Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Anisotropy In The South Atlantic Anomaly, Shaun M. Easley

Theses and Dissertations

From June 2000 through July 2006, the TSX-5 satellite measured proton fluxes in the Earth’s magnetosphere using its CEASE instrument. A review of the satellite data by scientists at AFRL/VSBX revealed an unanticipated, recurring bi-modal structure in histograms of the proton counts. This research identified the bi-modal behavior as anisotropic in nature, and the result of two separate processes. At low altitudes the anisotropy was well described by the classic “East-West Effect.” Comparisons of the satellite data to simple analytical models are presented. At high altitudes, the anisotropy was the result of the detector measuring protons at different pitch angles …