Modelling of mirror mode structures as propagating slow magnetosonic solitons

Abstract

Cluster measurements in the magnetosheath with spacecraft separations of 2000 km indicate that magnetic pulsations interpreted as mirror mode structures are not frozen in plasma flow, but do propagate with speeds of up to ~50 km/s. Properties of these pulsations are shown to be consistent with propagating slow magnetosonic solitons. By using nonlinear two fluid theory we demonstrate that the well known classical mirror instability condition corresponds to a small subset in a continuum of exponentially varying solutions. With the measured plasma moments we have determined parameters of the polybaric pressure model in the region of occurrence of mirror type structures and applied it to numerical modelling of these structures. In individual cases we obtain excellent agreement between observed mirror mode structures and numerical solutions for magnetosonic solitons.