429
Assignment
2
-‐
2017
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1) The
magnetic
field
strength
in
Earth’s
equatorial
plane
is
defined
by:
3
⎛ R ⎞
B = B0 ⎜ E ⎟ ,
⎝ r ⎠
where B0 = 0.3 ×10 T,
RE is
Earth’s
radius,
and
r
is
geocentric
distance.
−4
(a) Derive
an
expression
for
the
drift
period
(the
time
for
one
orbit
around
Earth)
of
a
charged
particle
(electrons
and
protons)
in
the
equatorial
plane
under
the
influence
of
gradient-‐B
drift.
(b) Evaluate
the
period
for
both
an
electron
and
proton
of
1
keV
energy
(assume
the
velocity
parallel
to
B
is
zero)
at
an
equatorial
distance
of
5 RE .
(c) Compare
the
drift
periods
in
(a)
and
(b)
to
(i)
the
perpendicular
drift
due
to
Earth’s
gravitational
field
(ii)
the
orbital
period
of
uncharged
particles
at
the
same
position.
(2) The
equation
for
the
strength
of
Earth’s
magnetic
field
as
a
function
of
L
and
co-‐
latitude
is
defined
by:
1/2
(2
BE 1 + 3sin λ
B= 3
) ,
L cos6 λ
where
L
is
a
parameter
in
the
equation
r = LRE cos 2 λ .
(a) Calculate
the
equatorial
loss
cone
angle
at
geostationary
orbit
where
L=6.6.
(b) A
20
keV
ring
current
ion
mirrors
at
a
co-‐latitude
of
45
degrees.
Calculate
its
equatorial
pitch
angle.
At
what
latitude
does
a
10
keV
particle
with
the
same
pitch
angle
mirror?
(c) A
10
keV
ion
at
geostationary
orbit
has
an
equatorial
pitch
angle
of
2
degrees.
Calculate
its
parallel
and
perpendicular
energies
when
it
reaches
the
ionosphere
(considered
to
be
at
Earth’s
surface).
(3) A
proton
is
trapped
between
two
magnetic
mirrors
in
which
the
magnetic
field
strength
increases
by
a
factor
of
5
at
both
ends.
It
has
an
initial
kinetic
energy
W=1
keV
and
a
pitch
angle
of
45
degrees
at
the
midpoint
between
the
mirrors,
The
particle
is
drifting
across
magnetic
field
lines
while
simultaneously
executing
bounce
motion
between
mirror
points.
In
the
frame
of
the
particle
the
mirror
points
are
moving
towards
the
mid-‐point
with
a
speed
of
vm=10
km/s.
You
may
assume
the
magnetic
field
strength
at
the
midpoint
is
unchanged
as
mirror
points
move.
Calculate:
(a) The
energy
the
particle
reaches
as
a
result
of
Fermi
acceleration
before
it
escapes
from
the
system
(assume
that
µ
is
conserved).
(b) The
number
of
bounces
from
the
magnetic
mirrors
that
it
takes
for
the
particle
to
reach
the
energy
you
calculated
in
part
(a).
Hint:
Treat
the
mirrors
as
flat
pistons
and
show
that
the
parallel
velocity
increases
by
2
vm
on
each
bounce
by
considering
conservation
of
momentum
in
the
frame
of
the
piston.