Relativistic generalization of formation and ion-reflection conditions in electrostatic shocks.

The theoretical model by Sorasio et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 045005 (2006)] for the steady state Mach number of electrostatic shocks formed in the interaction of two plasma slabs of arbitrary density and temperature is generalized for relativistic electron and nonrelativistic ion temperatures. We find that the relativistic correction leads to lower Mach numbers and as a consequence ions are reflected with lower energies. The steady state bulk velocity of the downstream population is introduced as an additional parameter to describe the transition between the minimum and maximum Mach numbers that is dependent on the initial density and temperature ratios. In order to transform the solitonlike solution in the upstream region into a shock, a population of reflected ions is considered and differences from a zero-ion temperature model are discussed.