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Exploring the evolution of turbulence across a range of terrestrial bow shock configurations using hybrid simulations
  • James Plank,
  • Imogen Gingell
James Plank

Corresponding Author:jp5g16@soton.ac.uk

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Imogen Gingell
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Abstract

Observational investigations of Earth's bow shock have highlighted distinct variations in turbulence characteristics when comparing fluctuations in the shock transition with those in the upstream and downstream plasma regions. To gain a more focused understanding in each of these areas, we have examined a range of local 2D and 3D hybrid simulations, using kinetic ions and fluid electrons. Each simulation has been chosen to cover a range of shock geometries, from quasi-parallel to quasi-perpendicular and high to low Mach number. In-situ observations, such as those from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, are often unable to fully disentangle spatial and temporal effects. This is particularly evident in the shock transition and the magnetosheath, where, for example, whistler waves may have speeds comparable to the bulk flow and thus locally violate Taylor’s hypothesis for kinetic-scale fluctuations. Simulations overcome these limitations, enabling us to model the evolution of turbulence in the shock transition and further downstream. We characterize the turbulent fluctuations using the following three methods: Firstly, we examine the magnetic spectral indices spanning the inertial range and extending into the ion range as they change across the shock. Secondly, we investigate intermittency by means of the scale-dependent kurtosis. Lastly, we quantify the correlation lengths as measured across the shock, offering insights into the physical dimensions of fluctuations at scales smaller than the shock width. We will discuss the application of these measures to simulations in understanding the kinetic-scale behaviour of turbulence at Earth's bow shock.
17 Dec 2023Submitted to AGU 2023 Annual Meeting
27 Dec 2023Published in AGU 2023 Annual Meeting