Whistler waves are an intrinsic feature of the oblique quasiperpendicular collisionless shock waves. For supercritical shock waves, the ramp region, where an abrupt increase of the magnetic field occurs, can be treated as a nonlinear whistler wave of large amplitude. In addition, oblique shock waves can possess a linear whistler precursor. There exist two critical Mach numbers related to the whistler components of the shock wave, the first is known as a whistler critical Mach number and the second can be referred to as a nonlinear whistler critical Mach number. When the whistler critical Much number is exceeded, a stationary linear wave train cannot stand ahead of the ramp. Above the nonlinear whistler critical Mach number, the stationary nonlinear wave train cannot exist anymore within the shock front. This happens when the nonlinear wave steepening cannot be balanced by the effects of the dispersion and dissipation. In this case nonlinear wave train becomes unstable with respect to overturning. In the present paper it is shown that the nonlinear whistler critical Mach number corresponds to the transition between stationary and nonstationary dynamical behavior of the shock wave. The results of the computer simulations making use of the 1D full particle electromagnetic code demonstrate that the transition to the nonstationarity of the shock front structure is always accompanied by the disappearance of the whistler wave train within the shock front. Using the two-fluid MHD equations, the structure of nonlinear whistler waves in plasmas with finite beta is investigated and the nonlinear whistler critical Mach number is determined. It is suggested a new more general proof of the criteria for small amplitude linear precursor or wake wave trains to exist.

We derive kinematic properties for two recent solar coronal transient waves observed off the western solar limb with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. The two waves occurred over ∼ 10-min intervals on consecutive days-June 12 and 13, 2010. For the first time, off-limb waves are imaged with a high 12-s cadence, making possible detailed analysis of these transients in the low corona between ∼ 1.1-2.0 solar radii (R s ). We use observations in the 193 and 211Å AIA channels to constrain the kinematics of both waves. We obtain initial velocities for the two fronts of ∼ 1287 and ∼ 736 km s −1 , and accelerations of −1170 and −800 m s -2respectively. Additionally, differential emission measure analysis shows the June 13 wave is consistent with a weak shock. EUV wave positions are correlated with positions from simultaneous type II radio burst observations. We find good temporal and height association between the two, suggesting that the waves may be the EUV signatures of coronal shocks. Furthermore, the events are associated with significant increases in proton fluxes at 1 AU, possibly related to how waves propagate through the coronal magnetic field. Characterizing these coronal transients will be key to connecting their properties with energetic particle production close to the Sun.

No abstract

No abstract