Reproducing Ultra-Relativistic Electron Acceleration Using a Coupled Density and Radiation Belt Model

Abstract

The cold plasma density can significantly alter the rate of diffusion of radiation belt electrons by chorus waves within the magnetosphere, and the range of energies at which diffusion is effective. We describe a coupled density and radiation belt model based on the British Antarctic Survey Radiation Belt Model that uses spatially and temporally varying values of $f_{pe}/f_{ce}$ to drive a statistical model of electron diffusion due to chorus waves. We demonstrate that this approach of including the variance in $f_{pe}/f_{ce}$ recreates the acceleration of electrons up to MeV energies better than other previous approaches to including $f_{pe}/f_{ce}$.