Adaptation of the de Hoffmann-Teller frame for quasi-perpendicular collisionless shocks

Abstract

The concept of the de Hoffmann-Teller frame is revisited for a high Mach-number quasi-perpendicular collisionless shock wave. Particle-in-cell simulation shows that the local magnetic field oscillations in the shock layer introduce a residual motional electric field in the de Hoffmann-Teller frame, which is misleading in that one may interpret that electrons were not accelerated but decelerated in the shock layer. We propose the concept of the adaptive de Hoffmann-Teller (AHT) frame in which the residual convective field is canceled by modulating the sliding velocity of the de Hoffmann-Teller frame. The electrostatic potential evaluated by Liouville mapping supports the potential profile obtained by electric field in this adaptive frame, offering a wide variety of applications in shock wave studies.