Investigating jets downstream of interplanetary shocks

Localised dynamic pressure enhancements – jets – have been observed downstream of both planetary and more recently interplanetary shocks. At planetary environments, jets are known to drive enhanced particle acceleration, large-amplitude magnetic field variations and reconnecting current sheets.

The analysis of interplanetary jets observed by Wind spacecraft near the Earth showed that their properties are similar to those of magnetosheath jets. Furthermore, we found jets also at low beta, low Mach number interplanetary shocks, i.e., conditions that are rare for the Earth’s bow shock.

Following the jet identification approach we introduced for Wind data, here we now apply it to Solar Orbiter measurements made at various heliocentric distances.