Ring current effects on trapped particles

Dessler and Karplus have predicted that measurable changes in trapped particle fluxes should accompany the betatron acceleration and radial movement of the particles due to time-dependent diamagnetic ring currents. The adiabatic deceleration and reacceleration of trapped protons have now been observed by a detector on the Explorer 26 satellite. The measured time dependence of the particle fluxes are shown to follow the variations expected theoretically.