Formation and loss of new radiation belts in the slot region

Team Chair: Mike Liemohn
Next Team Meeting:
Team-Maintained Web Site:
Team Publications:
Team Members:

• Anthony Chan, Rice
• Scot Elkington, U. Colorado
• Mei-Ching Fok, GSFC
• Robert Richard, UCLA

Goals and measures of success: The goal of this Topic is to develop and validate
usable, quantitative, models that describe the dynamic evolution of the radiation
belt slot region and adjacent outer zone flux peak around the L4 libration point.
Such models must include losses as well as injection rates of charged particles
and use particle flux measurements at geosynchronous and other high and low
Earth orbits loss-cone measurements to provide input on radial distribution of
fluxes. Measurements of input solar wind conditions are essential both for
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and empirical models of the magnetospheric
response to solar wind driving conditions. Plasma sheet observations may also be
needed to further constrain model calculations of evolving particle phase space
density.

Types of solicited investigations: It is expected that the proposals for this Topic
will address, but not be limited to, the following types of investigations: (i) the
analysis and interpretation of those solar wind parameters (e.g., solar energetic
particle events, density, velocity, and IMF orientation) needed to predict
conditions within the radiation belts; (ii) particle observations at the inner edge of
the plasma sheet, geosynchronous orbit, near the plasma pause, and in the slot
region; (iii) ULF and VLF wave observations in these regions; (iv) the
development of numerical models that incorporate the relevant physical
processes; and (v) validation studies designed to test proposed models for particle
diffusion and trapping/detrapping associated with fast Interplanetary Coronal
Mass Ejections (ICMEs).