On the calculation of electric diffusion coefficient of radiation belt electrons with in situ electric field measurements by THEMIS

Abstract

Abstract Based on 7 years' observations from Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), we investigate the statistical distribution of electric field Pc5 ULF wave power under different geomagnetic activities and calculate the radial diffusion coefficient due to electric field, , for outer radiation belt electrons. A simple empirical expression of is also derived. Subsequently, we compare to previous D LL models and find similar Kp dependence with the model, which is also based on in situ electric field measurements. The absolute value of is constantly higher than , probably due to the limited orbital coverage of CRRES. The differences between and the commonly used and models are significant, especially in Kp dependence and energy dependence. Possible reasons for these differences and their implications are discussed. The diffusion coefficient provided in this paper, which also has energy dependence, will be an important contributor to quantify the radial diffusion process of radiation belt electrons.