CAREER: Transmission and Reflection of Low-frequency Turbulence through Shock Waves

NSF Award Search · 01002728DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $681,356 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

The interaction between turbulence and shocks is ubiquitous in heliophysics. Shocks are created in space plasmas when a supersonic flow interacts with an obstacle such as a coronal mass ejection (CME) or a planet. For example, interplanetary shocks are often driven by interplanetary CMEs propagating through the solar wind. The downstream region between the shock and the ejecta is commonly known as the sheath. Additionally, pairs of forward-reverse shocks can form at stream interaction regions (SIRs) due to the compressive interaction of fast and slow solar wind streams. These interplanetary shocks will interact with turbulent solar wind fluctuations. Another example is the Earth’s bow shock, which is created by the solar wind slowing down upon reaching the Earth’s magnetosphere. Strong turbulence is generated downstream of the bow shock, known as the magnetosheath. For the Earth’s bow shock, the upstream region is also affected by backstreaming particles, leading to a foreshock region where the fluctuation level is enhanced compared to the quiet solar wind. In both cases of interplanetary shocks and planetary bow shocks, the shocks interact with turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind. The complete problem of the interaction between low-frequency MHD wave modes and different shock geometries has not been systematically investigated. This project is to investigate this interaction; specifically, how upstream incident waves are transmitted and reflected upon interaction. T

Key facts

NSF award ID
2442628
Awardee
University of Alabama in Huntsville (AL)
SAM.gov UEI
HB6KNGVNJRU1
PI
Lingling Zhao
Primary program
01002728DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
Estimated total
$681,356
Funds obligated
$377,230
Transaction type
Continuing Grant
Period
07/01/2025 → 06/30/2030