Solar protons on closed magnetospheric field lines after an interplanetary flux decrease

Particle measurements from the low altitude polar-orbiting satellite GRS-A/Azur and from Explorer 41 in the magnetosheath during a time period after the sudden commencement at 14:30 UT on 8 March 1970, have been used in order to study the access mode of solar particles into the closed field line region of the magnetosphere. A particle decrease in the magnetosheath and over the central polar cap but not in the stable trapping region indicates that solar particles are temporarily trapped and can complete several drifts around the Earth. A single loss cone distribution ～2° inside of the stable trapping region cannot be explained by strong pitch angle scattering but is probably due to non-adiabatic particle motion.