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Hau & Hung 2005
Hau, L.-N. and Hung, C.-C. (2005). Formation of anomalous slow shocks in anisotropic plasmas. Geophysical Research Letters 32: doi: 10.1029/2005GL023167. issn: 0094-8276.

Pressure anisotropy is a characteristic of space plasmas. Linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theories have shown that the properties of hydromagnetic waves may greatly be modified by the pressure anisotropy. In particular, slow waves may exhibit the anomalous behaviors of positive density-magnetic field correlation, faster propagation speed relative to the intermediate wave and right-handed polarization. This paper examines the formation of anomalous slow shocks by solving the gyrotropic MHD and Hall-MHD equations numerically for the evolution of an initial current sheet that separates two regions of plasma and magnetic field. It is shown that it is possible to have slow shock move ahead the intermediate shock with upstream flow being super-Alfv¿nic and the downstream being firehose unstable as well as anomalous slow shocks with δBδρ > 0 and right-handed polarization.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetopause and boundary layers, Space Plasma Physics, Discontinuities, Space Plasma Physics, Kinetic and MHD theory, Space Plasma Physics, Magnetic reconnection (2723, 7526), Space Plasma Physics, Shock waves
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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