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Detailed Reference Information |
Feldman, W.C., Anderson, R.C., Bame, S.J., Gosling, J.T., Zwickl, R.D. and Smith, E.J. (1983). Electron velocity distributions near interplanetary shocks. Journal of Geophysical Research 88: doi: 10.1029/JA080i012p09949. issn: 0148-0227. |
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Solar wind electron velocity distributions measured across interplanetary shocks using the Los Alamos plasma analyzer on ISEE 3 have been studied to understand electron heating mechanisms for weak and intermediate strength collisionless shocks. This study thus complements earlier studies of electron heating at the earth's bow shock, an example of a highly supercritical collisionless shock. At the weakest interplanetary shocks (downstream to upstream density ratio N(d/u)≲2 and velocity difference V(d-u)≲70 km/s), heating perpendicular to the magnetic field B predominants over parallel heating. Such heating may be a consequence of conservation of magnetic moment across the shock. At the stronger interplanetary shocks (N(d/u)>2 and V(d-u)>70 km/s), heating parallel to B is dominant and the downstream velocity distributions are flat-topped similar to what is observed downstream of the earth's bow shock. This similarity suggests that electron heating in all collisionless shocks with N(d/u)>2 and V(d-u)>70 km/s results in part from an acceleration parallel to B produced by the macroscopic shock electric field, followed by beam driven plasma instabilities. |
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union 2000 Florida Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-1277 USA 1-202-462-6900 1-202-328-0566 service@agu.org |
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