Efficient scattering of electrons below few keV by Time Domain Structures around injection fronts

Van Allen Probes observations show an abundance of non-linear large-amplitude electrostatic spikes around injection fronts in the outer radiation belt. These spikes referred to as Time Domain Structures (TDS) include electron holes, double layers and more complicated solitary waves. The electron scattering driven by TDS may not be evaluated via the standard quasi-linear theory, since TDS are in principle non-linear plasma modes. In this paper we analyze the scattering of electrons by three-dimensional TDS (with non-negligible perpendicular electric field) around injection fronts. We derive the analytical formulas describing the local scattering by single TDS and show that the most efficiently scattered electrons are those in the first cyclotron resonance (electrons crossing TDS on a time scale comparable with their gyroperiod). The analytical formulas are verified via the test-particle simulation. We compute the bounce-averaged diffusion coefficients and demonstrate their dependence on the TDS spatial distribution, individual TDS parameters and L shell. We show that TDS are able to provide the pitch-angle scattering of <5 keV electrons at rate 10-2-10-4 s-1 and, thus, can be responsible for driving loss of electrons out of injections fronts on a time scale from few minutes to few hours. TDS can be, thus, responsible for driving diffuse aurora precipitations conjugated to injection fronts. We show that the pitch-angle scattering rates driven by TDS are comparable with those due to chorus waves and exceed those due to electron cyclotron harmonics. For injections fronts with no significant wave activity in the frequency range corresponding to chorus waves, TDS can be even dominant mechanism for losses of below few keV electrons.