Shock Structure and Plasma Waves in Collisionless and Weakly Collisional Plasmas

Session ID#: 282904

Session Description:
Collisionless shocks (CSs) are ubiquitous in space physics and astrophysics settings. They are important for converting dynamic pressure of a supersonic flow into thermal energy and affect the distributions of particles and field. Of special interest are the processes of ion isotropization behind CSs. On the other hand, Voyager measurements in the weakly collisional interstellar medium revealed puzzling dissipative shock structures that require a thorough analysis, particularly with respect to their ability to reflect electrons and generate plasma waves as efficiently as CSs. We invite observational, theoretical, and numerical studies related to the following topics: (1) the role of nonthermal ions, collisions, and turbulence in the shock structure; (2) ion heating and acceleration due to ion reflection and backstreaming; (3) upstream-to-downstream connection of the bulk and kinetic properties across shock waves, and (4) plasma waves and radio emission in broad, dynamic foreshock regions in the heliosphere and beyond it.
Index Terms:

7829 Kinetic waves and instabilities [SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS]
7851 Shock waves [SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS]
7863 Turbulence [SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS]
7867 Wave/particle interactions [SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS]
Primary Convener:  Federico Fraternale, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, Huntsville, AL, United States
Conveners:  Vadim Roytershteyn, Space Science Institute Boulder, Boulder, United States and Ameneh Mousavi, Space Science Institute Boulder, Boulder, United States