Current Sheet Research Articles

The Schatten current sheet

Space weather models endeavoring to connect remote observations to in-situ measurements at various locations in the heliosphere invariably require a coronal model to connect the photosphere magnetically to the inner heliosphere. The most famous and popular implementation of this connection is a potential field source surface (PFSS) model out to the source surface, typically located at 2.5 solar radii, combined with a Schatten current sheet (SCS) model. While the PFSS model is mostly understood, the SCS has been utilized in heliospheric physics for nearly 50 years with little understanding of it’s physical and mathematical underpinnings. In this overview article, I lay out the mathematical formalism of the SCS, describe how it differs from the PFSS, and summarize several techniques used to combine the PFSS and SCS to create a global coronal model from the photosphere to the inner heliosphere.

Dynamics and structure of network magnetic fields: Supergranular vortex expansion-contraction

Abstract We report on the formation of a large magnetic coherent structure in a vortex expansion-contraction interval, resulting from the merger of two plasmoids driven by a supergranular vortex observed by Hinode in the quiet-Sun. Strong vortical flows at the interior of vortex boundary are detected by the localized regions of high values of the Instantaneous Vorticity Deviation, and intense current sheets in the merging plasmoids are detected by the localized regions of high values of the Local Current Deviation. The spatiotemporal evolution of the line-of-sight magnetic field, the horizontal electric current density, and the horizontal electromagnetic energy flux is investigated by elucidating the relation between velocity and magnetic fields in the photospheric plasma turbulence. A local and continuous amplification of magnetic field from 286 G to 591 G is detected at the centre of one merging plasmoid during the vortex expansion-contraction interval of 60 min. During the period of vortex contraction of 22.5 min, the line-of-sight magnetic field at the centre of plasmoid-1 (2) exhibits a steady decrease (increase), respectively, indicating a steady transfer of magnetic flux from plasmoid-1 to plasmoid-2. At the end of the vortex expansion-contraction interval, the two merging plasmoids reach an equipartition of electromagnetic energy flux leading to the formation of an elongated magnetic coherent structure encircled by a shell of intense current sheets. Evidence of the disruption of a thin current sheet at the turbulent interface boundary layers of two merging plasmoids is presented.

Current Sheet Broadening due to Turbulence in Three-dimensional Collisionless Reconnection

The present study has investigated the statistical distribution of the current sheet width across the reconnection diffusion region by means of the 3D particle-in-cell simulations. The 3D reconnection layers are unstable to the flow shear instabilities, which results in electromagnetic (EM) turbulence generating effective magnetic dissipation around the x-line. The simulations are performed for several ion-to-electron mass ratios and computational domain sizes, which determine the fastest-growing mode in each simulation run. When the turbulence is weak, the current sheet width increases with the turbulence intensity, following a theoretical curve independent of the mass ratio and domain size. However, when the turbulence is stronger, the width saturates at a low level around 2 times the local electron inertia length, i.e., much smaller than the ion kinetic scales. It is found that the intense inductive electric field due to the EM turbulence is partly canceled out by the eddy viscous effect. As a result, the reconnection electric field is almost unchanged during the quasi-steady phase, regardless of the turbulence intensity. The result implies that the magnetohydrodynamic turbulence models are unlikely to be applicable to the reconnection diffusion region.

Effects of discharge parameters on plasma acceleration and transmission characteristics of a coaxial gun operated in gas-prefilled mode

