Study of the North West Cape electron belts observed by DEMETER satellite

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics 2012-04, Vol.117 (A4), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Li, Xinqiao, Ma, Yuqian, Wang, Ping, Wang, Huanyu, Lu, Hong, Zhang, Xuemin, Huang, Jianping, Shi, Feng, Yu, Xiaoxia, Xu, Yanbing, Meng, Xiangcheng, Wang, Hui, Zhao, Xiaoyun, Parrot, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics; Atmospheric sciences; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; energetic electron; Exact sciences and technology; Fluctuations; Magnetism; man-made VLF electromagnetic wave; Physics; precipitation; Radiation; radiation belt; Sciences of the Universe; Space; spectrum; Sun; wave-particle interaction; Weather
• ISSN: 0148-0227; 2169-9380; 2156-2202; 2169-9402
• DOI: 10.1029/2011JA017121

We analyzed observation data collected by the Instrument for the Detection of Particles (IDP) on board the DEMETER satellite during a period of 17 months in 2007 and 2008. In the meantime, the VLF transmitter located at North West Cape (NWC) ground station was shut down during 7 months and working for a total of 10 months. By an (on‐off) method, our analysis for the first time revealed in detail the transient properties of the space electron precipitation belt which is induced by the man‐made VLF wave emitted from NWC. We mapped the electron flux distribution and figured out the space regions that the NWC belt covered. The NWC electron spectrograms have been investigated in a wide range of the McIlwain parameter L (1.1–3.0). Furthermore, we obtained the averaged energy spectra of the NWC electrons within the drift loss cone and compared their characteristics during daytime and nighttime. Our results confirm the previous studies of the enhancement of NWC electrons, the wisp structure, and the day/night difference of the electron flux. In addition, more detailed information is provided. We provide not only evidence of a momentary flux enhancement up to 3 orders of magnitude but also a flux reduction at higher L shells with a maximum up to 60% of the original value. For the first time, the energy spectra of NWC electrons covering the entire IDP energy band are presented for both nighttime and daytime and are quantitatively compared. At the end, our results are discussed, and their agreement with the theory of wave‐particle interactions is checked. Key Points Momentary NWC electron flux wave enhancements up to 3 orders of magnitude The VLF emission induced enhancement or loss of electrons in higher L range Averaged spectra of the NWC electrons within the drift loss cone were obtained