Les ceintures de radiation correspondent à la région de la magnétosphère dans laquelle se trouvent les particules de hautes énergies. Le couplage entre le vent solaire et la magnétosphère donne lieu à des variations des flux de particules sur plusieurs ordres de grandeurs. L’objectif de cette thèse est d’observer et caractériser ces variations de flux d’électrons au passage de différents types d’événements tels que les régions d’interaction en co-rotation (CIRs) et les éjections de masse coronale interplanétaires (ICMEs). Pour cela, nous avons traité et analysé les données de plusieurs types: paramètres du vent solaire, indices géomagnétiques et flux d’électrons dans les ceintures de radiation. Dans les trois premiers chapitres, nous rendons compte de la complexité de l’environnement spatial Terrestre et présentons les différentes données utilisées. Les travaux de thèse sont ensuite organisés en quatre chapitres. Premièrement, nous utilisons les mesures des satellites NOAA-POES afin de caractériser les flux d’électrons dans les ceintures. Nous étudions ensuite les différences de variations de flux causées par les CIRs et les ICMEs en fonction de l’énergie des électrons et du paramètre L*. Après avoir montré le fort lien entre les intensités d’orages magnétiques et les variations de flux, nous nous focalisons sur les ICMEs et la variabilité des orages qu’elles causent. Enfin, nous insistons sur l’importance des enchaînements d’événements. Après avoir quantifié la forte tendance qu’ont les ICMEs à former des séquences, nous réalisons une étude statistique sur les orages qu’elles causent, puis trois études de cas afin d’illustrer leurs effets sur les ceintures. / The radiation belts are the toroidal region within the inner magnetosphere where high energetic particles are located. The coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere leads to strong variations of particle fluxes that can therefore increase or decrease over several orders of magnitude. The aim of this thesis is to observe and characterize the variations of fluxes during the crossing of several types of events originating from the sun such as Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) and Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs). To do so, we processed and analyzed the data of various types : solar wind parameters, geomagnetic indices, and electron fluxes within the radiation belts. In the three first chapters, we report on the complexity of the Terrestrial space environment and we present the Solar-Terrestrial system and the data used. Then, our work is organized around four chapters. First, we characterized the electron fluxes within the radiation belts as measured by the NOAA-POES spacecrafts. Then, we studied the difference between the variations of fluxes caused by the CIRs and the ICMEs depending on the energy and the L* parameter. After establishing strong links between the intensity of magnetic storms and the variations of fluxes, we focused on the ICMEs and the variability of the related magnetic storms. Eventually, we emphasized the importance of the sequences of events. After quantifying the trend of the ICMEs to form sequences, we performed a statistical study on the magnetic storms caused by such sequences. Finally three study cases were performed in order to illustrate the various possible effects on the radiation belts.

Les ceintures de radiation de la planète géante Jupiter sont constituées d’électrons, de protons et d’ions lourds de très haute énergie. Ces particules chargées représentent un risque majeur pour les satellites artificiels cherchant à explorer Jupiter. Dans le même temps, comprendre l’origine et la répartition de ces particules est une problématique fondamentale du domaine de la Physique de l’Espace.Le modèle physique Salammbô de l’ONERA répond aux deux enjeux précédents. Il a été développé pour le cas de la planète géante au cours de deux thèses successives qui se sont terminées en 2004 [Santos-Costa, 2001 ; Sicard, 2004]. Les travaux précédents ont permis de mettre en place un modèle d’électron qui s’étend de l’atmosphère de Jupiter jusqu’à l’orbite d’Europe (9 Rj) et un modèle de proton jusqu’à l’orbite de la lune volcanique Io (6 Rj). Depuis cette date, la mission américaine Galileo, qui fut en orbite autour de Jupiter jusqu’en 2003, a livré de nombreuses informations sur les ceintures de radiation et sur l’environnement qui influence celles-ci.Cette thèse revisite le modèle électron et étend le modèle proton jusqu’à l’orbite d’Europe. Cela permet, en particulier, de montrer que les ondes électromagnétiques se propageant entre les orbites des lunes Io et Europe induisent des pertes significatives de particules, celles-ci étant précipitées dans l’atmosphère de Jupiter. Les modèles proposés au cours de cette thèse sont également mieux à même de prédire l’environnement extrême et limitant des ceintures de radiation que les précédents travaux. / The radiation belts of the giant planet Jupiter are populated by very energetic electrons, protons and heavy ions. On one hand, these charged particles represent a major threat to exploration missions. On the other hand, understanding the radiation belt particles origin and distribution is a fundamental question of the broad Space Physics research domain.The physical model Salammbô of ONERA addresses the two previous challenges. It has been developed during two successive previous PhD thesis that ended in 2004 [Santos-Costa, 2001; Sicard, 2004]. Previous work has enabled to predict and study the electrons inward of Europa’s orbit (9 Rj) and the protons inward of the volcanic moon Io (6 Rj). Since 2004, the Galileo mission that was in orbit around Jupiter until 2003 has provided many inputs regarding the Jovian radiation belts and the environment that shape them.This PhD thesis revisits the electron model and expands the proton’s one up to Europa’s orbit. Our modeling effort shows that, in particular, electromagnetic waves propagating between the orbits of the moons Io and Europa create strong particle losses within the radiation belts, as the charged particles are precipitated in the Jovian atmosphere. In addition, our models are better suited than what has been proposed by previous work to predict the harsh radiative environment near Jupiter.STAR

