Oscillations of subcritical fast magnetosonic shock boundaries caused by shock reformation

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic field orientation influences oscillations in subcritical fast magnetosonic shock fronts, revealing that magnetic tension causes shock reformation oscillations in certain configurations, with implications for Earth's bow shock.

Contribution

It demonstrates that shock boundary oscillations depend on magnetic field orientation and are driven by magnetic tension, providing new insights into shock reformation mechanisms.

Findings

Shock oscillations occur only when magnetic field is in the simulation plane.

Oscillation period matches the shock growth and collapse cycle.

Shock stability is maintained despite boundary oscillations.

Abstract

The evolution of a deformed subcritical fast magnetosonic shock front is compared between two two-dimensional PIC simulations with different orientations of the magnetic field relative to the simulation box. All other initial and simulation conditions are kept identical. Shock boundary oscillations are observed in the simulation where the magnetic field direction is resolved. This oscillation is caused by the reformation of the shock front. One part of the front acts as a shock, while the other functions as a magnetic piston, with both halves changing their states in antiphase. The oscillation period corresponds to the time required for one shock wave to grow as the other collapses. In contrast, the corrugated fast magnetosonic shock does not oscillate in the second simulation, where the magnetic field is oriented out of the simulation plane. This dependence on magnetic field orientation suggests that the shock oscillation is induced by magnetic tension, which is only effective in the first simulation. In both simulations, the shock perturbation does not grow over time, indicating that the shocks are stable. The potential relevance of these findings for the Alfv\'enic oscillations of the supercritical Earth's bow shock, detected by the MMS multi-spacecraft mission, is also discussed.