The initial interaction between the solar wind and any large obstacle

Physics

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Scientific paper

Particle trajectories are examined for the case where the solar wind containing a weak interplanetary magnetic field is incident on an obstacle whose radius of curvature is much larger than the proton gyroradius in the interplanetary field (~500 km). It is shown that even in the absence of thermal and dissipative effects, a discontinuity in field and particle velocity will arise and that the electrons will share the solar wind energy in a scale length of a few kilometers. Further physical implications of Dungey's analysis of the solar wind-magnetic field boundary are obtained and the analysis is extended to the case where the charge separation electric field is absent as it might be in a steady state where the electric fields are shorted out by electrons travelling along the magnetic field, (e.g. to and from the ionosphere.) Thermal and dissipative effects are discussed briefly to illustrate how the co-ordinated behaviour of a smooth surface with a cold steady plasma disappears in the longer scale length in which a shock front of magnetohydrodynamic waves thermalizes the plasma. Permanent and present address: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas U.S.A.

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