Storm time phase space density radial profiles of energetic electrons for small and large K values: SCATHA results

Measurements of the radial gradient of the phase space density (PSD) at constant first and second invariants provide a test of whether storm time electron acceleration processes are dominated by inward radial transport of electrons or whether other processes must be considered. We used the detailed energetic electron angular and spectral data from the SCATHA satellite to determine the evolution of electron PSD radial profiles through a moderate magnetic storm (2 May 1986; D_st=?95 nT). We compared the changes that occur in the profiles in the storm recovery period to the pre-storm profiles for first invariant values M=200–2500 MeV/G and for K values of 0.055–0.65 Re√G over the L* range of ～5.2–7.3 Re. The PSD radial profiles showed a range of features from peaked in L* at small K and M during the pre-storm period to those in the late storm recovery phase, that were flat, had negative slopes for small K and had peaks in the L*=5.2–6.5 range for intermediate to large K. There were significant differences in the radial profiles for small and intermediate K values at constant M. For example, during the recovery period the PSD profiles were flat or decreasing for K=0.06 and M>1200 MeV/G, while they were peaked near L*=5.75 for K>0.2. These results imply that radial diffusion is a reasonable explanation of the near-equatorial post-storm PSD enhancements for L*>5.2 for this storm but that either significant electron pitch angle transport, losses, and/or acceleration of off-equatorial mirroring electrons by waves play an important role in the evolution off-equator PSD profiles during the storm recovery.