Toward a time‐dependent magnetic reconnection model

Abstract

Magnetic field reconnection plays a crucial role in determining the topology of magnetic fields in cosmic plasmas and also provides an efficient way for the conversion of magnetic energy into kinetic energy. Much work has been done on this topic in many interrelated fields of interest by many researchers. The author's primary field of interest is magnetospheric physics, in particular, magnetic reconnection processes in the dayside magnetopause and the magnetotail. Understanding of these processes has improved greatly over the past 3 decades, but there is still much work to be done.

Multipoint reconnection in the near‐Earth magnetotail: CDAW 6 observations of energetic particles and magnetic field

“…While the magnetic field lines tailward of the neutral line remained very tail like, new X-type neutral lines and island structures were generated and subsequently moved tailward. The possibility of occurrence of the multiple X line reconnection (MXR) process in the tail associated with substorms has been noted by Lee [1988] and related to the time-dependent magnetic reconnection. MXR forms magnetic 'islands.…”

Flux transfer events and reconnection at the magnetopause

“…1. Frontal Lee and Fu, 1985;Kan, 1988;Scholer, 1988;Southwood et at., 1988], from which even a typi cal 8-minute repetition rate is commonly mentioned [Lee, 1988;Lockwood et al, 1990]. Actually the "quasi-steady" designa tion usually applied to LSR models does not mean that the LSR configuration cannot change on a time-scale comparable to that commonly claimed for FTEs.…”

“…Still to be under stood from basic principles is why and how magnetopause reconnection evolves with the temporal characteristics of FTEs and, in par ticular, how this evolution is driven by fac tors such as the amplitude and duration of the southward component of the IMF. Also to be explained is the apparent formation of more neutral lines across the dayside mag netopause, in addition to the reconnection line that extends across the subsolar point [Lee, 1988] when the B y component of the IMF becomes important. However, even in this configuration, the overall reconnection flow should still be controlled by the tilted line across the subsolar point [Gonzalez and Mozer, 1974], which can be regarded as the main reconnection line because of its symmetry.…”

“…Thus, one expects that a time-dependent LSR model should combine both requirements; indeed, recent models of this sort, using a basically time-dependent Petschek configura tion [BiernatetaL, 1987;Scholer, 1988Scholer, , 1989Southwood et al, 1988] seem to have been able to do this. However, these models require fuller exploration to incorporate ad ditional aspects of magnetopause reconnec tion, such as its evolving geometry as a func tion of all three components of the IMF [Lee, 1988].…”

NASA begins to “Think Small”

“…Thus, one expects that a time-dependent LSR model should combine both requirements; indeed, recent models of this sort, using a basically time-dependent Petschek configura tion [BiernatetaL, 1987;Scholer, 1988Scholer, , 1989Southwood et al, 1988] seem to have been able to do this. However, these models require fuller exploration to incorporate ad ditional aspects of magnetopause reconnec tion, such as its evolving geometry as a func tion of all three components of the IMF [Lee, 1988]. NASA Begins to "Think Small" NASA has begun to show clear signs of scaling down its science missions as it bows to reigning budget realities.…”