Spatial dependence of the local diffusion coefficient measured upstream of the November 12, 1978 interplanetary traveling shock

Characteristics of suprathermal particles accelerated by quasi-parallel interplanetary traveling shocks have been generally explained in terms of a first order Fermi mechanism. Such models require diffusive scattering of particles upstream of the shock. This scattering is characterized by a local diffusion coefficient, kappa, which is determined by the local power density of waves in the upstream region. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient of suprathermal upstream protons on distance from the November 12, 1978 interplanetary traveling shock using a different approach is studied. Unlike previous studies this method, which is based on measurements of particle streaming and intensity gradients, does not rely on predictions. The local spatial variations of kappa upstream of the November 12, 1978 shock have been chosen for study because the characteristics of this quasi-parallel shock have been extensively studied, and also because of its favorable geometry (i.e., B field nearly radial)