Understanding the Properties of Chorus Waves in the Earth’s Inner-magnetosphere and Their Effects on Van Allen Radiation Belt Electrons

地球的辐射带由高能电子组成，这些电子可能对地球轨道卫星和太空中的宇航员造成危险。这些高能电子在外辐射带中的通量是非常动态的。了解控制辐射带中高能电子动态的物理过程对于保护空间卫星和宇航员非常重要。合唱波和辐射带电子之间的波粒相互作用被认为在这些粒子的加速和损失中起着至关重要的作用。在该项目中，将利用多颗卫星的最新测量数据，开发综合合唱波模型。之后，将计算扩散系数，以量化重要的波粒相互作用过程及其后果。借助我们先进的辐射带动力学模型，我们将对地球辐射带中由合唱波引起的高能电子的基本加速和损失进行量化。我们将验证模拟结果对卫星测量，以了解由合唱波引起的加速度和损失之间的竞争。所有这些改进对于回答首要的科学问题至关重要：为什么地球的辐射带对具有大致相同强度的地磁风暴的反应不同，以及是什么决定了由合唱波引起的加速和损失过程之间的竞争结果？我们的辐射带动力学模型的改进将提供对地球辐射带更准确的预测。

Earth’s radiation belts consist of highly energetic electrons, which can be hazardous to Earth-orbiting satellites and astronauts in space. The fluxes of these energetic electrons in the outer radiation belt are very dynamic. Understanding the physical processes that control the dynamics of energetic electrons in the radiation belts is important for the protection of satellites and astronauts in space. Wave-particle interactions between chorus waves and radiation belt electrons are believed to play a crucial role in the acceleration and loss of these particles. In this project, utilizing state-of-the-art measurements from multiple satellites, comprehensive chorus wave models will be developed. Afterward, diffusion coefficients will be calculated to quantify the important wave-particle interaction processes and their consequences. With the help of our sophisticated radiation belt dynamic model, fundamental acceleration and loss of energetic electrons caused by chorus waves in the Earth's radiation belts will be quantified. We will validate simulation results against satellite measurements to understand the competition between acceleration and loss caused by chorus waves. All these improvements will be critically important for answering the overarching scientific question: Why do the Earth’s radiation belts respond differently to geomagnetic storms which have approximately the same intensity and what determines the outcome of the competition between the acceleration and loss processes caused by chorus waves? Improvements in our radiation belt dynamics model will provide more accurate forecasting of the Earth’s radiation belts.