The effect of diamagnetic drift on motion of the dayside magnetopause reconnection line

Journal
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Trenchi, L.
•
•
Fear, R. C.
DOI
Abstract
Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause occurs with a large density asymmetry and for a large range of magnetic shears. In these conditions, a motion of the X line has been predicted in the direction of the electron diamagnetic drift. When this motion is super Alfvenic, reconnection should be suppressed. We analysed a large data set of Double Star TC-1 dayside magnetopause crossings, which includes reconnection and nonreconnection events. Moreover, it also includes several events during which TC-1 is near the X line. With these close events, we verified the diamagnetic suppression condition with local observations near the X line. Moreover, with the same close events, we also studied the motion of the X line along the magnetopause. It is found that, when reconnection is not suppressed, the X line moves northward or southward according to the orientation of the guide field, which is related to the interplanetary magnetic field BY component, in agreement with the diamagnetic drift.
Volume
42
Issue
15
Start page
6129
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0094-8276
Ads BibCode
2015GeoRL..42.6129T
Rights
open.access
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