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We report on several interplanetary shocks that are unusual because waves at about 10 Hz are highly electrostatic in the upstream region yet highly electromagnetic in the downstream region. These shocks, detected by the Unified Radio and Plasma Wave Experiment (URAP) on Ulysses are supercritical reverse shocks, which occurred predominantly at high heliographic latitudes. The level of wave activity is observed to be independent of the angle between the magnetic field and the shock normal, the Mach number, and the change in the ratio of ion thermal pressure to magnetic pressure from upstream to downstream regions. Since the energy in the upstream electrostatic waves is small compared to the downstream electromagnetic waves, mode conversion from electrostatic to electromagnetic at the shock is not a viable mechanism. The upstream and downstream waves are likely to be generated by separate mechanisms, with lower hybrid waves being the most probable candidates for the upstream waves and electromagnetic lower hybrid or whistlers for the downstream waves. |
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