Open AccessTwo‐spacecraft observations of an interplanetary slow shock
Author(s) -
Lin C. C.,
Feng H. Q.,
Wu D. J.,
Chao J. K.,
Lee L. C.,
Lyu L. H.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2008ja013154
Subject(s) - physics , shock (circulatory) , spacecraft , interplanetary spaceflight , discontinuity (linguistics) , shock wave , mechanics , geophysics , solar wind , plasma , astronomy , mathematics , medicine , mathematical analysis , quantum mechanics
Slow‐mode shocks in space have been identified via one spacecraft observation by many authors since 1970. However, Feng et al. suggested that the analysis using single‐spacecraft observation based only on the Rankine‐Hugoniot relations could misinterpret a tangential discontinuity as a slow shock. In this paper, we identify a slow‐mode shock using a model fitting based on both the Rankine‐Hugoniot relations and intraspacecraft timing. As a result, we found a slow‐shock solution that, including the local parameters and propagation time, agrees well with the observations. The slow shock may be associated with an asymmetric reconnection exhaust at a heliospheric current sheet.