Energetic particle pressure in intense ESP events. (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lario, D; Decker, R B; Roelof, E C; Viñas, A-F
• Is Part Of: Journal of physics. Number 642(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Physics -- Congresses; 530.5
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/642/1/012014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-6588

Abstract

Abstract: We study three intense energetic storm particle (ESP) events in which the energetic particle pressure PEP exceeded both the pressure of the background thermal plasma Pth and the pressure of the magnetic field PB . The region upstream of the interplanetary shocks associated with these events was characterized by a depression of the magnetic field strength coincident with the increase of the energetic particle intensities and, when plasma measurements were available, a depleted solar wind density. The general feature of cosmic-ray mediated shocks such as the deceleration of the upstream background medium into which the shock propagates is generally observed. However, for those shocks where plasma parameters are available, pressure balance is not maintained either upstream of or across the shock, which may result from the fact that PEP is not included in the calculation of the shock parameters.