The Near-Saturn Magnetic Field Environment

This thesis focuses on the very high Mach number shock wave that is located sunward of Saturn's strong magnetic field in the continuous high-speed flow of charged particles from the Sun (the solar wind). The author exploits the fact that the Cassini spacecraft is the only orbiter in a unique parameter regime, far different from the more familiar near-Earth space, to provide in-situ insights into the unreachable exotic regime of supernova remnants. This thesis bridges the gap between shock physics in the Solar System and the physics of ultra-high Mach number shocks around the remnants of supernova explosions, since to date research into the latter has been restricted to theory, remote observations, and simulations.

Nominated as an outstanding PhD thesis by Imperial College London, United Kingdom Offers a concise introduction to collisionless shocks in space plasmas Demonstrates the use of spacecraft data in studying the fundamental physics of plasmas Provides an overview of the Cassini mission Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext
Dr. Sulaiman graduated from Imperial College London with a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering with first class honors. He holds a Ph.D. in Space Physics at Imperial College London under Professor Michele Dougherty FRS. He is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Iowa.

Inhalt
Introduction to Space Plasmas.- The Sun-Saturn Connection.- Spacecraft and Instrumentation.- Magnetic Field Characterisation of Saturn's Bow Shock.- Quasi-perpendicular High Mach Number Collisionless Shocks.- The Magnetic Structure of Saturn's Magnetosheath.- Summary and Perspective.- Bibliography.