The effects of discharge parameters on the discharge process and plasma transport characteristics of a coaxial gun in the gas-prefilled mode are studied. The plasma optical intensity and ejection velocity are measured by photodiodes, the optical emission spectrum is taken by a spectroscopic system, and the plasma evolution in the transport process is captured by a high-speed camera. The plasma acceleration characteristics under different discharge parameters show that the velocity and electron density of the ejection plasma are mainly determined by the pre-filled pressure and discharge current, which is consistent with the snowplow model. The kinetic energy of ejection plasma can be significantly increased by reducing the outer loop inductance, which is conducive to increasing the energy utilization efficiency. The time-varying images of plasma radiation and the plasma density at different transport locations illuminate the transmission characteristics of coaxial gun discharge plasma. The results show that the snowplow effect continues to play a role in the plasma transport process, and the plasma accumulation is induced by the combination of shock wave compression. The current-driven magneto hydrodynamics instability occurs during the transport process, and the luminous signal of the plasma current sheet oscillates periodically. In addition, the plasma impact effect is obvious and the gas retarding effect is enhanced with the increase in the gas pressure. These results give us a more comprehensive view of the coaxial gun discharge process and plasma transport and provide a certain reference for optimizing the parameters selection and physical design of coaxial gun discharge plasma characteristics.

Semi-Alicyclic Thermoplastic Polyimide Matrixes Based on Hydrogenated Pyromellitic Dianhydride and Asymmetrical 3,4′-Oxydianiline with Good Thermal Stability and Improved Optical Transparency

Thermoplastic polyimide (PI) matrixes, including PI-a (cc-34ODA) and PI-b (ct-34ODA) were prepared via the hot-pressing procedures of the resins derived from the 3,4′-oxydianiline (34ODA) and two alicyclic dianhydrides of 1S,2R,4S,5R-hydrogenated pyromellitic dianhydride (ccHPMDA) and 1R,2S,4S,5R-hydrogenated pyromellitic dianhydride (ctHPMDA), respectively. The resins exhibited thermoplastic features with good formability at higher temperatures. The afforded semi-alicyclic PI sheets exhibited enhanced properties in comparison to commercially available, wholly aromatic thermoplastic PIs, such as PI-ref1, which are derived from 3,3′,4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (44ODA), as well as PI-ref2, which is based on pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′-bis(3-aminophenoxy)biphenyl (mBAPB). In addition, the developed PI sheets exhibited high heat deflection temperatures (HDT) of 267.4 °C for PI-a and 268.6 °C for PI-b. There values were significantly higher when compared with those of PI-ref1 (Ratem® YS20, HDT: 239.0 °C), PI-ref2 (Aurum® PL450C, HDT: 238.0 °C), PI-ref3 (Ultem® 1000, HDT: 206.0 °C), PI-ref4 (Therplim® TO65, HDT: 180.0 °C), and PI-ref5 based on phthalic anhydride-terminated fluorinated PIs (HDT: 215.0 °C). In terms of mechanical properties, the current PI sheets showed superior flexural properties among the polymers with the flexural strength of 189.0 ± 11.7 MPa (PI-a) and 200.5 ± 4.2 MPa (PI-b), respectively. In addition, the PI sheets exhibited comparable compression properties, inferior impact strength, and tensile properties compared with the referenced PI counterparts. Basically, the PI-b sheet showed better comprehensive properties than those of the stereoisomeric PI-a analog.

An alternative interpretation of magnetars’ traits deduced from the observational data on their outburst fluxes and spectra

Abstract By applying the Efron-Petrosian method to the fluxes S and distances D of the magnetars listed in the Magnetar Outburst Online Catalogue, we show that the observational data are consistent with the dependence S∝D−3/2, which characterizes the emission from the superluminally moving current sheet in the magnetosphere of a non-aligned neutron star, at substantially higher levels of significance than they are with the dependence S∝D−2. This result agrees with that previously obtained by an analysis of the data in the McGill Online Magnetar Catalog and confirms that, contrary to the currently prevalent view, magnetars’ X-ray luminosities do not exceed their spin-down luminosities. The X-ray spectra of magnetars, moreover, are congruous with the spectral energy distribution (SED) of a broadband non-thermal emission mechanism identical to that at play in rotation-powered pulsars: we show that the SED of the caustics that are generated in certain privileged directions by the magnetospheric current sheet single-handedly fits the observed spectra of 4U 0142+61, 1E 1841-045 and XTE J1810-197 over their entire breadths. Magnetars’ outbursts and their associated radio bursts are predicted to occur when, as a result of large-scale timing anomalies (such as glitches, quakes or precession), one of the privileged directions along which the radiation from the current sheet decays more slowly than predicted by the inverse-square law either swings past or oscillates across the line of sight.

