Statistical study of magnetosheath jet‐driven bow waves
File(s)revision-statistical study of HSJ shock_clean.pdf (1.3 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
When a magnetosheath jet (localized dynamic pressure enhancements) compresses ambient magnetosheath at a (relative) speed faster than the local magnetosonic speed, a bow wave or shock can form ahead of the jet. Such bow waves or shocks were recently observed to accelerate particles, thus contributing to magnetosheath heating and particle acceleration in the extended environment of Earth’s bow shock. To further understand the characteristics of jet‐driven bow waves, we perform a statistical study to examine which solar wind conditions favor their formation and whether it is common for them to accelerate particles. We identified 364 out of 2859 (~13%) magnetosheath jets to have a bow wave or shock ahead of them with Mach number typically larger than 1.1. We show that large solar wind plasma beta, weak interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength, large solar wind Alfvén Mach number, and strong solar wind dynamic pressure present favorable conditions for their formation. We also show that magnetosheath jets with bow waves or shocks are more frequently associated with higher maximum ion and electron energies than those without them, confirming that it is common for these structures to accelerate particles. In particular, magnetosheath jets with bow waves have electron energy flux enhanced on average by a factor of 2 compared to both those without bow waves and the ambient magnetosheath. Our study implies that magnetosheath jets can contribute to shock acceleration of particles especially for high Mach number shocks. Therefore, shock models should be generalized to include magnetosheath jets and concomitant particle acceleration.
Date Issued
2020-07-08
Date Acceptance
2020-04-10
Citation
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2020, 125 (7), pp.1-14
ISSN
2169-9380
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Volume
125
Issue
7
Copyright Statement
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Sponsor
The Royal Society
Identifier
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019JA027710
Grant Number
URF\R1\180671
Subjects
0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences
0401 Atmospheric Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-05-23