Structure of a transverse shock wave in a plasma

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1976 · Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:7307817

Velikovich, A L; Liberman, M A

The structure of a shock wave front propagating in a fully ionized collision-dominated plasma perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field is determined for arbitrary values of ..beta..=8..pi..p/H/sup 2/. It is shown that in the case of a magnetized plasma (..cap omega../sub i/tau/sub i/>1) the wave front structure is determined by the ion viscosity and by the dispersion due to inertia of the electrons. The dispersion is more important at small values of ..beta.., and the structure of the wave front consists of oscillations that decay behind the wave front. At finite values of ..beta.. the shock wave front is monotonic. In a shock wave with a sufficiently big temperature discontinuity, however, dispersion predominates at the beginning of the front and leads to the appearance of decaying oscillations ahead of the shock wave front. The Alfven Mach numbers that are critical for the effect of dispersion are found. Dispersion due to electron inertia is not essential in the case of an unmagnetized plasma (..cap omega../sub e/tau/sub e/<1). The width of the shock wave front is determined by Joule dissipation. The values of the critical Mach number (M/sub a//sup h/(..beta..) above which Joule dissipation is insufficient for a continuous transition from a state ahead of the shock wave front to a state behind it are found. An isomagnetic discontinuity is produced behind the shock wave front in this case. The structure of the isomagnetic discontinuity, which is determined by the electron thermal conductivity, ion viscosity, and ion thermal conductivity, is found.

• Research Organization: Institute of Physics Problems, USSR Academy of Sciences
• OSTI ID: 7307817
• Journal Information: Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Sov. Phys. - JETP (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 44:4; ISSN SPHJA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700108* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Wave Phenomena
COLLISIONAL PLASMA
DISPERSION RELATIONS
MACH NUMBER
PLASMA
SHOCK WAVES
VELOCITY
WAVE PROPAGATION