Deflection and enhancement of solar energy particleflux at the Moon by structures within the terrestrialmagnetosphere

摘要

[1] The Moon spends 25% of its orbit within the terrestrial magnetosphere. Particletracking is used to investigate access points of 35 MeV and 760 MeV particles into themagnetosphere for both quiet and disturbed magnetospheric conditions. The resultsindicate that solar energetic particle (SEP) flux at the Moon can be reduced for stormconditions when the magnitude of the magnetic field in the sheath is enhanced, as particlesin the 35 MeV range have limited access to the magnetosphere for storm conditions.Plasmoids are also effective at reducing SEP flux from the tailward direction. The resultsalso indicate that the flux of SEPs from the dawnside of the magnetosphere can be focusedinto the current sheet, leading to a potential enhancement in SEP flux at the Moon.Particles traveling up the tail for both quiet and storm conditions tended to experience thegreatest deflection away from the central tail.