A magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the formation of magnetic flux tubes at the Earth's dayside magnetopause

Journal Article · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL016i002p00155· OSTI ID:5831740

Ogino, Tatsuki ^[1]; Walker, R J; Ashour-Abdalla, Maha ^[2]

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1. Nagoya Univ., Toyokawa (Japan)
2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (USA)

The authors have studied dayside magnetic reconnection by using a three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere. They found two different mechanisms for the formation of magnetic flux tubes at the dayside magnetopause which depend on the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The dayside magnetic flux tubes occur only when the IMF has a southward component. A strongly twisted and localized magnetic flux tube similar to magnetic flux ropes appears at the subsolar magnetopause when the IMF has a large B{sub y} component. When the B{sub y} component is small, twin flux tubes appear at the dayside magnetopause. Both types of magnetic flux tube are consistent with several observational features of flux transfer events and are generated by antiparallel magnetic reconnection.

• OSTI ID: 5831740
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (USA) Vol. 16:2; ISSN GPRLA; ISSN 0094-8276
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
INTERACTIONS
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MECHANICS
SIMULATION
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS