-events lesser than 10 per year. In this configuration, a detection efficiency well above 95% along with an energy resolution (σ) of 18% is obtained for the 5.9 keV photons demonstrating the very promising capabilities of this technique.

Forced magnetic reconnection and plasmoid coalescence

Context. Forced magnetic reconnection, a reconnection event triggered by external perturbation, should be ubiquitous in the solar corona. Energy released during such cases can be much greater than that which was introduced by the perturbation. The exact dynamics of magnetic reconnection events are determined by the structure and complexity of the reconnection region: the thickness of reconnecting layers, the field curvature; the presence, shapes and sizes of magnetic islands. It is unclear how the properties of the external perturbation and the initial current sheet affect the reconnection region properties, and thereby the reconnection dynamics and energy release profile.Aims. We investigate the effect of the form of the external perturbation and initial current sheet on the evolution of the reconnection region and the energy release process. Chiefly we explore the non-linear interactions between multiple, simultaneous perturbations, which represent more realistic scenarios. Future work will use these results in test particle simulations to investigate particle acceleration over multiple reconnection events.Methods. Simulations are performed using Lare2d, a 2.5D Lagrangian-remap solver for the visco-resistive MHD equations. The model of forced reconnection is extended to include superpositions of sinusoidal driving disturbances, including localised Gaussian perturbations. A transient perturbation is applied to the boundaries of a region containing a force-free current sheet. The simulation domain is sufficiently wide to allow multiple magnetic islands to form and coalesce.Results. Island coalescence contributes significantly to energy release and involves rapid reconnection. Long wavelength modes in perturbations dominate the evolution, without the presence of which reconnection is either slow, as in the case of short wavelength modes, or the initial current sheet remains stable, as in the case of noise perturbations. Multiple perturbations combine in a highly non-linear manner: reconnection is typically faster than when either disturbance is applied individually, with multiple low-energy events contributing to the same total energy release.

A FPGA-based software for microdosimetric data processing

The tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) is the most accurate device for measuring microdosimetric properties of particle beams. Since microdosimetric quantities span over several decades, the electronic and acquisition chain should meet specific requirements. In order to cover the wide dynamic range of the signals generated by the TEPC, the output signal from the preamplifier is fed in parallel to three linear amplifiers which shape and amplify the signal with different gains. Very low-energy deposition events are filtered in the high-gain stage, and high-energy deposition events are processed in the low-gain stage. A new system with high acquisition performance and compact hardware was developed for this purpose. The analog-to-digital conversion is performed by a commercial acquisition system that includes a FPGA. Thanks to the FPGA a parallel high-speed acquisition on three channels can be performed. The software merges signals together from the three electronic chains and computes a real time microdosimetric spectrum giving a prompt information about the irradiation field. This acquisition system, which performs analog-to-digital conversion and signal processing at a sampling rate up to 15 MS/s, was tested by irradiating a TEPC with an Am-Be fast neutron field, an intense quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam and a 62 MeV/u helium ion beam.

Variable Poisson’s ratio materials for globally stable static and dynamic compression resistance

A novel porous mechanical metamaterial with variable Poisson’s ratio (VPR) is proposed for compression and impact applications. Constructed by stacking layers of varying void aspect ratio, VPR structures combine the collapsing penetration resistance of auxetic materials with the lateral expansion of positive Poisson’s ratio (PPR) materials. The concept is analyzed via numerical simulation of both compression and impact loading of VPR structures composed of silicone rubber. In addition, compression testing is performed with deformation maps obtained through digital image correlation. Results indicate that VPR structures, compared with uniform porous PPR structures, are resistant to global buckling instabilities. Moreover, in low-energy impact events, VPR structures respond to the impulse with a comparable force spread over a longer time than uniform PPR structures of the same porosity. At impact energies above approximately 45 J, the considered silicone VPR structures transition to a regime of more sharply peaked force response. At all energies, VPR structures deform more smoothly than their porous PPR counterparts.

