2018
Ref: POSTER-2018-0043

The detection of ultra-relativistic electrons in low Earth orbit by the LYRA instrument on board the PROBA2 satellite

Katsiyannis, A.C. ; Dominique, M. ; Pierrard, V. ; Lopez Rosson, G.


Poster presented at Triennial Earth Sun Summit 2018, Leesbourg, Virginia, USA on 2018-05-20

Abstract: The Large Yield RAdiometer (LYRA) is an ultraviolet radiometer on-board ESA's PROBA2 micro-satellite. Since its 2009 launch it observes the Sun in four different passbands, chosen for their relevance to solar physics, aeronomy and space weather. Flying on an altitude of 725 km, LYRA proved to be an excellent flare monitor and is involved in the analysis of the atmospheric composition of the Earth. We present the analysis of energetic particles, indirectly detected by LYRA in the form of microbursts of $<$10 ms, with a phenomenon duration of 100 s. Combining Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) observations with LYRA data for an overlapping period of time, we identified these particles as electrons with an energy range of 2 to 8 MeV. The observed events are strongly correlated to geo-magnetic activity and appear even during modest disturbances. Additionally, they are well confined geographically within the L=4-6 McIlwain zones, and they show prominent dawn-dusk and day-night asymmetries. A combination of wave-particle interaction mechanisms is proposed as a starting point towards a full quantitative explanation.

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Funding: 2BRAIN_SOL3CAM/2BRAIN_SOL3CAM/2BRAIN_SOL3CAM


The record appears in these collections:
Royal Observatory of Belgium > Solar Physics & Space Weather (SIDC)
Conference Contributions & Seminars > Posters
Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence



 Record created 2018-09-19, last modified 2018-09-20


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