Can Anomalous MHD Slow Waves Steepen Into Shocks?

Physics – Plasma Physics

Scientific paper

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7800 Space Plasma Physics, 7835 Magnetic Reconnection, 7843 Numerical Simulation Studies, 7851 Shock Waves

Scientific paper

Since Petschek [1964] proposed his reconnection model, intensive studies have focused on the structure of slow shocks. The identification of slow waves or shocks from the enormous spacecraft data has been largely based on the criterion that across such structures the plasma density and magnetic field perturbations exhibit a negative correlation, a well known result based on the isotropic MHD theory. Linear MHD and Hall MHD theories have shown that slow waves propagating in a homogeneous anisotropic plasma may exhibit four anomalies: positive density-magnetic field correlation, faster propagation speed relative to the intermediate wave, right-handed polarization and steepening of rarefaction rather than compression wave. This study examines whether these anomalous slow waves can actually steepen into shocks by means of nonlinear gyrotropic MHD and Hall MHD simulations. It is shown that slow shocks with the first three anomalies may form through the steepening of the corresponding large-amplitude slow waves, whereas the expansion slow shock can form only for certain forms of energy equations.

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