Katherine E. Weimer Award: Quantitative Modeling of Radiation Belt Dynamics: Recent Advances and Remaining Challenges*

In 1958 Dr. Van Allen and colleagues discovered a "belt" of energetic particles in space that are trapped by the Earth's magnetic fields – what we now know as the Van Allen Radiation Belts. The Earth's radiation belts are characterized by large variations in electron fluxes, which are controlled by the competition between source, transport, and loss processes. Understanding, quantitatively modeling, and eventually predicting the dynamics of energetic electrons in the radiation belts have been the research targets that space physicists have long pursued. Recently, great advances have been made in the quantitative modeling of radiation belt dynamics, including both the fast development of modeling techniques and the significant improvement in model inputs. The better model inputs are only made possible by the extensive wave and particle measurements from multiple space and ground missions, especially the NASA Van Allen Probes Mission. In this talk I will briefly introduce the dynamics of radiation belt electrons, review some of our recent advances in quantitative modeling of radiation belt dynamics, and finish with discussing the remaining challenges and opportunities in radiation belt modeling.