Premium
Association of low‐frequency waves with suprathermal ions in the upstream solar wind
Author(s) -
Paschmann G.,
Sckopke N.,
Bame S. J.,
Asbridge J. R.,
Gosling J. T.,
Russell C. T.,
Greenstadt E. W.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl006i003p00209
Subject(s) - solar wind , physics , ion , bow shock (aerodynamics) , amplitude , plasma , spectral line , shock wave , ultra low frequency , magnetic field , computational physics , atomic physics , magnetometer , upstream (networking) , geophysics , optics , astronomy , mechanics , computer network , quantum mechanics , computer science
Observations obtained upstream of the earth’s bow shock with the LASL/MPI plasma instruments and the UCLA magnetometers on ISEE‐1 and 2 have revealed a striking relationship between the presence of low‐frequency fluctuations in solar wind density and field strength and the different types of distribution functions of upstream ions. Waves are absent when the ions have the beamlike distribution of the “reflected” ions. Large‐amplitude waves are present only in conjunction with the “diffuse” ions, which are characterized by flat energy spectra and broad angular distributions. The waves are largely compressive, showing very good correlation between oscillations in magnetic field strength and plasma density.