Abstract
Abstract. Magnetic reconnection can be a continuous or a transient process. Global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations are important tools to understand the relevant magnetic reconnection mechanisms and the resulting magnetic structures. We have studied magnetopause reconnection using a global 3-D MHD simulation in which the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been set to large positive By and large negative Bz components, i.e., a south-duskward direction. Flux tubes have been observed even during these constant solar wind conditions. We have focused on the interlinked flux tubes event resulting from time-dependent, patchy and multiple reconnection. At the event onset, two reconnection modes seem to occur simultaneously: a time-dependent, patchy and multiple reconnection for the subsolar region; and, a steady and large-scale reconnection for the regions far from the subsolar site.
Highlights
Magnetic reconnection has been considered a dominant mechanism for solar wind mass, momentum and energy transfer to the magnetosphere
In this paper we investigate the formation of flux transfer events (FTEs) and magnetic reconnection at the subsolar magnetopause using a global 3-D MHD simulation under a large amplitude southduskward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF)
This paper presents results from a global 3-D MHD simulation under a large south-duskward IMF
Summary
Magnetic reconnection has been considered a dominant mechanism for solar wind mass, momentum and energy transfer to the magnetosphere. Flux tubes generated by the single and multiple X line models may have cross-sections of about 1 RE2, but long azimuthal extent along the magnetopause (Southwood et al, 1988; Scholer, 1988; Lee and Fu, 1985). Lee et al (1993) claim that the evolution of the interlinked flux tubes would be a consequence of further reconnection, leading to one tube connected only to the geomagnetic field and the other tube only to the IMF This characteristic may not be observed in a MHD simulation using localized sites of enhanced resistivity (Lee et al, 1993).
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