A New Electron and Proton Radiation Belt Identified by CIRBE/REPTile‐2 Measurements After the Magnetic Super Storm of 10 May 2024

Abstract Following the largest magnetic storm in 20 years (10 May 2024), REPTile‐2 on NASA's CIRBE satellite identified two new radiation belts containing 1.3–5 MeV electrons around L = 2.5–3.5 and 6.8–20 MeV protons around L = 2. The region around L = 2.5–3.5 is usually devoid of relativistic electrons due to wave‐particle interactions that scatter them into the atmosphere. However, these 1.3–5 MeV electrons in this new belt seemed unaffected until a magnetic storm on 28 June 2024, perturbed the region. The long‐lasting nature of this new electron belt has physical implications for the dependence of electron wave‐particle interactions on energy, plasma density, and magnetic field strength. The enhancement of protons around L = 2 exceeded an order of magnitude between 6.8 and 15 MeV forming a distinct new proton belt that appears even more stable. CIRBE, after a year of successful operation, malfunctioned 25 days before the super storm but returned to functionality 1 month after the storm, enabling these discoveries.