A numerical study of solar wind—magnetosphere interaction for northward interplanetary magnetic field

Abstract

The solar wind‐magnetosphere interaction for northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is studied using a newly developed three‐dimensional adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) global MHD simulation model. The simulations show that for north‐ward IMF the magnetosphere is essentially closed. Reconnection between the IMF and magnetospheric field is limited to finite regions near the cusps. When the reconnection process forms newly closed magnetic field lines on the day side, the solar wind plasma trapped on these reconnected magnetic field lines becomes part of the low‐latitude boundary layer (LLBL) plasma and it convects to the nightside along the magnetopause. The last closed magnetic field line marks the topological boundary of the magnetospheric domain. When the last closed magnetic field line disconnects at the cusps and reconnects to the IMF, its plasma content becomes part of the solar wind. Plasma convection in the outer magnetosphere does not directly contribute to the reconnection process. On the dayside the topological boundary between the solar wind and the magnetosphere is located at the inner edge of the magnetopause current layer. At the same time, multiple current layers are observed in the high‐altitude cusp region. Our convergence study and diagnostic analysis indicate that the details of the diffusion and the viscous interaction do not play a significant role in controlling the large‐scale configuration of the simulated magnetosphere. It is sufficient that these dissipation mechanisms exist in the simulations. In our series of simulations the length of the magnetotail is primarily determined by the balance between the boundary layer driving forces and the drag forces. With a parametric study, we find that the tail length is proportional to the magnetosheath plasma beta near the magnetopause at local noon. A higher solar wind density, weaker IMF, and larger solar wind Mach number results in a longer tail. On the nightside downstream of the last closed magnetic field line the plasma characteristics are similar to that in the magnetotail, posing an observational challenge for identification of the topological status of the corresponding field lines.