The Properties of GRB 120923A at a Spectroscopic Redshift of z ≈ 7.8

Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful probes of early stars and galaxies, during and potentially even before the era of reionization. Although the number of GRBs identified at z ≳ 6 remains small, they provide a unique window on typical star-forming galaxies at that time, and thus are complementary to deep field observations. We report the identification of the optical drop-out afterglow of Swift GRB 120923A in near-infrared Gemini-North imaging, and derive a redshift of from Very Large Telescope/X-shooter spectroscopy. At this redshift the peak 15–150 keV luminosity of the burst was 3.2 × 1052 erg s−1, and in this sense it was a rather typical long-duration GRB in terms of rest frame luminosity. This burst was close to the Swift/Burst Alert Telescope detection threshold, and the X-ray and near-infrared afterglow were also faint. We present ground- and space-based follow-up observations spanning from X-ray to radio, and find that a standard external shock model with a constant-density circumburst environment of density n ≈ 4 × 10−2 cm−3 gives a good fit to the data. The near-infrared light curve exhibits a sharp break at t ≈ 3.4 days in the observer frame which, if interpreted as being due to a jet, corresponds to an opening angle of . The beaming-corrected γ-ray energy is then erg, while the beaming-corrected kinetic energy is lower, erg, suggesting that GRB 120923A was a comparatively low kinetic energy event. We discuss the implications of this event for our understanding of the high-redshift population of GRBs and their identification.

The Cow: Discovery of a Luminous, Hot, and Rapidly Evolving Transient

Abstract We present the ATLAS discovery and initial analysis of the first 18 days of the unusual transient event, ATLAS18qqn/AT2018cow. It is characterized by a high peak luminosity (∼1.7 × 1044 erg s−1), rapidly evolving light curves (>5 mag rise to peak in ∼3.5 days), and hot blackbody spectra, peaking at ∼27,000 K that are relatively featureless and unchanging over the first two weeks. The bolometric light curve cannot be powered by radioactive decay under realistic assumptions. The detection of high-energy emission may suggest a central engine as the powering source. Using a magnetar model, we estimated an ejected mass of 0.1–0.4 M , which lies between that of low-energy core-collapse events and the kilonova, AT2017gfo. The spectra cooled rapidly from 27,000 to 15,000 K in just over two weeks but remained smooth and featureless. Broad and shallow emission lines appear after about 20 days, and we tentatively identify them as He i although they would be redshifted from their rest wavelengths. We rule out that there are any features in the spectra due to intermediate mass elements up to and including the Fe group. The presence of r-process elements cannot be ruled out. If these lines are due to He, then we suggest a low-mass star with residual He as a potential progenitor. Alternatively, models of magnetars formed in neutron star mergers, or accretion onto a central compact object, give plausible matches to the data.

Definition of the death of seismic events by using digital channel data of the Main center of special control and foreign seismic stations

Among the main parameters of the source of the seismic event, the depth of the hypocentre is of greatest interest, which, as a rule, is determined with the least accuracy. The knowledge of the exact spatial position of the earthquake foci makes it possible to reveal their connection with the features of the structure of the earth’s crust, primarily with active faults. The solution of these problems is primarily ensured by the use of observational data obtained with the help of local, regional or global networks of digital seismic stations, as well as by improving computer technologies and methods of processing digital seismic data. To determine the parameters of low-energy seismic events, the epicenters of which are located within the platform part of the territory of Ukraine, it is expedient to use the data of instrumental observations obtained with the help of the regional network of digital seismic stations of the Main Center for Special Control (MCSK) of the State Space Agency of Ukraine. To increase the accuracy of localization of seismic events, it is necessary, on the one hand, to significantly expand the network of seismic observations, and on the other, to improve the methods for determining the basic parameters of earthquakes. The article analyzes the basic methods for determining the depths of the hypocenters of seismic events. The program-mathematical support allowing to make the depths of the earthquake foci by records of reflected waves and from the data of macroseismic observations is considered. To estimate the depth of seismic sources from the data of digital seismic channels of the MCSK and foreign seismic stations, the amplitude-frequency characteristics of which are available in the «Geotool», a specialized program «Assessment of depth» has been developed. A number of foreign and domestic seismic stations, most suitable for clarifying the depths of hypocenters of earthquakes from the area of the Vranch Mountains, has been determined. A method for determining the depth of an earthquake source from the area of the Vranch Mountains using data from digital seismic stations located at distances of 20—40 km from the center of a seismically active zone is proposed.

Digital count summing vs analog charge summing for photon counting detectors: A performance simulation study.

