Variation of Radiation Belt Electron Flux During CME‐ and CIR‐Driven Geomagnetic Storms: Van Allen Probes Observations

Abstract

Relativistic electron flux responses in the inner magnetosphere are investigated for 28 magnetic storms driven by corotating interaction region (CIR) and 27 magnetic storms driven by coronal mass ejection (CME), using data from the Relativistic Electron‐Proton Telescope instrument on board Van Allen Probes from October 2012 to May 2017. In this present study we analyze the role of CIRs and CMEs in electron dynamics by sorting the electron fluxes in terms of averaged solar wind parameters, L‐values, and energies. The major outcomes from our study are the following: (i) At L = 3 and E = 3.4 MeV, for >70% cases the electron flux remains stable, while at L = 5, for ~82% cases it changes with the geomagnetic conditions. (ii) At L = 5, ~53% of the CIR storms and 30% of the CME storms show electron flux increase. (iii) At a given L‐value, the tendency for the electron flux variation diminishes with the increasing energies for both categories of storms. (iv) In case of CIR‐driven storms, the electron flux changes are associated with changes in Vsw and Sym‐H. (v) At L ~ 3, CME storms show increased electron flux, while at L ~ 5, CIR storms are responsible for the electron flux enhancements. (vi) During CME‐ and CIR‐driven storms, distinct electron flux variations are observed at L = 3 and L = 5.