SH11F-06
Multi-spacecraft Measurements of Heavy Ions at Interplanetary Shocks in front of Coronal Mass Ejections
Monday, 14 December 2015: 09:24
2011 (Moscone West)
Kelly E Korreck1, Michael Louis Stevens1, Alexander James2, Anthony W Case1 and Susan T Lepri3, (1)Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, United States, (2)University College London, London, United Kingdom, (3)Univ Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Abstract:
Shocks ahead of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) can accelerate solar wind plasma to high energies. Ions heavier than protons can be used as tracers for the associated heating and acceleration mechanisms in the solar wind plasma. Helium, as measured by the ACE and Wind satellites, is studied in a series of shocks associated with CMEs. The heating seen in helium after the shock passage is compared to the proton heating in the each shock. The orientation of the shock normal to the magnetic field is also examined, as the structure of the shock can be oriented differently from one spacecraft to the next possibly explaining the variations in heating. A discussion of the scale factor of the structure of the shock and its influence on heating is discussed.