Charge sharing is a significant problem for CdTe-based photon counting detectors (PCDs) and can cause high-energy photons to be misclassified as one or more low-energy events. Charge sharing is especially problematic in PCDs for CT because the high flux necessitates small pixels, which increase the magnitude of charge sharing. Analog charge summing (ACS) is a powerful solution to reduce spectral distortion arising from charge sharing but may be difficult to implement. We investigate correction of the signal after digitization by the comparator ("digital count summing"), which is only able to correct a subset of charge sharing events but may have implementation advantages. We compare and quantify the relative performance of digital and ACS in simulations. Transport of photons in CdTe was modeled using Monte Carlo simulations. Energy deposited in the CdTe substrate was converted to electrical charges of a predetermined shape, and all charges within the detector pixel are assumed to be perfectly collected. In ACS, the maximum charge received over any 2×2 block of pixels was grouped together prior to digitization. In digital count summing (DCS), the charge was digitized in each pixel, and subsequently, adjacent pixels that detected events grouped their charge to record a single, higher energy event. All simulations were performed at the limit of low flux (no pileup). The default tube voltage was 120kVp, object thickness was 20cm of water, pixel pitch was 250μm, and charge cloud modeled as a Gaussian with σ=40μm. Variation of these parameters was examined in a sensitivity analysis. Detectors that used no correction, DCS, and ACS misclassified 51%, 39%, and 15% of incident photons, respectively. For iodine basis material imaging, DCS exhibited 100% greater dose efficiency compared to uncorrected, and ACS exhibited an additional 111% greater dose efficiency compared to digital charge summing. For a nonspectral task, the dose efficiency improvement as estimated by improvement of zero-frequency detective quantum efficiency, DQE(0) was 10% for DCS compared to uncorrected and 10% for ACS compared to DCS. A sensitivity analysis showed that DCS generally achieved half the benefit of ACS over a range of conditions, although the benefit was markedly less if the charge cloud was instead modeled as a small sphere. Summing of counts after digitization may be a simpler alternative to summing of charge prior to digitization due to the relative complexity of analog circuit design. Over most conditions studied, it provides roughly half the benefit of ACS and may offer certain implementation advantages.

Calibration, event reconstruction, data analysis, and limit calculation for the LUX dark matter experiment

The LUX experiment has performed searches for dark matter particles scattering elastically on xenon nuclei, leading to stringent upper limits on the nuclear scattering cross sections for dark matter. Here, for results derived from ${1.4}\times 10^{4}\;\mathrm{kg\,days}$ of target exposure in 2013, details of the calibration, event-reconstruction, modeling, and statistical tests that underlie the results are presented. Detector performance is characterized, including measured efficiencies, stability of response, position resolution, and discrimination between electron- and nuclear-recoil populations. Models are developed for the drift field, optical properties, background populations, the electron- and nuclear-recoil responses, and the absolute rate of low-energy background events. Innovations in the analysis include in situ measurement of the photomultipliers' response to xenon scintillation photons, verification of fiducial mass with a low-energy internal calibration source, and new empirical models for low-energy signal yield based on large-sample, in situ calibrations.

Measurement of low-energy events due to 222Rn daughter contamination on the surface of a NaI(Tl) crystal

It has been known that decays of daughter elements of 222Rn on the surface of a detector cause significant background at energies below 10 keV. In particular 210Pb and 210Po decays on the crystal surface result in significant background for dark matter search experiments with NaI(Tl) crystals. In this report, measurement of 210Pb and 210Po decays on surfaces are obtained by using a 222Rn contaminated crystal. Alpha decay events of 210Po on the surface are measured by coincidence requirements of two attached crystals. Due to recoiling of 206Pb, rapid nuclear recoil events are observed. A mean time characterization demonstrates that 206Pb recoil events can be statistically separated from those of sodium or iodine nuclear recoil events, as well as electron recoil events.

Development of ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging detector using 1 mm channel size Si-PM array combined with 0.2 mm × 0.2 mm pixelated GAGG plate

For precise distribution measurements of gamma photons or beta particles, high resolution radiation imaging detectors are required. Reducing the size of the photodetectors combined with small pixel scintillators is a possible method to improve the spatial resolution of the scintillator based radiation imaging detectors. In this paper, we used a 1mm channel size silicon photomultiplier (Si-PM) array combined with a small pixel scintillator array and evaluated the performance for gamma photons and beta particles. For the radiation imaging detector, a Si-PM array with 1mm × 1mm channel size arranged in 8 × 8 (Hamamatsu, S13615-1025N-08) was optically coupled to a 0.2 mm × 0.2 mm pixelated GAGG plate. For 662 keV high energy gamma photons, 0.2mm GAGG pixels were clearly resolved in the position histogram. The peak to valley ratio (P/V) of the position histogram was not improved when only photo-peak events were used while it was improved when the events lower energy than the Compton edge was used. We could also resolve the position histograms for both 122 keV and 60 keV gamma photons. For beta particles, although the position histogram showed good separation for relatively low energy beta particles of Ca-45 (245 keV max), separation became worse for higher energy beta particles from Sr-Y-90 (545keV and 2280keV max). The separation of the position histogram for Sr-Y-90 improved when only lower energy events were used. Using 1mm size Si-PM array, high resolution detectors was realized for low energy gamma photons and beta particle but the spatial resolution was decreased for high energy beta particles from Sr-Y-90.