An acceleration-radiation model for nonthermal flares from Sgr A*

is the electromagnetic counterpart of the accreting supermassive black hole in the Galactic center. Its emission is variable in the near-infrared (NIR) and X-ray wavelengths on short timescales (several minutes to a few hours). The NIR light curve displays red-noise variability, while the X-ray light curve exhibits bright flares that rise by many orders of magnitude upon the stable X-ray quiescent emission. Every X-ray flare is associated with a bright NIR flux change, but the opposite is not always true. The physical origin of NIR and X-ray flares is still under debate. We introduce a model for the production of NIR and X-ray flares flares from an active region in where particle acceleration takes place intermittently. A fraction of electrons from their thermal pool is accelerated to higher energies while they radiate via synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) processes. in contrast to other radiation models for flares, the particle acceleration is not assumed to be instantaneous. We studied the evolution of the particle distribution and the emitted electromagnetic radiation from the flaring region by numerically solving the kinetic equations for electrons and photons. Our calculations took the finite duration of particle acceleration, radiative energy losses, and physical escape from the flaring region into account. To gain better insight into the relation of the model parameters, we complemented our numerical study with analytical calculations. Flares are produced when the acceleration episode has a finite duration. The rising part in the light curve of a flare is related to the particle acceleration timescale, while the decay is controlled by the cooling or escape timescale of particles. The emitted synchrotron spectra are power laws whose photon index is determined by the ratio of the acceleration and escape timescales, followed by an exponential cutoff. This occurs at the characteristic synchrotron photon energy emitted by particles with the maximum Lorentz factor (where energy loss and gain rates become equal). The NIR flux increases before the onset of the X-ray flare, and the time lag is linked to the particle acceleration timescale. Bright X-ray flares, such as the one observed in 2014, have gamma -ray counterparts that might be detected by the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory. Our generic model for NIR and X-ray flares favors an interpretation of diffusive nonresonant particle acceleration in magnetized turbulence. If direct acceleration by the reconnection electric field in macroscopic current sheets causes the energization of particles during flares in then models considering the injection of preaccelerated particles into a blob where particles cool and/or escape would be appropriate to describe the flare.

Strong turbulence and magnetic coherent structures in the interstellar medium

Magnetic turbulence is classified as weak or strong based on the relative amplitude of the magnetic field fluctuations compared to the mean field. These two classes have different energy transport properties. The purpose of this study is to analyze turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM) based on this classification. Specifically, we examined the ISM of simulated galaxies to detect evidence of strong magnetic turbulence and provide statistics on the associated magnetic coherent structures (MCoSs), such as current sheets, that arise in this context. We analyzed magnetohydrodynamic galaxy simulations with different initial magnetic field structures (either completely ordered or completely random) and recorded statistics on the magnetic field fluctuations ($ B/B_0$) and the MCoSs, which are defined here as regions where the current density surpasses a certain threshold. We also studied the MCoS sizes and kinematics. The magnetic field disturbances in both models follow a log-normal distribution, peaking at values close to unity; this distribution turns into a power law at large values ($ B/B_0 > 1$), which is consistent with strong magnetic turbulence The current densities are widely distributed, with non-power-law deviations from a log-normal at the largest values. These deviating values of the current density define MCoSs. We find that, in both models, MCoSs are fractally distributed in space, with a typical volume-filling factor of about 10 percent, and tend to coincide with peaks of star formation density. Their fractal dimension is close to unity on sub-kiloparsec scales, and between 2 and 3 on larger scales. These values are consistent with MCoSs having a sheet-like or filament-like morphology. Our work challenges the prevailing paradigm of weak magnetic turbulence in the ISM by demonstrating that strong magnetic disturbances can occur even when the initial magnetic field is completely ordered. This strong magnetic turbulence arises self-consistently from differential rotation and supernova feedback. Our findings provide a foundation for a magnetic turbulence description of the galactic ISM that includes strong fluctuations of the magnetic field.