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2017-11-01T17:31:29Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-01T17:31:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Os níveis de radioatividade natural do planeta e suas eventuais consequencias são objeto de estudo da radioproteção ambiental. Nos últimos anos, as agências internacionais ligadas à proteção radiológica têm debatido as práticas até então estipuladas, no que diz respeito à proteção da fauna e flora, cuja filosofia acreditava que as recomendações sugeridas para a proteção do homem asseguravam que outras espécies estariam também protegidas. Assim, são necessários estudos sobre as concentrações de atividade dos radionuclídeos dispersos no meio ambiente, assim como as doses absorvidas por organismos de diferentes ecossistemas, pela exposição interna e externa. O Brasil possui a segunda maior população de cães e gatos do mundo e produz anualmente mais de 2 milhões de toneladas de rações. O presente trabalho investigou os níveis de radioatividade presentes em rações comerciais para cães e gatos, por meio da espectrometria gama de alta resolução. Os resultados mostraram concentrações abaixo da MDA para radionuclídeos artificiais e baixas concentrações para radionuclídeos naturais, cujos valores variaram de 0,9 ± 0,3 Bq/kg a 5,1 ± 0,7 Bq/kg para o 226Ra, de 1,2 ± 0,4 Bq/kg a 11,1 ± 1,0 Bq/kg para o 232Th e de 156 ± 7 Bq/kg a 410 ± 19 Bq/kg para o 40K. Para verificar a composição de alguns minerais, foi empregada a técnica por EDXRF e, utilizando estatística multivariada, foi possível verificar as correlações entre os radionuclídeos e o conteúdo mineral encontrado. A boa correlação que foi observada entre as concentrações de 226Ra, 232Th e cálcio, pode estar associada ao uso de farinhas de carne e ossos na fabricação das rações. As doses internas para alguns órgãos foram inferidas pelo método de Monte Carlo, obtendo valores menores que 1 μGy/dia. Em síntese, os resultados mostraram que os níveis de atividade encontrados nas rações são baixos o suficiente para concluir que as marcas de ração canina avaliadas não fornecem riscos radiológicos para os animais que as consomem. / Tese (Doutorado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/T / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

The emergence of small and affordable satellites has led to rapid growth in the number of launched satellites over the past two decades. To save costs, small satellites often use mass-produced electronic components not explicitly designed for the radiation environment of space, which reduces reliability and makes them unsuitable for higher orbits. Improved radiation protection would enable small satellites to operate in high radiation environments and increase their reliability. This work investigates how small satellite electronics can be protected against the high radiation environment of geostationary transfer orbit on the example of the Foresail-2mission. Foresail-2 is a planned 6U CubeSat mission to the Earth radiation belts and is intended to use consumer-grade electronics components. In this harsh environment, most semiconductor devices require radiation shielding. The Space EnvironmentInformation System of the European Space Agency was used to analyse expected particle spectra along the planned orbit through the radiation belts. These particle spectra were then used in Monte-Carlo simulations based on the Geant4 particle transport toolkit to simulate the performance of different shielding configurations. Several thousand multilayer shielding configurations were simulated to optimise the material composition and layer structure of multilayer shielding. The best multilayer configurations against the combined proton and electron spectra of the Earth’s radiation belts use materials with low proton numbers on top of materials with high proton numbers and can significantly outperform conventional aluminium shielding. However, the usage of alternative materials might introduce significant overhead in the design and manufacturing of the satellite structure. Additionally, the influence of satellite structure geometry and openings in the shield was analysed. Even a 1 cm2 opening in the shield can increase the total ionising dose received by electronic components over a mission lifetime by more than an order of magnitude. In conclusion, the work recommends an aluminium body of 6 mm or equivalent multilayer shielding for the Foresail-2 mission to reduce the radiation level to a tolerable level for consumer-grade electronics, while openings in the satellite body should be avoided or covered up with additional shielding. / FORESAIL

