Topological structure of the magnetotail as a function of interplanetary magnetic field direction

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Journal of Geophysical Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/94JA02577· OSTI ID:207162

Fedder, J A ^[1]; Lyon, J G ^[2]; Slinker, S P ^[3]

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1. Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)
2. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (United States)
3. Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States); and others

Magnetic reconnection between the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the geomagnetic field is thought to play a major role in the transfer of solar wind momentum and energy to the magnetosphere. As the angle between the IMF and the geomagnetic field is changed at the bow of the magnetosphere, the topological record of the location of the reconnection region should be recorded in the magnetosheath and on the magnetopause along the flanks of the tail, because the super fast flow freezes strong magnetic gradients formed in the bow reconnection regions into the plasma downstream. In this report, the authors present results from a three-dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), global numerical simulation code for the location of the separatrix between unconnected IMF magnetosheath field lines and reconnected field lines which penetrate the magnetopause and connect to the polar ionosphere. The angle between the IMF direction and the line where the separatrix crosses the magnetopause is shown to be a sensitive function of the IMF clock angle. The authors also explain how this behavior can be used to derive an approximate relation for the dependence of the cross-polar voltage on the IMF clock angle. They conclude with a note of caution concerning the importance of physical boundary conditions in magnetoplasma simulations. 31 refs., 5 figs.

• OSTI ID: 207162
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research Journal Issue: A3 Vol. 100; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH
SIMULATION
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS