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6 - Collisionless shocks

C. T. Russell ,
J. G. Luhmann  and
R. J. Strangeway
C. T. Russell
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
J. G. Luhmann
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
R. J. Strangeway
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
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Summary

Shocks occur in a gas or liquid when the speed of their interaction with an obstacle exceeds the velocity of the compressional (sound) wave that would ease the deflection of the flow around that obstacle. This process is both non-linear and dissipative. Thus, the phrase “collisionless shock” is at first sight an oxymoron, given that collisions appear to be a necessary part of the shock process. In an ordinary gas, collisions are an effective way to dissipate energy and bend the flow around the obstacle.

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Space Physics
An Introduction
 , pp. 199 - 221
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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