ISSN:
1562-6938
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Physics
Notes:
Abstract Transverse collisionless shock waves in a plasma in which the initial β value is equal to zero for electrons and is small but nonzero for ions are studied in the two-dimensional approximation with allowance for anomalous resistivity. A hybrid model is applied such that the ions are treated in the kinetic approximation and the electrons are described in the hydrodynamic approximation. A collisionless shock wave is generated using a piston with a small two-dimensional perturbation. The ion distribution downstream of the shock front and the effect of electron and ion heating are analyzed. It is shown that, for Alfvén-Mach numbers M A〉2, ion heating is attributed primarily to the ions that have experienced a reflection from the shock front and whose velocities downstream of the front are very high. This conclusion agrees with the results of one-dimensional calculations. Solving the problem as formulated shows that two-dimensional effects are insignificant in the range of low Alfvén-Mach numbers (M A≤5): the direction of the magnetic field is always close to its initial direction, the ions acquire low velocities along the magnetic field, and the quantitative parameters of the plasma downstream of the shock front are close to those obtained from the one-dimensional model. In the range of higher Alfvén-Mach numbers, two-dimensional effects are more pronounced and the ion distribution function is less anisotropic.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1134/1.952870
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