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Title: Final Technical Report ''Double discontinuities in space plasma''

Abstract

This research used high-resolution magnetic field data to examine the interior structures of MHD shocks in interplanetary space and in the magnetotail; we discovered that a slow-mode shock is often followed by an adjoining rotational discontinuity layer on the postshock side. The thickness of each layer is of the order of a few ion inertial lengths. Such a compound structure is known as a double discontinuity. When the magnetic field rotates by several degrees per ion inertial length inside a thin layer, the Hall current term becomes important in the generalized Ohm's law. Steady state solutions based on the Hall-MHD theory have been obtained to show the merging of a rotational layer and a slow shock layer to form a compound structure like the observed double discontinuities.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Catholic University of America (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC) (US)
OSTI Identifier:
823765
Report Number(s):
DOE/ER/54582-1
TRN: US0402486
DOE Contract Number:  
FG02-00ER54582
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 13 May 2004
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; INTERPLANETARY SPACE; MAGNETIC FIELDS; MAGNETOTAIL; PLASMA; THICKNESS; HIGH-RESOLUTION MAGNETIC FIELD DATA; MHD SHOCKS; DOUBLE DISCONTINUITY; HALL-MHD THEORY

Citation Formats

Whang, Yun Chow. Final Technical Report ''Double discontinuities in space plasma''. United States: N. p., 2004. Web. doi:10.2172/823765.
Whang, Yun Chow. Final Technical Report ''Double discontinuities in space plasma''. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/823765
Whang, Yun Chow. 2004. "Final Technical Report ''Double discontinuities in space plasma''". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/823765. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/823765.
@article{osti_823765,
title = {Final Technical Report ''Double discontinuities in space plasma''},
author = {Whang, Yun Chow},
abstractNote = {This research used high-resolution magnetic field data to examine the interior structures of MHD shocks in interplanetary space and in the magnetotail; we discovered that a slow-mode shock is often followed by an adjoining rotational discontinuity layer on the postshock side. The thickness of each layer is of the order of a few ion inertial lengths. Such a compound structure is known as a double discontinuity. When the magnetic field rotates by several degrees per ion inertial length inside a thin layer, the Hall current term becomes important in the generalized Ohm's law. Steady state solutions based on the Hall-MHD theory have been obtained to show the merging of a rotational layer and a slow shock layer to form a compound structure like the observed double discontinuities.},
doi = {10.2172/823765},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/823765}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 13 00:00:00 EDT 2004},
month = {Thu May 13 00:00:00 EDT 2004}
}