Intense Low-frequency Chorus Waves Observed by Van Allen Probes: Fine Structures and Potential Effect on Radiation Belt Electrons

Whistler-mode chorus emission in the low-density plasmatrough contributes significantly to the radiation belt electron dynamics. Chorus was usually considered to occur in the frequency range 0.1-0.8 fce (with the equatorial electron gyrofrequency fce ). We here report an event of intense low-frequency chorus with nearly half of wave power distributed below 0.1 fce observed by the Van Allen Probes on 27 August 2014. This emission exhibited little discrete rising tones but mainly the hiss-like signatures, had the high ellipticity of ∼1 and propagated quasi-parallel to the magnetic field. Compared with the typical chorus, the low-frequency chorus can produce weaker (2 times at ~ MeV and even up to several orders of magnitude at ~0.1MeV) momentum diffusion of the near-equatorially trapped electrons, but much stronger (1-2 orders of magnitude) pitch-angle diffusion near the loss cone. The acceleration and particularly loss effect of such intense low-frequency chorus may need to be taken into account in future radiation belt models.