Collisionless parallel shock waves

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Plasma Physics Reports

OSTI ID:105307

Galeev, A A; Galinskii, V L; Khabibrakhmanov, I Kh

A model of a collisionless parallel (propagating in the direction of the unperturbed magnetic field) shock wave is presented, based on the soliton solutions of the modified vector nonlinear Schroedinger equation with a derivative describing the propagation of Alfven waves. This equation is generalized to the case of particle distribution functions with arbitrary anisotropy, and includes a new term describing the dispersion occurring in scalar wave equations (e.g., the Korteweg-de Vries equation). This correction produces negative dispersion in the long-wavelength parallel MHD oscillations, which results in the appearance of new time-independent solutions in the form of compression solitons for the absolute value of the magnetic-field perturbations. The time-independent soliton solutions can be converted into shock-wave structures if irreversible processes are taken into account, such as particle reflection from the magnetic mirror created by the soliton or in the longitudinal electric field responsible for plasma quasineutrality in the force field of the thermal pressure, the effective dissipation of nonlinear wave motions due to plasma instability in the field of these oscillations, etc. Thus, the proposed model is found to be similar in terms of its origin to the widely accepted model of a quasiperpendicular shock wave, and is amenable to the same analytical techniques. 20 refs., 3 figs.

• OSTI ID: 105307
• Journal Information: Plasma Physics Reports, Journal Name: Plasma Physics Reports Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 19; ISSN PPHREM; ISSN 1063-780X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALFVEN WAVES
BOLTZMANN-VLASOV EQUATION
COLLISIONLESS PLASMA
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC MIRRORS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
PLASMA WAVES
SHOCK WAVES
SOLITONS
WAVE PROPAGATION