Effect of charge separation on the structure of the front of a shock wave in a plasma

The effect of dispersion due to charge separation on the structure of the front of a shock wave in a plasma is studied. It is shown that for small values of the shock front has an oscillatory structure with a characteristic length of order.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 134–139, May–June, 1977.The authors thank L. P. Pitaevskii for useful discussions.