Abstract
Whistler mode electromagnetic waves, which are highly variable in both space and time, cause pitch angle diffusion of electrons. The effective diffusion coefficient can be radically different from the instantaneous diffusion coefficient since electrons both bounce and drift average the waves. Analysis of the time evolution of the 1.2 and 2.1 MeV electron pitch angle distributions following the October 28 and November 1, 1962, Russian high altitude nuclear tests allow the effective diffusion coefficients to be obtained for 1.75 ≤ L ≤ 2.5. The evolution is consistent with the assumption of scattering by broad band white noise near the principal cyclotron harmonic. The data for both electron energies can be explained by a diffusion coefficient related to a single power law frequency spectrum of the form B wave = Af −n, 1.4 ≤ n ≤ 1.7 above 300 Hz. Below 300 Hz, the power rises as a function of frequency.
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Kuck, G.A. (1974). Pitch Angle Diffusion of Relativistic Electrons in the Plasmasphere. In: McCormac, B.M. (eds) Magnetospheric Physics. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 44. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2214-9_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2214-9_10
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