The scales in quasiperpendicular shocks

Quasiperpendicular shock front is well-structured. Ions are thought to be responsible for this structure formation. Electrons move in the ion prescribed fields with only small feedback on the shock structure. The foot scale and overall front scale are determined by the typical ion length: drifting ion gyroradius. Ramp width, on the contrary, is believed to be determined by the wavelength of the whistler, phase standing just upstream of the ramp, and is therefore intermediate between typical ion and electron scales. We review existing observational data and theoretical models for shock thickness. Especial attention is devoted to the shock ramp. We discuss the experimentally found correlations of the ramp width with shock parameters.