Physics
Scientific paper
Oct 1990
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990phflb...2.2294c&link_type=abstract
Physics of Fluids B (ISSN 0899-8221), vol. 2, Oct. 1990, p. 2294-2299.
Physics
3
Collisionless Plasmas, Computerized Simulation, Magnetohydrodynamic Waves, Shock Wave Propagation, Gyrofrequency, Magnetohydrodynamics, Solar Flares, Solar Wind, Space Plasmas
Scientific paper
The overtaking of one collisionless shock by another is studied by means of hybrid numerical simulations. The two shocks merge into a stronger shock and trailing nonshock discontinuities. The strong shock continues to propagate in the same direction as the two weaker shocks. The merging is shown to occur by a self-consistent process involving the interaction of ions reflected at the overtaking shock with the plasma upstream of the leading shock. The characteristic time scale for the merging is typically 1/Omega(i), where Omega(i) is the ion gyrofrequency. For exactly perpendicular shocks, the trailing discontinuity is a tangential discontinuity. It has a width of 2-3 ion Larmor radii. For oblique shocks, a contact discontinuity is present in the downstream plasma state. These results are of relevance to shock interactions in the very distant solar wind as well as in other energetic astrophysical situations such as solar flares.
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