Dartmouth Events

Abstract: Dynamic flux variations in Earth’s electron radiation belts are controlled by concurrent acceleration and loss processes, both of which see significant contributions from resonant wave-particle interaction that result in electron acceleration and/or precipitation into the atmosphere. Most radiation belt modelling, however, is based largely on near-equatorial spacecraft measurements, which cannot directly resolve precipitating electrons inside the loss cone. That is where UCLA’s dual CubeSat ELFIN mission comes in: after 4 years in a low altitude, polar orbit, ELFIN has provided new insights into various types of radiation belt particle dynamics thanks to its unique capability of directly observing precipitating particle fluxes. Last year, ELFIN transitioned from an operational success to a scientific one: 2022 alone saw 15 published scientific studies utilizing ELFIN data which cover topics such as radiation belt lifetimes, non-linear resonant particle interactions with EMIC and VLF waves, field-line curvature scattering, and other associated magnetospheric topology. Aided by fortuitous conjunctions with equatorial satellites (such as THEMIS/ARTEMIS, MMS, VAP/RBSP, and Arase/ERG), the low-cost ELFIN CubeSats have provided exquisitely detailed information on the equatorial and off-equatorial scattering processes and the net effects of such scattering on magnetospheric loss and ionospheric input. This talk will touch on ELFIN's capabilities, discuss ELFIN's data availability/analysis tools, summarize a wide variety of ELFIN’s key scientific findings, and preview future missions that build on ELFIN’s heritage.