Multiple spacecraft observations of interplanetary shocks: characteristics of the upstream ulf turbulence

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6337156· OSTI ID:6337156

Russell, C T; Smith, E J; Tsurutani, B T; Gosling, J T; Bame, S J

All interplanetary shocks observed by ISEE-3 and either ISEE-1 or ISEE-2 or both in 1978 and 1979 are examined for evidence of upstream waves. In order to characterize the properties of these shocks it is necessary to determine accurate shock normals. We invert an overdetermined set of equations to obtain shock normals, velocities and error estimates for all these shocks. Tests of the method indicate it is quite reliable. Using these normals we then calculate the Mach number and angle between the interplanetary magnetic field and the shock normal for each shock. These parameters allow us to separate the upstream waves into two classes: whistler-mode precursors which occur at low Mach numbers and upstream turbulence whose amplitude at Mach numbers greater than 1.5 is controlled by the angle of the field to the shock normal. The former waves are right-hand circularly polarized and quite monochromatic. The latter waves are more linearly polarized and have a broadband featureless spectrum.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics; Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (USA); Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6337156
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-83-1172; CONF-821159-5; ON: DE83011145
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
DATA
EARTH PLANET
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
MACH NUMBER
NOISE
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANETS
RADIATIONS
RADIO NOISE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SHOCK WAVES
SPACE
TURBULENCE
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION
WHISTLERS