An Interpretation of the Ion Pile-Up Region Outside the Ionospheric Contact Surface
Schwenn, R.; Balsiger, H.; Ip, W. H.; Neugebauer, M.; Rosenbauer, H.; Shelley, E. G.
Germany, Switzerland, United States
Abstract
An analysis interrelating some of the results of plasma measurements by the Giotto spacecraft in the inner coma of comet P/Halley suggests that the formation of the plasma pile-up region at a distance of 10,000 km - 30,000 km may be the result of accumulation of ion density in a stagnant flow region with a sharp electron temperature transition forming a recombination front at about 10,000 km.