MMS Observation of Two‐Step Electron Acceleration at Earth’s Bow Shock

Published in Geophysical Research Letters, 2023

Recommended citation: M. Lindberg, A. Vaivads, S. Raptis, T. Karlsson. (2023). MMS Observation of Two‐Step Electron Acceleration at Earth's Bow Shock. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023gl104714

Abstract

AbstractWe use the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission to observe a bi‐directional electron acceleration event in the electron foreshock upstream of Earth’s quasi‐perpendicular collisionless bow shock. The acceleration region is associated with a decrease in wave activity, inconsistent with common electron acceleration mechanisms such as Diffusive Shock Acceleration and Stochastic Shock Drift Acceleration. We propose a two‐step acceleration process where an electron field‐aligned beam acts as a seed population further accelerated by a shrinking magnetic bottle process, with the shock acting as the magnetic mirror(s).

BibTeX

@article{lindberg2023,
  title = {MMS Observation of Two‐Step Electron Acceleration at Earth's Bow Shock},
  author = {M. Lindberg, A. Vaivads, S. Raptis, T. Karlsson},
  journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
  year = {2023},
  doi = {10.1029/2023GL104714}
}