STEREO observations of waves associated to interplanetary shocks driven by stream interactions

Details STEREO observations of waves associated to interplanetary shocks driven by stream interactions STEREO observations of waves associated to interplanetary shocks driven by stream interactions

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsh31d..08b&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SH31D-08

Physics

Plasma Physics

[7827] Space Plasma Physics / Kinetic And Mhd Theory, [7829] Space Plasma Physics / Kinetic Waves And Instabilities, [7851] Space Plasma Physics / Shock Waves, [7867] Space Plasma Physics / Wave/Particle Interactions

Scientific paper

During the extended solar minimum, the STEREO spacecraft have observed more than 100 shocks driven by the interaction of fast solar wind and slow moving plasma. These shocks have low-moderate Mach number (Mms 1.1~2.5). Shocks can modify solar wind properties and participate in the acceleration of solar energetic particles. The shocks are responsible for the generation of extended regions where low frequency waves are present. The extension and characteristics of the waves depend strongly on shock geometry and Mach number. When Mach number is low and the shock is quasi-perpendicular whistler waves remain close to the shock transition (both upstream and downstream). As Mach number increases, the shock profile changes and starts to develop a foot and overshoot associated with ion reflection and gyration. Whistler precursors can be superposed on the foot region, so that some quasi-perpendicular shocks have characteristics of both, subcritical and supercritical shocks. When the shock is quasi-parallel a large foreshock can form. The upstream wave spectra are formed by higher frequency waves that appear as whistler trains whose characteristics can be slightly modified probably by reflected and/or leaked ions, and lower frequency almost circularly polarized waves which may be locally generated by ion beam instabilities. Although most of the waves upstream of the quasi-parallel foward shocks observed to date by STEREO are transverse, there is evidence that some steepening may take place forming “shocklets” in few regions. Downstream from the shocks wave spectra are variable, with ion cyclotron waves and mirror mode storms appearing in some cases.

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