Ion–Electron Instabilities in the Precursors of Weakly Magnetized, Transrelativistic Shocks

Abstract

Abstract Collisionless shocks are known to induce turbulence via upstream ion reflection within the precursor region. This study elucidates the properties of electrostatic and electromagnetic instabilities, exploring their role over the transrelativistic range. Notably, the growth of oblique Buneman waves and previously overlooked, secondary, small-scale ion–electron instabilities is observed to be particularly promoted in the relativistic regime. Furthermore, the growth of large-scale electromagnetic modes encounters severe limitations in any cold, baryon-loaded precursor. It is argued that electron preheating in electrostatic modes may alleviate these constraints, facilitating the subsequent growth of large-scale filamentation modes in the precursors of transrelativistic shocks.