Dynamic processes in current sheets and experimental laboratory astrophysics

The results of experimental research of the dynamics of current sheets, which are formed in laboratory experiments at the IOF RAS, are presented as a brief review. It is shown that the most significant features of phenomena like solar flares can be reproduced in laboratory conditions. These features include the relatively slow accumulation of the magnetic energy in the course of the current sheet formation, the rapid release of the energy during the disruption of the current sheet, acceleration of plasma flows, ultrafast plasma heating, and effective particle’s acceleration. A qualitative similarity has been established between the basic characteristics of current sheets in the tail region of the Earth’s magnetosphere and in laboratory conditions. A comparison of a number of fundamental dimensionless parameters indicates the possibility of quantitative laboratory modeling of processes occurring in the magnetosphere. It is concluded that experimental research of the dynamics of current sheets and magnetic reconnection processes represent one of the promising areas of the laboratory astrophysics.

Heating in the solar atmosphere at a fin current sheet driven by magnetic flux cancellation

ABSTRACT Magnetic reconnection before flux cancellation in the solar photosphere when two opposite-polarity photospheric magnetic fragments are approaching one another is usually modelled by assuming that a small so-called ‘floating current sheet’ forms about a null point or separator that is situated in the overlying atmosphere. Here, instead we consider the reconnection that is initiated as soon as the fragments become close enough that their magnetic fields interact. The resulting current sheet, which we term a ‘fin sheet’ extends up from the null point or separator that is initially located in the solar surface. We develop here non-linear analyses for finite-length models of both fin and floating current sheets that extend the previous models that were limited to short floating current sheets. These enable the length of the current sheet and the rate of heating to be calculated in both cases as functions of the separation distance of the sources and the reconnection rate. Usually, the fin current sheet liberates more energy than a floating current sheet.

Properties of Solar Wind Current Sheets in the Martian Space Environment

Transient current sheets (CSs) are common magnetic structures in the solar wind that can significantly disturb the planetary space environment and cause space weather phenomena. This study focuses on their properties in the Martian space environment and investigates their transformations caused by the Martian bow shock. Based on 14 months of data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission during similar solar activity, 786 CSs with directional changes greater than 90° and magnetic field depression were automatically identified, including 256 events in the upstream solar wind and 530 events in the Martian magnetosheath. After crossing the bow shock, the duration and thickness of the CSs decrease, while their current density and occurrence rate significantly increase. In the Martian magnetosheath, CSs located on the dayside exhibit stronger current density, a relatively lower occurrence rate, and a smaller Bx/BT than CSs located on the nightside. From the dayside to the nightside, the predominant magnetic field component of CSs changes to Bx due to the draping process. Moreover, a clear dawn–dusk asymmetry in CS properties emerges from the foreshock to the downstream region of the Martian bow shock. Our results reveal the properties and evolution of solar wind CSs in the Martian space environment.

Comparison of the On-disk Apparent Current Sheets with the Limb Ones

Based on observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), we investigate 30 apparent current sheets during 1999–2021, including 10 on-disk and 8 limb ones from the SDO, as well as 12 limb ones from the SOHO. Each on-disk current sheet is formed among an X-type configuration consisting of two sets of atmospheric structures, and each limb one is involved in a flare–coronal mass ejection event. During magnetic reconnection period, the on-disk apparent current sheet evolves from a bright point to an elongated line-like structure, and the structure becomes thin in the late stage of the reconnection. Subsequently, the plasma distribution within the current sheet manifests as a plasmoid chain. For the limb apparent current sheet, the length elongation is faster than that of the on-disk one, and the thinning process is also detected. Although the aspect ratios of the limb cases are comparable to the value for the occurrence of tearing mode instability from simulation research, no obvious plasmoid chain is detected within these limb current sheets, and the density distribution is locally uniform. We suggest that due to the rapid extension of limb cases, the tearing mode instability is very fast, resulting in the formation of tiny plasmoids that are smaller than the instrument resolution. Moreover, there is another possible scenario. The observed limb apparent current sheet is just a bright ray, and the actual current sheet is only a small segment of the ray.

