FG: Radiation Belts as a System of Systems

Focus Group leaders: Harriet George, Man Hua, Adam Michael, Luisa Capannolo

Joint GEM / CEDAR Workshop 2025

Details to come!

We are open to organising joint sessions with other GEM and CEDAR Focus Groups, please contact Harriet George if you would like to arrange a joint session with the RB-SoS Focus Group.

Full FG Proposal

Title

Radiation Belts as a System of Systems (RB-SoS)

Abstract

The Earth’s radiation belts are highly variable in terms of both particle dynamics and wave activities, and are a key component of the magnetospheric energy flow. This energy flow is initiated in the solar wind, is transmitted through magnetotail reconnection and enters the radiation belts through processes such as advection or injections, and this energy can then be deposited into the atmosphere to generate aurora and affect atmospheric chemistry. This results in a strong coupling of the radiation belts to multiple other systems. A physically consistent understanding of the radiation belts that includes coupling to these other systems within the global magnetosphere is therefore required to accurately model the radiation belts. The overarching goal of this focus group (FG) is to evaluate the complex variability of Earth’s radiation belts as part of the heliospheric ‘system-of-systems’, determining how the radiation belts affect and are affected by different coupled systems. This FG considers the inner and outer belts, the slot region, and temporary ‘third belt’, the particles (protons, electrons and heavy ion species) populating these belts, and the inner magnetospheric plasma waves that interact with radiation belt particles. This focus group will evaluate how radiation belt particle dynamics, inner magnetospheric plasma waves, wave-particle interactions and system-wide dynamics couple to the following regions: A. Solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B. Magnetotail C. Ionosphere and atmosphere D. Other inner magnetospheric plasma populations, such as the ring current and plasmasphere