ISSN:
1572-9672
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Abstract ISEE-1 and -2 magnetic field profiles across 6 terrestrial bow shock and one interplanetary shock are examined. The interplanetary shock illustrates the behavior of a low Mach number shock. It had an upstream whistler wave precursor with an apparent wavelength of 180 km. The shock thickness was about 90 km for the thickness of the final field jump or 270 km for the exponential growth of the precursor wave packet. The ion inertial length was 50 km, upstream of the shock. Three examples of low or moderate β, high Mach number, quasiperpendicular shocks are examined. These did not have upstream waves, but rather had waves growing in the field gradient. The growth length for these waves and the shock profile was of the order of the ion inertial length. Two examples of high β shocks showed little coherence in field variation even though the two vehicles were only a few hundred kilometers apart. Thus, we cannot gauge their velocity and turn the time profiles into distances. The final crossing examined shows clearly the effect of changing the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field. Initially the upstream magnetic field made an angle of about 80° to the shock normal and the shock position remained fairly steady. Then the field rotated to 45° to the normal and the field profiles became very irregular and the shock position very unstable. Discrete wave packets appeared. Finally, we present the joint behavior of wave, particle and field data across some of these shocks to show some of the myriad of shock features whose behavior we are now beginning to investigate.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00174109
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