Picturing Global Substorm Dynamics in the Magnetotail Using Low‐Altitude ELFIN Measurements and Data Mining‐Based Magnetic Field Reconstructions

AbstractA global reconfiguration of the magnetotail characterizes substorms. Current sheet thinning, intensification, and magnetic field stretching are defining features of the substorm growth phase and their spatial distributions control the timing and location of substorm onset. Presently, sparse in‐situ observations cannot resolve these distributions. A promising approach is to use new substorm magnetic field reconstruction methods based on data mining, termed SST19. Here we compare the SST19 reconstructions to low‐altitude electron losses and fields investigation (ELFIN) measurements of energetic particle precipitations to probe the radial profile of the equatorial magnetic field curvature during a 19 August 2022 substorm. ELFIN and SST19 yield a consistent dynamical picture of the magnetotail during the growth phase and capture its key features such as the formation of a thin current sheet and its earthward motion. Furthermore, they resolve a “checkmark” pattern of isotropic electron precipitation boundaries in the time‐energy plane, consistent with earlier observations but now over a broad energy range. It is shown that in the growth phase, the mismatch between SST19 and ELFIN latitudes is much less than one degree, the capability unattainable for any other empirical or first‐principles model.

Compression Acceleration of Protons and Heavier Ions at the Heliospheric Current Sheet

Recent observations by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) suggest that protons and heavier ions are accelerated to high energies by magnetic reconnection at the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). By solving the energetic particle transport equation in large-scale MHD simulations, we study the compression acceleration of protons and heavier ions in the reconnecting HCS. We find that the acceleration of multispecies ions results in nonthermal power-law distributions with a spectral index consistent with the PSP observations. Our study shows that the high-energy cutoff of protons can reach Emax∼0.1 –1 MeV depending on the particle diffusion coefficients. We also study how the high-energy cutoff of different ion species scales with the charge-to-mass ratio Emax∝(Q/M)α . When determining the diffusion coefficients from the quasi-linear theory with a Kolmogorov magnetic power spectrum, we find that α ∼ 0.4, which is somewhat smaller than α ∼ 0.7 observed by PSP.

Current potential patches

A novel form of the current potential, a mathematical tool for the design of stellarators and stellarator coils, is developed. Specifically, these are current potentials with a finite-element basis, called current potential patches. Current potential patches leverage the relationship between distributions of magnetic dipoles and current potentials to explore limits of the access properties of stellarator coil sets. An example calculation is shown using the Helically Symmetric Experiment (HSX) equilibrium, demonstrating the method's use in coil design and understanding the limits of the access properties of coil sets. Current potential patches have additional desirable properties such as of promoting sparse current sheet solutions and identifying crucial locations of shaping current placement. A result is found for the HSX equilibrium that shaping currents covering only 22% of the winding surface are sufficient to produce the equilibrium to a good accuracy, provided a toroidal field is generated by an exterior coil set.

Juno Observations of Large‐Scale Azimuthal Fields in Jupiter's Nightside Magnetosphere and Related Radial Currents

AbstractWe combine magnetic data from the first 46 data‐taking periapsides of the polar orbiting Juno spacecraft spanning dawn to dusk via midnight to investigate azimuthal fields and related currents in Jupiter's nightside magnetosphere. Data are binned by perpendicular radial distance ρ from the magnetic axis over 4–32 RJ along empirical poloidal model field lines spanning from tail to middle magnetosphere regions (ionospheric colatitudes θi ∼ 5°–17°), and by local time (LT). The data are well organized by these parameters. On southern tail field lines () the azimuthal field is well represented as the sum of sweepback fields falling as 1/ρ that are near‐independent of θi and LT, and a near‐constant field consistent with ∼3.5 nT pointing sunward. The combination is swept back at dawn/midnight but swept forward at dusk outside ∼5 RJ. Outer magnetosphere (θi ∼ 12°–15.5°) azimuthal fields are instead swept back near‐independent of LT, near‐continuous with the tail field in the dawn sector, but with large shear at the tail interface and across outer magnetosphere field lines in the dusk‐midnight sector. The tail region 1/ρ field is associated with a nightside inward polar axial current ∼5.8 MA located within θi ∼ 5° of the magnetic axis, while the dusk‐midnight field shear measured near the ∼30 RJ study boundary provides an inward current ∼15.4 MA, related to the near‐constant field. Azimuthal fields fall to small values across middle magnetosphere field lines (θi ∼ 15.5°–17°), associated with outward currents ∼21.2 MA per hemisphere near‐independent of LT forming the nightside equatorial current sheet, balancing these inward currents.

