Subcritical-to-supercritical transition in quasi-perpendicular fast shocks

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5319939

Livesey, W A

The magnetic structure of collisionless quasi-perpendicular bow shock waves was observed and studied using fluxgate magnetometer data from the ISEE-1 and 2 spacecraft. The angle theta/sub Bn/ between upstream magnetic field and the shock normal was determined for each case. The fast Mach number M, ..beta../sub i/, and ..beta../sub e/ of the shock waves were estimated using solar wind plasma parameters. The critical fast Mach number M/sub c/, the Mach number for which the downstream flow speed just equals the downstream sound speed, was calculated for each shock using the Rankine-Hugoniot shock jump conditions. A survey of the dependence of various magnetic substructures upon these parameters was performed. A precursor foot to the shock was noted for shock waves characterized by M/M/sub c/ > 1. The thickness of this foot region was in good quantitative agreement with predicted trajectories of solar wind ions undergoing specular reflection from the shock ramp.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Los Angeles (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5319939
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
SHOCK WAVES
TRANSITION FLOW
FLUXGATE MAGNETOMETERS
MACH NUMBER
RANKINE-HUGONIOT EQUATIONS
SATELLITES
SOLAR WIND
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EQUATIONS
FLUID FLOW
MAGNETOMETERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
VELOCITY
640203* - Atmospheric Physics- Magnetospheric Phenomena- (-1987)