Collisionless plasma shocks in striated electron temperatures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the existence of low frequency waveguide modes and radiative modes of ion acoustic waves in magnetized plasmas with electron temperature striations, and explores shock formation mechanisms.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of waveguide and radiative modes in striated electron temperature plasmas and demonstrates shock formation through numerical simulations.

Findings

Low frequency waveguide modes exist in magnetized plasmas with temperature striations.

Radiative modes develop between ion cyclotron and plasma frequencies.

Electrostatic shocks form via harmonic leakage during wave steepening.

Abstract

The existence of low frequency waveguide modes of ion acoustic waves is demonstrated in magnetized plasmas for electron temperature striated along the magnetic field lines. At higher frequencies, in a band between the ion cyclotron and the ion plasma frequency, radiative modes develop and propagate obliquely to the field away from the striation. Arguments for the subsequent formation and propagation of electrostatic shock are presented and demonstrated numerically. For such plasma conditions, the dissipation mechanism is the "leakage" of the harmonics generated by the wave steepening.