Plasma Waves in the vicinity of Shock-like Interplanetary Waves

Robert MacDowall

Abstract

Plasma wave activity, a signature of unstable particle distribution functions, is typically found in the vicinity of interplanetary (IP) shocks. Here, we report on similar plasma wave activity detected near IP waves that are not transitions as abrupt as shocks, but which resemble shocks in other ways. We present mechanisms for generating the plasma waves even though the in situ structure (observed by Wind or Ulysses) is not a shock.

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