Formation and Structure of Electrostatic Collisionless Shocks

Abstract

A one-dimensional, two-species numerical-simulation code has been used to study the formation and structure of collisionless electrostatic shocks formed by two colliding plasmas and by a plasma striking a perfectly reflecting piston. Collisionless shocks are formed in hydrogen up to a maximum piston velocity of $M\ensuremath{\equiv}\frac{{v}_{D}}{{c}_{S}}\ensuremath{\sim}3.5$. Shocks with velocities up to $M\ensuremath{\sim}4$ have been produced which have a predominantly laminar structure accompanied by strong collisionless dissipation.