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Bale et al. 1998
Bale, S.D., Kellogg, P.J., Larsen, D.E., Lin, R.P., Goetz, K. and Lepping, R.P. (1998). Bipolar electrostatic structures in the shock transition region: Evidence of electron phase space holes. Geophysical Research Letters 25: doi: 10.1029/98GL02111. issn: 0094-8276.

We present observations of intense, bipolar, electrostatic structures in the transition region of the terrestrial bow shock from the Wind spacecraft. The electric field signatures are on the order of a tenth of a millisecond in duration and greater than 100 mV/m in amplitude. The measured electric field is generally larger on the smaller dipole antenna, indicating a small spatial size. We compare the potential on the two dipole antennas with a model of antenna response to a Gaussian potential profile. This result agrees with a spatial scale determined by convection and gives a characteristic scale size of 2-7 &lgr;d. We interpret the observations as small scale convecting unipolar potential structures, consistent with simulations of electron phase space holes and discuss the results in the context of electron thermalization at strong collisionless shocks. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Interplanetary Physics, Plasma waves and turbulence, Interplanetary Physics, Planetary bow shocks, Space Plasma Physics, Wave/particle interactions, Space Plasma Physics, Turbulence
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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