Direct Access of Solar Protons to the Near-Equatorial Magnetosphere

The penetration of solar energetic ions and particles of galactic origin into near-Earth space has been the subject of long-standing inquiry and debate in the heliophysics community. Despite the decades of research critical questions still persist on how solar energetic particles (SEPs) gain access to the inner magnetosphere. In this study we examine solar proton access into the near equatorial inner magnetosphere using data from Van Allen Probes. We will discuss the direct correspondence between flux changes seen by ACE to those observed by Van Allen Probes, tying inner magnetosphere SEP features to structures seen in the solar wind. Using the observed East-West anisotropy, we can map out the energy-dependent cutoff rigidities in L-shell and demonstrate their dependence on Dst. We will highlight unique characteristics of the four solar proton events in this study and discuss the highly variable nature of these events.