Case Study of Solar Wind Suprathermal Electron Acceleration at the Earth’s Bow Shock

Abstract

Abstract We present a case study of the in situ acceleration of solar wind suprathermal electrons at the two quasi-perpendicular-bow-shock crossings on 2015 November 4, combining the Wind 3D Plasma and Energetic Particle measurements of ambient solar wind suprathermal electrons and Magnetospheric Multiscale mission measurements of shocked suprathermal electrons. In both cases, the omnidirectional differential fluxes of shocked suprathermal electrons in the downstream exhibit a double-power-law energy spectrum with a spectral index of ∼3 at energies below a downward break ε brk near 40 keV and index of ∼6 at energies above, different from the unshocked suprathermal electrons observed in the ambient solar wind. At energies below (above) ε brk, the observed electron flux ratio between the downstream and ambient solar wind, J D /J A , peaks near 90° PA (becomes roughly isotropic). Electrons at ε brk have an average electron gyrodiameter (across bow shock) comparable to the shock thickness. These suggest that the bow-shock acceleration of suprathermal electrons is likely dominated by the shock drift acceleration mechanism. For electrons at energies below (above) ε brk, their estimated drift time appears to be roughly energy independent (decrease with energy), leading to the formation of a double-power-law spectrum substantially steepening at a break that’s determined by the shock thickness.