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Lu & Wang 2005
Lu, Q.M. and Wang, S. (2005). Formation of He2+ shell-like distributions downstream of the Earth's bow shock. Geophysical Research Letters 32: doi: 10.1029/2004GL021508. issn: 0094-8276.

When the incident solar wind He2+ and H+ distributions cross the electrostatic potential at the shock, they are decelerated differentially due to their different charge- to-mass ratios. This differential slowing will produce a He2+ ring-beam distribution immediately downstream from a quasi-perpendicular shock. In this letter, we perform one-dimensional (1D) hybrid simulations and investigate the evolution of the He2+ ring-beam distribution in magnetized plasma. The plasma is composed of three components: H+, He2+ and electrons, where H+ has a velocity distribution with large perpendicular temperature anisotropy. It is shown that both the He2+ ring-beam distribution and H+ distribution with large perpendicular temperature anisotropy can excite ion cyclotron waves with propagation direction parallel to the ambient magnetic field, and then the waves pitch-angle scatter the He2+ ions. However, only the ion cyclotron waves excited by the He2+ ring-beam distribution can transform He2+ into shell-like distribution. The results can explain the He2+ shell-like distributions downstream of the Earth's bow shock, which have already been observed with the AMPTE/CCE and ISEE spacecraft.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Space Plasma Physics, Kinetic waves and instabilities, Space Plasma Physics, Shock waves, Space Plasma Physics, Wave/particle interactions (2483, 6984)
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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