Suprathermal electrons at earth's bow shock

Abstract

Results are presented on electron measurements near the earth's bow shock, carried out with the fast-plasma experiments on ISEE 1 and 2, with emphasis placed on the suprathermal population of electrons present near the earth's bow shock. The pattern found for the suprathermal electrons at the bow shock suggests that a portion of the solar wind electron population is commonly accelerated to relatively high energy as the solar wind convects across quasi-perpendicular portions of the bow shock. The results are interpreted in terms of the global magnetic field geometry of the bow shock environment.