Parametric study of non-relativistic electrostatic shocks and the structure of their transition layer

M. E. Dieckmann; H. Ahmed; G. Sarri; D. Doria; I. Kourakis; L. Romagnani; M. Pohl; M. Borghesi

doi:10.1063/1.4801447

journal article Apr 01, 2013

Parametric study of non-relativistic electrostatic shocks and the structure of their transition layer

M. E. Dieckmann H. Ahmed G. Sarri D. Doria I. Kourakis L. Romagnani M. Pohl

M. Borghesi

Physics of Plasmas Vol. 20 No. 4 · AIP Publishing

View at Publisher Save 10.1063/1.4801447

Abstract

Nonrelativistic electrostatic unmagnetized shocks are frequently observed in laboratory plasmas and they are likely to exist in astrophysical plasmas. Their maximum speed, expressed in units of the ion acoustic speed far upstream of the shock, depends only on the electron-to-ion temperature ratio if binary collisions are absent. The formation and evolution of such shocks is examined here for a wide range of shock speeds with particle-in-cell simulations. The initial temperatures of the electrons and the 400 times heavier ions are equal. Shocks form on electron time scales at Mach numbers between 1.7 and 2.2. Shocks with Mach numbers up to 2.5 form after tens of inverse ion plasma frequencies. The density of the shock-reflected ion beam increases and the number of ions crossing the shock thus decreases with an increasing Mach number, causing a slower expansion of the downstream region in its rest frame. The interval occupied by this ion beam is on a positive potential relative to the far upstream. This potential pre-heats the electrons ahead of the shock even in the absence of beam instabilities and decouples the electron temperature in the foreshock ahead of the shock from the one in the far upstream plasma. The effective Mach number of the shock is reduced by this electron heating. This effect can potentially stabilize nonrelativistic electrostatic shocks moving as fast as supernova remnant shocks.

Topics

No keywords indexed for this article. Browse by subject →

References

42

[1]

Astrophys. J. (1999) 10.1086/313176

[2]

Astrophys. J. (2011) 10.1088/0004-637x/737/2/85

[3]

Rev. Mod. Phys. (2001) 10.1103/revmodphys.73.1031

[4]

Plasma Phys. (1973) 10.1088/0032-1028/15/6/001

[5]

Phys. Rev. Lett. (2008) 10.1103/physrevlett.101.025004

[6]

Phys. Rev. Lett. (1970) 10.1103/physrevlett.25.1699

[7]

Phys. Rev. Lett. (1971) 10.1103/physrevlett.27.1189

[8]

Plasma Phys. (1970) 10.1088/0032-1028/12/4/006

[9]

Phys. Rev. (1929) 10.1103/physrev.33.954

[10]

Phys. Rev. Lett. (2006) 10.1103/physrevlett.96.045005

[11]

Astrophys. Space Sci. (1988) 10.1007/bf00793172

[12]

New J. Phys. (2011) 10.1088/1367-2630/13/7/073023

[13]

Astrophys. J. (2009) 10.1088/0004-637x/694/1/154

[14]

Space Sci. Rev. (2005) 10.1007/s11214-005-3827-0

[15]

J. Geophys. Res. (1983) 10.1029/ja088ia08p06121

[16]

Phys. Fluids (1992) 10.1063/1.860361

[17]

Astrophys. J. (2000) 10.1086/318161

[18]

Space Sci. Rev. (2004) 10.1023/b:spac.0000023372.12232.b7

[19]

Astrophys. J. (2004) 10.1086/381881

[20]

Ann. Geophys. (2004) 10.5194/angeo-22-2345-2004

[21]

Space Sci. Rev. (2005) 10.1007/s11214-006-4481-x

[22]

Astrophys. J. (2009) 10.1088/0004-637x/695/1/574

[23]

Astrophys. J. (2009) 10.1088/0004-637x/690/1/244

[24]

Phys. Plasmas (2010) 10.1063/1.3372137

[25]

Astrophys. J. (2012) 10.1088/0004-637x/759/1/73

[26]

Astrophys. J. (2009) 10.1088/0004-637x/699/2/990

[27]

Space Sci. Rev. (2005) 10.1007/s11214-005-3824-3

[28]

Astron. Astrophys. (1984)

[29]

Astron. Astrophys. (2009) 10.1051/0004-6361/200811394

[30]

Astrophys. J. (2010) 10.1088/0004-637x/722/2/1727

[31]

Astrophys. J. (2007) 10.1086/510740

[32]

Plasma expansion into vacuum — A hydrodynamic approach

Ch. Sack, H. Schamel

Physics Reports 1987 10.1016/0370-1573(87)90039-1

[33]

Phys. Rev. Lett. (1970) 10.1103/physrevlett.25.281

[34]

Geophys. Res. Lett. (1991) 10.1029/91gl02241

[35]

Phys. Plasmas (2010) 10.1063/1.3372138

[36]

Phys. Rev. (1959) 10.1103/physrev.115.503

[37]

Rev. Mod. Phys. (1983) 10.1103/revmodphys.55.403

[38]

Phys. Plasmas (2012) 10.1063/1.4729333

[39]

Phys. Rep. (2006) 10.1016/j.physrep.2005.10.003

[40]

Phys. Plasmas (2012) 10.1063/1.3677265

[41]

J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. (1998) 10.1143/jpsj.67.1079

[42]

Astrophys. J. (2008) 10.1086/590248

Metrics

21

Citations

42

References

Details

Published: Apr 01, 2013
Vol/Issue: 20(4)

Authors

M

M. E. Dieckmann

Institute of Physics & Astronomy, University of Potsdam 1 , D-14476 Potsdam, Germany; Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University 2 , SE-60174 Norrköping, Sweden

H

H. Ahmed

Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast 3 , Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

G

G. Sarri

Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast 3 , Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

D

D. Doria

Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast 3 , Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

I

I. Kourakis

Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast 3 , Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

L

L. Romagnani

LULI, Ecole Polytechnique 4 , CNRS, CEA, UPMC, 91128 Palaiseau, France

M

M. Pohl

Institute of Physics & Astronomy, University of Potsdam 1 , D-14476 Potsdam, Germany; DESY 5 , D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany

M

M. Borghesi

Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University of Belfast 3 , Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom

Funding

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Award: ECF-2011-383

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Award: EP/I031766/1

Cite This Article

M. E. Dieckmann, H. Ahmed, G. Sarri, et al. (2013). Parametric study of non-relativistic electrostatic shocks and the structure of their transition layer. Physics of Plasmas, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4801447

Parametric study of non-relativistic electrostatic shocks and the structure of their transition layer

You May Also Like