Les satellites sont vulnérables aux particules de forte énergie piégées dans les ceintures de Van Allen. Afin d’en assurer la protection, il est nécessaire de prédire avec précision la dynamique des électrons au sein de la magnétosphère. Dans un premier temps nous proposons une méthode originale de résolution analytique de l’équation de Fokker-Planck réduite qui modélise le transport et les pertes des électrons de la magnétosphère interne. La résolution repose sur une technique de décomposition spectrale. Si la solution analytique s’avère utile pour mettre en exergue certaines propriétés physiques des ceintures de radiation, elle est également pertinente pour valider le code numérique de résolution de l’équation de Fokker-Planck réduite, développé durant la thèse. Ce dernier nous amène à généraliser l’étude précédente en illustrant l’évolution des flux d’électrons pour diverses énergies et positions. Nous prouvons notamment que la structure des ceintures de radiation ainsi que leur temps d’évolution ne dépendent que de quelques facteurs bien choisis. Dans la perspective de reproduire un événement particulier de retour au calme après un orage magnétique, mesuré par les satellites de la NASA dédiés aux ceintures de radiation, nous sommes en mesure de simuler la précipitation des électrons dans l’atmosphère terrestre causée par les interactions avec les ondes électromagnétiques de la magnétosphère. L’utilisation de conditions bâties sur des données empiriques et spécifiques à la période en question nous permet de corroborer les flux observés. Enfin, l’influence du champ magnétique terrestre sur la dynamique des ceintures de radiation est étudiée sous divers aspects. Nous nous concentrons sur la ceinture externe pour comprendre comment les asymétries du champ magnétique, considérablement façonnées par l’activité solaire, affectent notre manière de concilier théorie et observations. Nous explorons également l’importance de certains processus diffusifs nouveaux et cachés, qui émergent à cause de l’irrégularité naturelle du champ magnétique au plus proche voisinage de la Terre. / Satellites are vulnerable to high-energy particles trapped in the Van Allen belts. To ensure their protection, it is necessary to predict properly the electron dynamics in the magnetosphere. We first propose an original method to find the analytical solution of the reduced Fokker-Planck equation that models the transport and loss of electrons in the inner magnetosphere. The resolution relies on an eigenfunction expansion approach. If the analytical solution is proven to be useful at uncovering some of the physical properties of the radiation belts, it is also relevant to validate the numerical code that solves the reduced Fokker-Planck equation, which has been developed during the PhD. The latter code is used to generalize the previous study in illustrating the evolution of the electron fluxes for various energies and locations. We demonstrate that the structure of the radiation belts as well as their dynamical timescales only depend on a few well-chosen parameters. In the perspective of reproducing a specific storm-recovery event reported by the NASA Van Allen Probes, we are able to simulate the electron scattering in the Earth’s atmosphere due to the interaction with magnetospheric electromagnetic waves. The consideration of data-driven and event-specific conditions enables us to corroborate the observed fluxes. Finally, various influences of the Earth’s magnetic field on the dynamics of the radiation belts are investigated. We focus on the outer belt to see how the magnetic field asymmetries, which are strongly shaped by solar activity, affect the way of conciliating theory and observations. We also explore the importance of new hidden diffusive processes that emerge due to the natural irregularity of the magnetic field in the closest vicinity of the Earth.

Includes Van Allen thesis (M.S.)--University of Iowa, 1936, and thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Iowa, 1939.