Test-particle simulations of SEP propagation in IMF with large-scale fluctuations

Abstract

The results of full-orbit test-particle simulations of SEPs propagating through an IMF which exhibits large-scale fluctuations are presented. A variety of propagation conditions are simulated - scatter-free, and scattering with mean free path, λ, of 0.3 and 2.0 AU - and the cross-field transport of SEPs is investigated. When calculating cross-field displacements the Parker spiral geometry is accounted for and the role of magnetic field expansion is taken into account. It is found that transport across the magnetic field is enhanced in the λ =0.3 AU and λ =2 AU cases, compared to the scatter-free case, with the λ =2 AU case in particular containing outlying particles that had strayed a large distance across the IMF. Outliers are catergorized by means of Chauvenet's criterion and it is found that typically between 1 and 2% of the population falls within this category. The ratio of latitudinal to longitudinal diffusion coefficient perpendicular to the magnetic field is typically 0.2, suggesting that transport in latitude is less efficient.