Scaling up global kinetic models of pulsar magnetospheres using a hybrid force-free-PIC numerical approach

Context. The particle-in-cell approach has proven effective in modeling neutron-star and black-hole magnetospheres from first principles, but global simulations are plagued with an unrealistically small separation between the scales where microphysics operates and the system-size scales due to limited numerical resources. A legitimate concern is whether the scale separation achieved to date is large enough for results to be safely extrapolated to realistic scales. Aims. In this work, our aim is to explore the effect of scaling up physical parameters and to check whether salient features uncovered by pure kinetic models at smaller scales are still valid, with a special emphasis on particle acceleration and high-energy radiation emitted beyond the light cylinder. Methods. To reach this objective, we developed a new hybrid numerical scheme coupling the ideal force-free and the particle-in-cell methods to optimize the numerical cost of global models. We propose a domain decomposition of the magnetosphere based on the magnetic-field topology using the flux function. The force-free model is enforced along open field lines while the particle-in-cell model is restricted to the reconnecting field line region. Results. As a proof of concept, this new hybrid model is applied to simulate a weak millisecond pulsar magnetosphere with realistic scales using high-resolution axisymmetric simulations. Magnetospheric features reported by previous kinetic models are recovered, and strong synchrotron radiation above 100MeV consistent with the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray pulsar population is successfully reproduced. Conclusions.This work further consolidates the shining-reconnecting current sheet scenario as the origin of the gamma-ray emission in pulsars, as well as firmly establishing pulsar magnetospheres as at least teraelectronvolt particle accelerators.

Large-scale Structure of the Heliospheric Current Sheets within the Heliosheath Inferred from Voyager 2 Observations

In this paper, we conducted an analysis of the heliospheric current sheets (HCSs) in the heliosheath (HS), utilizing observations by Voyager 2 between 2008 and 2018. Employing rigorous criteria, we identified a total of 34 HCSs that indicate significant changes in magnetic polarity. These occurrences were more prevalent during solar maximum periods when the HCS expanded to higher latitudes, coinciding with the spacecraft positioned at an average latitude of −31° from the solar equator. We determined certain features of the large-scale structures of the identified HCSs. Most importantly, employing two distinct methods indicates that the thickness of the HCSs within the HS ranges from ∼0.003 to ∼0.4 au with an average thickness of ∼0.03 to ∼0.1 au, depending on methods of event selection and fitting techniques. This thickness surpasses that known near 1 au or other heliospheric distances. It is also notably thicker than the typical proton inertial length, implying unfavorable conditions for magnetic reconnection. Additionally, our analysis reveals a frequent tilt of HCS planes relative to the solar equatorial plane by a varying angle up to several tens of degrees, likely implying a common occurrence of a warped structure of the HCS within the HS. Longitudinally, the HCS planes closely align with the Parker spiral field direction expected in the HS. Finally, for a large fraction of the identified HCS events, the HCS planes are likely characterized by a rotational discontinuity. These findings are valid within the limits of the 1 hr resolution data used in this study.

