Physics – Plasma Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsm41a1984s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SM41A-1984
Physics
Plasma Physics
[2154] Interplanetary Physics / Planetary Bow Shocks, [2753] Magnetospheric Physics / Numerical Modeling, [7829] Space Plasma Physics / Kinetic Waves And Instabilities, [7851] Space Plasma Physics / Shock Waves
Scientific paper
A high Mach number quasi-perpendicular collisionless shock is studied with one-dimensional (1-D) full particle simulations. The Alfven Mach number is M_A=22, the shock normal-magnetic field angle is Θ=85 and the ion and electron beta (particle to magnetic pressure) is 0.5. We have used in the simulations a large value for the ratio of the electron plasma frequency to the gyrofrequency of ω_pe/Ω_ce=20, and a high value of the ion to electron mass ratio, (m_i/m_e=1500). The shock is highly non-stationary but does not exhibit the reformation pattern seen in previous simulations of lower Mach number perpendicular or quasi-perpendicular shocks. The magnetic field profiles flattens and steepens with a time period of 1.4-1.5 inverse ion gyrofrequencies while the ions are specular reflected from the steepened ramp and finally return downstream just at the subsequent steepening of the ramp. The scale of the ramp varies between ~ 10 to ~ 20 electron inertial lengths corresponding to the changes from a steep to a flat profile. By tracing all trajectories of the reflected ions in the simulation box we have determined the absolute reflection rate as well as an average energy gain related to the non-stationarity of the shock ramp. The reflection rate varies between almost zero percent during flat profiles and ~ 100 percent during steep profiles.
Comisel H.
Scholer Manfred
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