Analysis of shock propagation in the magnetosheath

Four interplanetary shock waves and disturbances are analyzed. Data recorded by multiple spacecraft are compared in order to determine how the speed of these events is modified when they cross Earth's bow shock into the magnetosheath. To accomplish this, it was necessary to find shocks that were seen by spacecraft both in the solar wind and inside the magnetosheath. Using a velocity coplanarity and a Rankine-Hugoniot methods of shock normal analysis, the speeds of these events in the solar wind were calculated. The time of their arrival at a spacecraft in the magnetosheath was determined. The predicted arrival time, assuming a constant shock speed from the spacecraft in the solar wind to the spacecraft in the magnetosheath is then compared to the actual arrival time. The resulting data support the conclusion that there is no change in the speed of the shock as it propagates through the magnetosheath.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2003

Author dc:creator

• Wallace, Aletta M. J. (Aletta Margaret Jensen)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Alan J. Lazarus.

• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114318

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/114318