ELFIN observations and modeling: Relativistic Electron Losses due to Resonant Chorus Wave Scattering

Abstract:

UCLA’s Electron Losses and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) is a dual 3U+ CubeSat mission that is studying energetic electron precipitation in Earth’s radiation belts. The twin spinning spacecraft were launched in September 2018 into polar Low Earth Orbit, where they have been measuring .05−5 MeV electrons with a pitch angle resolution of ∼22.5° at altitudes of around 450 km. With these new observations, they can resolve the loss cone, allowing us to directly link evidence of precipitation and radiation belt losses with conjugate equatorial measurements of waves by other spacecraft. In this talk, we present pitch angle resolved electron energy spectra from recent geomagnetic storms with conjugate equatorial observations of chorus waves by the THEMIS spacecraft. We model the non-linear wave-particle interactions using novel, high-performance computational tools to determine the role of the observed waves on electrons and if such interactions can explain the observed properties of the precipitation.