Dynamics Of Radiation Belt Electrons And The BARREL Experiment

The intensity of relativistic electrons in Earth's radiation belts is known to be highly variable, but the processes responsible for this variability are still not well understood. Observed rapid depletions and subsequent rebuilding of the trapped particle population imply an efficient energization process, in some cases accelerating electrons to multiple MeV energies on a timescale as short as minutes. This talk will provide a review of radiation belt physics and discuss some outstanding science questions. The BARREL investigation, a multiple-balloon experiment that will study atmospheric losses of radiation belt electrons during NASA's upcoming RBSP mission, will also be described.

Room 1