Association of Relativistic Electron Microbursts Duration With Chorus Wave Properties

Abstract Relativistic electron microbursts are correlated with resonant scattering by whistler‐mode chorus waves. Here, we use chorus wave properties obtained from Van Allen Probe A to calculate the duration of relativistic microbursts. A detailed quantitative comparison between observed and calculated microburst durations shows consistent ranges and similar correlations with shell and magnetic local time (MLT). The most apparent trend is in MLT: microburst duration increases from midnight through the dawn sector but decreases after noon. These results highlight the primary role of chorus waves in driving microbursts. Furthermore, we build a constraint on the upper magnetic latitude boundary of chorus waves that can induce 1 MeV microbursts. The constraint is dependent on MLT. On the dayside, the optimal typically exceeds , which is higher than on the nightside, suggesting ducted chorus propagation dominates. Chorus waves with higher are generally more effective in triggering relativistic microbursts.