Current Projects

Collisionless shocks in space plasma are regions of heating and acceleration of charged particles and dissipation of kinetic energy. The accelerated particles are in turn the source of electromagnetic emissions from supernova remnants and other astrophysical structures. At high Mach numbers, shocks can be inherently nonstationary and exhibit modulated energy transfer and recurring plasma compression areas in the form of reformation.

The region upstream of a shock can host a plethora of instabilities that result in various plasma waves that heat the particles. Many fundamental physical mechanisms behind instabilities at shocks are not well understood yet.

Electron an ion kinetic scale processes (microphysical processes) that give rise to nonlinear evolution of electromagnetic waves and field generation are some of current active areas of investigation. In this research we investigate plasma processes that lead to generation and reformation of shocks, and heating and energization of electrons and ions.

Figures adopted from Madanian et al. (2021) show a schematic of the shock profile and representations of solar wind ion trajectories at the shock front (top), and in-situ measured magnetic field profiles.

  • Relevant Publications:

  • Hadi Madanian, Imogen Gingell, Li-Jen Chen, Eli Monyek, (2024) Drivers of Magnetic Field Amplification at Oblique Shocks: In-Situ Observations, ApJL, 965, L12, https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad3073.

  • Madanian, H., Omidi, N., Sibeck, D. G., Andersson, L., Ramstad, R., Xu, S., Gruesbeck, J. R., Schwartz, S. J., Frahm, R. A., Brain, D. A., Kajdic, P., Eparvier, F. G., Mitchell, D. L., Curry, S. M., (2023) Transient Foreshock Structures Upstream of Mars: Implications of the Small Martian Bow Shock. Geophysical Research Letters, 50, e2022GL101734,https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL101734.

  • Madanian, Hadi, Steven J. Schwartz, Stephen A. Fuselier, David Burgess, Drew L. Turner, Li-Jen Chen, Mihir I. Desai, and Michael J. Starkey. 2021. “Direct Evidence for Magnetic Reflection of Heavy Ions from High Mach Number Collisionless Shocks.” The Astrophysical Journal Letters 915(1):L19. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac0aee.

  • Madanian, H., M. I. Desai, S. J. Schwartz, L. B. Wilson, S. A. Fuselier, J. L. Burch, O. Le Contel, D. L. Turner, K. Ogasawara, A. L. Brosius, C. T. Russell, R. E. Ergun, N. Ahmadi, D. J. Gershman, and P. A. Lindqvist. 2021. “The Dynamics of a High Mach Number Quasi-Perpendicular Shock: MMS Observations.” The Astrophysical Journal 908(1):40. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/abcb88.

  • Turner, D. L., L. B. Wilson, K. A. Goodrich, H. Madanian, S. J. Schwartz, T. Z. Liu, A. Johlander, D. Caprioli, I. J. Cohen, D. Gershman, H. Hietala, J. H. Westlake, B. Lavraud, O. Le Contel, and J. L. Burch. 2021. “Direct Multipoint Observations Capturing the Reformation of a Supercritical Fast Magnetosonic Shock.” The Astrophysical Journal Letters 911(2):L31. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/abec78.