GEM: Transport and Trapping of Energetic Plasma Sheet Electrons in the Outer Zone Radiation Belts

研究人员将结合磁流体力学(MHD)模拟和测试粒子模拟来研究辐射带中的绝热传输和能量。MHD模型提供了响应太阳风强迫的磁层的全球配置，而测试粒子代码跟踪了高能粒子在周围电场和磁场中的运动。计算机模拟将用于研究近地等离子体片和辐射带中高能粒子的风暴时间演化，并通过与观测结果的比较，研究等离子体片源群的绝热输运和加速。这些模型将用于实际的地磁风暴事件，并将结果与现有的观测结果进行比较。研究人员将研究等离子体片粒子的加速和俘获，以量化等离子体片粒子在辐射带动力学中的重要性。辐射带中的高能粒子对卫星构成威胁，因此了解影响近地空间辐射通量水平的各种因素很重要。

The investigators will combine magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling with test particle simulations to study adiabatic transport and energization in the radiation belts. The MHD model provides the global configuration of the magnetosphere in response to solar wind forcing, while the test particle code tracks the motion of energetic particles within the ambient electric and magnetic fields. The computer simulations will be used to examine the stormtime evolution of energetic particles in the near-Earth plasma sheet and radiation belts, and, through comparison with observations, the adiabatic transport and acceleration of a plasma sheet source population. The models will be run for actual geomagnetic storm events and the results compared with available observations. The investigators will study plasma sheet particle acceleration and trapping to quantify the importance of plasma sheet particles in radiation belt dynamics. Energetic particles in the radiation belts represent a threat to satellites, so it is important to understand the various factors that influence radiation flux levels in near-Earth space.