Magnetohydrodynamic shocks of geophysical interest

With a view to understanding the physical processes occurring in collisionless magnetohydrodynamic shocks, collisionless shocks are examined from an individual particle point of view, and the results obtained from more standard treatments are re-obtained and illuminated. The transfer of energy from protons to electrons that is obtained by including charge separation effects in the individual particle treatment, is a new result of vital significance to magnetospheric and other geophysical phenomena.