The Origin and Distribution of Energetic Electrons in the Van Allen Radiation Belts

Abstract

The primary purpose of this paper is to present new results on the injection and distribution of the energetic electron component of the trapped radiation as a result of magnetic storms. The results described herein have been obtained with magnetic deflection electron spectrometers carried in the OGO 1 and OGO 3 satellites in elliptical orbits penetrating both the inner and outer zone regions and in the ATS 1 geostationary orbit satellite in the outer zone. Correlations with ground based magnetic and auroral measurements as well as high altitude balloons have played an important part in the interpretation of these results. The satellite instruments are similar on the various missions and details have been given in several papers and technical reports (Lezniak et al., 1967; Lezniak and Winckler, 1968; Pfitzer, 1968; Pfitzer and Winckler, 1970). The energy range extends from about 50 keV to several MeV and it is possible to study the variation of the directional flux with pitch angle, energy, and position in the trapping regions. The spectrometers on the OGO 1, OGO 3, and ATS 1 satellites now have been directly compared in orbit at appropriate times and positions in the magnetosphere and agree to better than 10{\%} using the laboratory calibration constants.