Turbulence in electrostatic ion-acoustic shocks

Three types of collisionless electrostatic ion‐acoustic shocks are investigated using the University of California, Los Angeles, double plasma device: (a) laminar shocks; (b) small amplitude turbulent shocks in which the turbulence is confined to be upstream of the shock potential jump; and (c) large amplitude turbulent shocks in which the wave turbulence occurs throughout the shock transition. The wave turbulence is generated by ions which are reflected from the shock potential; linear theory spatial growth increments agree with experimental values. The experimental relationship between the shock Mach number and the shock potential is shown to be inconsistent with theoretical shock models which assume that the electrons are isothermal. Theoretical calculations which assume a trapped electron equation of a state and a turbulently flattened velocity distribution function for the reflected ions yields a Mach number vs potential relationship in agreement with experiment.