On possible structures of transverse ionizing shock waves

The possible structures of ionizing shock waves propagating in gases across the magnetic field are investigated taking account of both ionization kinetics and the non-isothermality of the plasma which is formed within the shock front. It is shown that a definite factor in shaping the structure of the transverse ionizing shock wave is photo-ionization of the neutral gas across the front. The paper includes a study of the evolution of the transverse ionizing shock front with regard to photo-ionization, disclosing that a stable stationary shock structure emerges only in boundary conditions which are close to magnetohydrodynamic ones. In the case of strong transverse ionizing shock waves, when the flux of ionizing radiation across the front is great, the shock structure is obviously magnetohydrodynamic.