Correlated observations of intensified whistler waves and electron acceleration around the geostationary orbit

Abstract

We report correlated observations of enhanced whistler waves and energetic electron acceleration collected by multiple satellites specifically near the geostationary orbit during the 7-10 November 2004 superstorms, together with multi-site observations of ULF wave power measured on the ground. Energetic (>0.6 MeV) electron fluxes are found to increase significantly during the recovery phase, reaching a peak value by ∼100 higher than the prestorm level. In particular, such high electron flux corresponds to intensified whistler wave activities but to the weak ULF wave power. This result suggests that wave-particle interaction appears to be more important than inward radial diffusion in acceleration of outer radiation belt energetic electrons in this event, assisting to better understand the acceleration mechanism.