Electron temperature and de Hoffmann-Teller potential change across the Earth's bow shock : New results from ISEE 1

A. J Hulls; J. D Scudder; R. J Fitzenreiter; K. W Ogilvie; J. A Newbury; C. T Russell

doi:10.1029/2000JA900049

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Electron temperature and de Hoffmann-Teller potential change across the Earth's bow shock : New results from ISEE 1

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Electron temperature and de Hoffmann-Teller potential change across the Earth's bow shock : New results from ISEE 1

A. J Hulls, J. D Scudder, R. J Fitzenreiter, K. W Ogilvie, J. A Newbury and C. T Russell

Journal of geophysical research, Vol.105(A9), pp.20957-20971

2000

DOI: 10.1029/2000JA900049

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Abstract

We present a survey of the trends between the electron temperature increase ΔTe and the de Hoffmann-Teller frame (HTF) electrostatic potential jump ΔΦHT and their correlation with other parameters that characterize the shock transition using a new ISEE 1 database of 129 Earth bow shock crossings. A fundamental understanding of the HTF potential is central to distinguishing the reversible and irreversible changes to electron temperature across collisionless shocks. The HTF potential is estimated using three different techniques: (1) integrating the steady state, electron fluid momentum equation across the shock layer using high time resolution plasma and field data from ISEE 1, (2) using the steady state, electron fluid energy equation, and (3) using an electron polytrope approximation. We find that ΔΦHT and ΔTe are strongly and positively correlated with |Δ(mpUn2/2)|, which is in good qualitative agreement with earlier experimental surveys [Thomsen et al., 1987b; Schwartz et al., 1988] that used bow shock model normals and used the flow in the spacecraft frame. There is a strong linear organization of the ΔTe with ΔΦHT, which suggests an average effective electron polytropic index of 〈γe〉 ≈ 2. In addition, ΔTe and ΔΦHT are organized by βe, although our results may be biased by our limited sampling of shock conditions. Comparisons indicate that the differentials in the HTF potential δΦHT are proportional to the differentials in the magnetic field intensity δB across the shock, with a proportionality constant κ that is a fixed constant for a given shock crossing.

Earth, ocean, space

Exact sciences and technology

External geophysics

Geomagnetic observations and data

Physics of the magnetosphere

Details

Title: Subtitle: Electron temperature and de Hoffmann-Teller potential change across the Earth's bow shock : New results from ISEE 1
Creators: A. J Hulls - University of Iowa
J. D Scudder - University of Iowa
R. J Fitzenreiter - Goddard Space Flight Center
K. W Ogilvie - Goddard Space Flight Center
J. A Newbury - Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
C. T Russell - Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of geophysical research, Vol.105(A9), pp.20957-20971
DOI: 10.1029/2000JA900049
ISSN: 0148-0227
eISSN: 2156-2202
Publisher: American Geophysical Union
Language: English
Date published: 2000
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984199922202771

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