Strong shocks, snowplows, and magnetic pistons

A comparison is made between experimentally-observed high-speed transverse shock wave data and theoretical snowplow predictions. When high voltages are employed, the snowplow model is found to be inadequate during the early time of propagation. Particle dynamics corresponding to high voltage initial conditions are examined and when an initial E × B drift is incorporated in the snowplow model, good agreement with experimental observations is achieved. Some additional observations of the experiments are briefly described.