We investigate the dynamics of helium in the foreshock, a part of near-Earth space found upstream of the Earth's bow shock. We show how the second most common ion in interplanetary space reacts strongly to plasma waves found in the foreshock. Spacecraft observations and supercomputer simulations both give us a new understanding of the foreshock edge and how to interpret future observations.

The structure and medium-scale dynamics of Earth's bow shock and how charged solar wind particles are reflected by it are studied in order to better understand space weather effects. We use advanced supercomputer simulations to model the shock and reflected ions. We find that the thickness of the shock depends on solar wind conditions but also has small-scale variations. Charged particle reflection is shown to be non-localized. Magnetic fields are important for ion reflection.

Earth's bow shock in solar wind with high thermal and low magnetic pressure is a rare phenomenon. However, such an object is ubiquitous in astrophysical plasmas. We surveyed statistics of such shock observations since 1995. About 100 crossings were initially identified. In this report 22 crossings from the Cluster project were studied using multipoint analysis, which allowed for the determination of the spatial scales of the shock transition and of the dominant magnetic variations

The reflection of solar wind electrons at the bow shock helps define the physical properties of the foreshock, the region where the interplanetary magnetic field directly connects to the bow shock. We report that the strahl, the field-aligned component of the electron solar wind distribution, appears to be nearly fully reflected at the bow shock and that the reflection occurs in the foot of the shock, implying that mirroring is not the primary cause of the electron reflection.

We use the Vlasiator code to study the characteristics of transient structures that exist in the Earth's foreshock, i.e. upstream of the bow shock. The structures are cavitons and spontaneous hot flow anomalies (SHFAs). These transients can interact with the bow shock. We study the changes the shock suffers via this interaction. We also investigate ion distributions associated with the cavitons and SHFAs. A very important result is that the arrival of multiple SHFAs results in shock erosion.