Statistical survey of the terrestrial bow shock observed by the Cluster spacecraft
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Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2019-02-13
Type of Work
Department
Program
Citation of Original Publication
Kruparova, O., Krupar, V., Šafránková, J., N ˇ eme ˇ cek, Z., Maksimovic, M., Santolik, O., et al. (2019). Statistical survey of the terrestrial bow shock observed by the Cluster spacecraft. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 124. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA026272
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©2019 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
©2019 American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
Subjects
terrestrial bow shock
properties of collisionless shocks
in situ measurements under a wide range of upstream conditions
application of a a simple timing method to multipoint measurements to investigate their characteristic spatiotemporal features
speed of the bow shock motion
solar wind speed
three‐dimensional bow shock model
properties of collisionless shocks
in situ measurements under a wide range of upstream conditions
application of a a simple timing method to multipoint measurements to investigate their characteristic spatiotemporal features
speed of the bow shock motion
solar wind speed
three‐dimensional bow shock model
Abstract
The terrestrial bow shock provides us with a unique opportunity to extensively investigate properties of collisionless shocks using in situ measurements under a wide range of upstream conditions. Here we report a statistical study of 529 terrestrial bow shock crossings observed between years 2001 and 2013 by the four Cluster spacecraft. By applying a simple timing method to multipoint measurements, we are able to investigate their characteristic spatiotemporal features. We have found a significant correlation between the speed of the bow shock motion and the solar wind speed. We have also compared obtained speeds with time derivatives of locations predicted by a three‐dimensional bow shock model. Finally, we provide a list of bow shock crossings for possible further investigation by the scientific community.
Plain Language Summary
The Sun is continuously emitting a stream of charged particles—called the solar wind—from its upper atmosphere. The terrestrial magnetosphere forms the obstacle to its flow. Due to supersonic speed of the solar wind, the bow shock is created ahead of the magnetosphere. This abrupt transition region between supersonic and subsonic flows has been frequently observed by the four Cluster spacecraft. Using a timing analysis, we have retrieved speed and directions of the bow shock motion for a large number of crossings. We have correlated the bow shock speed with the solar wind speed and predictions of the bow shock locations by the empirical model. A better understanding of the bow shock kinematics may bring new insights to wave‐particle interactions with applications in laboratory plasmas.