Different origins of magnetic disturbances during substorm growth and expansion phases and insufficiency of the AL index as their sole measure

The paper examines the relationship between the PC index, characterizing the solar wind energy input into the magnetosphere, and the AL index, characterizing the magnetic substorm intensity for the expansion phase of isolated substorms recorded in 1998–2017. Magnetic disturbances in the course of the expansion phase are produced by the DP11 current system with a powerful westward electrojet disposed in the midnight auroral zone. It is generally accepted that this electrojet is generated by the “substorm current wedge” system of fieldaligned currents (SCW FAC) providing closure of the magnetotail plasma sheet currents through the auroral ionosphere. As this takes place, magnetic disturbances in the course of the substorm growth phase are produced by the DP12 current system with westward and eastward electrojets located, correspondingly, in the morning and evening sectors of the auroral zone, with the electrojets generated by the R1/R2 FAC system operating in the inner (closed) magnetosphere. The intensity of R1 currents is determined by the “coupling function” EKL, which represents the optimal combination of all geoeffective solar wind parameters affecting the magnetosphere. The DP2 magnetic disturbances generated by the R1 FAC system in polar caps forms the basis for estimating the PC index, which strongly follows the EKL field changes and correlates well with the development of magnetic substorms. Analyses performed in AARI revealed the principally distinctive character of the relationships between the PC index and AL index in the course of the substorm growth (DP12 disturbances) and explosive (DP11 disturbances) phases. The DP12 disturbances, generated by FAC systems in the closed magnetosphere, are developed in strong relation to the PC index. The DP11 disturbances, generated by the SCW FAC system, related to the magnetotail plasma sheet, show quite irregular character of relationship between the PC and AL values: the sudden jumps of the substorm intensity (ALpeaks) might occur, time and again, at any value of the PC index and with quite different delay times relative to sudden substorm onset. It means that the processes in the tail plasma sheet, leading to the formation of a “substorm current wedge” are determined by the state of the magnetotail plasma sheet itself. The solar wind influence (evaluated by the PC index) affects but does not control the processes in the magnetotail, unlike those in the inner magnetosphere. It should be noted in this connection that the intensity of magnetic DP12 and DP11 disturbances, observed in the course of the substorm growth and explosive phases, is estimated by a single AL index, in spite of the different origin of these disturbances (R1/R2 and SCW FAC systems). It is necessary to employ two separate indices characterizing DP12 and DP11 disturbances in order to allow for the effects of the solar wind on the processes in the inner magnetosphere and in the magnetotail.

Numerical investigation of magnetic reconnection in Jupiter’s dayside magnetodisc

Dayside magnetodisc reconnection is a unique process that may occur in rapidly rotating magnetospheres with internal plasma sources, and it is not expected at Earth. Several observations suggest that dayside magnetodisc reconnection could be driven in the Kronian magnetosphere. This raises the question as to whether it can occur at Jupiter, the fastest rotating planet in the Solar System. Recent reports have suggested its occurrence, but the limited number of identified events leaves the overall global picture in the Jovian magnetosphere uncertain. The primary objective of this study is to answer whether dayside magnetodisc reconnection could exist within the Jovian magnetosphere through the use of global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations. Additionally, we aim to conduct a numerical investigation to reveal its general distribution for possible future exploration. The numerical simulations for Jovian magnetospheric dynamics are based on three-dimensional MHD calculations, which enable magnetic reconnection through numerical resistivity. In post-processing procedures, the simulated magnetodisc reconnection event is primarily identified by equatorial $B_ reversals, accompanied by an analysis of local plasma flows and global magnetic field lines. Our global MHD simulations reveal the existence of magnetodisc reconnection within the dayside Jovian magnetosphere. The simulation results indicate that dayside magnetodisc reconnection is more likely to occur during solar wind rarefaction, primarily due to the rapid expansion of the dayside magnetospheric volume. This expansion allows a rotation-driven centrifugal force to generate sufficient magnetic field line stretching for current sheet thinning and reconnection. In simulated dayside events, $B_ reversals may occur locally or non-locally through rotational transport from reconnection sites at earlier magnetic local times. The existence and the features derived from simulations are testable as Galileo/Juno has accumulated a considerable amount of dayside magnetospheric data. These results are valuable for future Jovian missions, such as JUICE and Europa Clipper, and provide new insights into interpreting measurements from other rapidly rotating systems.