Formation of Standing Whistler Wave in Earth's Magnetosheath

Abstract

The dispersion of shock is universal in various media, and in plasmas, standing whistler waves represent the dispersion of collisionless shocks. These standing whistler waves are usually observed upstream of low Mach number planetary bow shocks and interplanetary shocks. However, our understanding of the plasma behavior and electric field properties within these waves remains limited. Using conjoint THEMIS and Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations, we report the first observation of standing whistler wave upstream of a fast shock in Earth's magnetosheath resulting from the interaction between a solar wind tangential discontinuity and the bow shock. High-resolution MMS measurements provide unprecedented insights into these waves, characterizing their circular polarization, near-parallel propagation to the shock normal, and fixed phase relative to the shock ramp. The observed field and particle characteristics are discussed in detail.