Resonant Scattering of Near-Equatorially Mirroring Electrons by Landau Resonance With H+ Band EMIC Waves

By investigating the resonant energy and latitudinal resonance region of Landau resonance between H+ band electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and radiation belt electrons and performing calculations of quasi-linear diffusion coefficients, we find that Landau resonance with EMIC waves, characterized by a very broad range of resonant energies from below 1 eV to above 10 MeV and the strikingly small extent of the latitudinal resonance region well below 0.1 degrees, can be a feasible candidate accounting for the pitch angle scattering of near-equatorially mirroring electrons. Compared to the dominant pitch angle scattering caused by the cyclotron resonance for greater than similar to 2-MeV electrons at equatorial pitch angles less than similar to 80 degrees with the rates well above 10(-4) s(-1), Landau resonance with H+ band EMIC waves has the potential to drive more efficient pitch angle scattering of radiation belt electrons from similar to 10 MeV down to tens of kiloelectron volts at equatorial pitch angles greater than similar to 85 degrees.