Simulated Energetic Particle Transport in the Interplanetary Space: The Palmer Consensus Revisited

TL;DR

This paper uses a hybrid plasma-wave/magnetostatic turbulence model with a test-particle code to accurately simulate energetic particle scattering in interplanetary space, addressing longstanding measurement reproduction issues.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid modeling approach that improves the accuracy of energetic particle transport simulations in the solar system.

Findings

Excellent agreement with solar wind observations

Validates the hybrid plasma-wave/magnetostatic turbulence model

Challenges previous assumptions of quasi-linear theory for parallel diffusion

Abstract

Reproducing measurements of the scattering mean free paths for energetic particles propagating through the solar system has been a major problem in space physics. The pioneering work of Bieber et al. [Astrophys. J. 420, 294 (1994)] provided a theoretical explanation of such observations, which, however, was based on assumptions such as the questionable hypothesis that quasi-linear theory is correct for parallel diffusion. By employing a hybrid plasma-wave/magnetostatic turbulence model, a test-particle code is used to investigate the scattering of energetic particles. The results show excellent agreement with solar wind observations.