Eighth Symposium on Large TPCs for Low Energy Rare Event Detection

The eighth 'International Symposium on Large TPCs for Low-Energy Rare Event Detection' took place in Paris between 5th and 7th December 2016 at the Institute of Astroparticle Physics (APC) campus – Paris Diderot University.As usual the conference was organized just before Christmas, which seems to be convenient for most of the people and occurs every two years with almost 120 participants attending.

Pulse Shape Analysis and Discrimination for Silicon-Photomultipliers in Helium-4 Gas Scintillation Neutron Detector

Using natural helium (helium-4), the Arktis 180-bar pressurized gas scintillator is capable of detecting and distinguishing fast neutrons and gammas. The detector has a unique design of three optically separated segments in which 12 silicon-photomultiplier (SiPM) pairs are positioned equilaterally across the detector to allow for them to be fully immersed in the helium-4 gas volume; consequently, no additional optical interfaces are necessary. The SiPM signals were amplified, shaped, and readout by an analog board; a 250 MHz, 14-bit digitizer was used to examine the output pulses from each SiPMpair channel. The SiPM over-voltage had to be adjusted in order to reduce pulse clipping and negative overshoot, which was observed for events with high scintillation production. Pulse shaped discrimination (PSD) was conducted by evaluating three different parameters: time over threshold (TOT), pulse amplitude, and pulse integral. In order to differentiate high and low energy events, a 30ns gate window was implemented to group pulses from two SiPM channels or more for the calculation of TOT. It was demonstrated that pulses from a single SiPM channel within the 30ns window corresponded to low-energy gamma events while groups of pulses from two-channels or more were most likely neutron events. Due to gamma pulses having lower pulse amplitude, the percentage of measured gamma also depends on the threshold value in TOT calculations. Similarly, the threshold values were varied for the optimal PSD methods of using pulse amplitude and pulse area parameters. Helium-4 detectors equipped with SiPMs are excellent for in-the-field radiation measurement of nuclear spent fuel casks. With optimized PSD methods, the goal of developing a fuel cask content monitoring and inspection system based on these helium-4 detectors will be achieved.

The effect of tides and storms on the sediment transport across a Dutch barrier island

AbstractUnder natural conditions, barrier islands might grow vertically and migrate onshore under the influence of long‐term sea level rise. Sediment is transported onshore during storm‐induced overwash and inundation. However, on many Dutch Wadden Islands, dune openings are closed off by artificial sand‐drift dikes that prevent the influx of sediment during storms. It has been argued that creating openings in the dune row to allow regular flooding on barrier islands can have a positive effect on the sediment budget, but the dominant hydrodynamic processes and their influence on sediment transport during overwash and inundation are unknown. Here, we present an XBeach model study to investigate how sediment transport during overwash and inundation across the beach of a typical mesotidal Wadden Sea barrier island is influenced by wave, tide and storm surge conditions. Firstly, we validated the model XBeach with field data on waves and currents during island inundation. In general, the XBeach model performed well. Secondly, we studied the long‐term sediment transport across the barrier island. We distinguished six representative inundation classes, ranging from frequently occurring, low‐energy events to infrequent, high‐energy events, and simulated the hydrodynamics and sediment transport during these events. An analysis of the model simulations shows that larger storm events cause larger cross‐shore sediment transport, but the net sediment exchange during a storm levels off or even becomes smaller for the largest inundation classes because it is counteracted by larger mean water levels in the Wadden Sea that oppose or even reverse sediment transport during inundation. When taking into account the frequency of occurrence of storms we conclude that the cumulative effect of relatively mild storms on long‐term cross‐shore sediment transport is much larger than that of the large storm events. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evidence of sub‐MeV EMIC‐driven electron precipitation

AbstractElectromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are potentially important drivers of the loss of energetic electrons from the radiation belts. Numerous theoretical calculations exist with conflicting predictions of one of the key parameters: the minimum resonance energy of electrons precipitated into the atmosphere by EMIC waves. In this study we initially analyze an EMIC electron precipitation event using data from two different spacecraft instruments to investigate the energies involved. Combining observations from these satellites, we find that the electron precipitation has a peak flux at ∼250 keV. Extending the analysis technique to a previously published database of similar scattering events, we find that the peak electron precipitation flux occurs predominantly around 300 keV, with only ∼11% of events peaking in the 1–4 MeV range. Such a significant population of low‐energy EMIC‐driven electron precipitation events highlights the possibility for EMIC waves to be significant drivers of radiation belt electron losses.