Comparison of Ring Current Proton Losses Between Contributions From Scattering by Field Line Curvature and EMIC Waves

Abstract

AbstractAlthough both the field line curvature (FLC) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are recognized to contribute importantly to the loss of energetic protons in the Earth's ring current, their quantitative differences in scattering ring current protons are still not fully understood. In this study, using a realistic, nondipolar magnetic field model, we perform a detailed analysis of the scattering effects of ring current protons and the resultant proton lifetimes due to FLC and EMIC waves at different L‐shells under different levels of geomagnetic activity. We find that compared with EMIC wave‐driven scattering, FLC scattering has a stronger dependence on L‐shell and geomagnetic activity. Pitch angle scattering efficiency due to FLC enhances significantly as proton energy increases. In contrast, scattering by H+ band EMIC waves tends to be weaker with increasing proton energy, while the scattering rates by He+ band EMIC waves increase first and then decrease. The results of proton lifetime against pitch angle scattering show that EMIC wave‐driven scattering dominates the loss of ring current protons at lower L‐shells (L < 6), especially during geomagnetically quiet conditions. During geomagnetically active conditions at L ≥ 6, EMIC wave‐driven scattering dominates at lower proton energies, while FLC scattering dominates at higher proton energies. This study improves the current understanding of the relative contributions of scattering by FLC and EMIC waves to the Earth's ring current proton dynamics.