Evidence for an extended reconnection line at the dayside magnetopause

We report in-situ detection by two spacecraft of oppositely directed jets of plasma emanating from a magnetic reconnection site at the Earth’s dayside magnetopause, confirming a key element inherent in all reconnection scenarios. The dual-spacecraft (Equator-S and Geotail) observations at the flank...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth, planets, and space planets, and space, 2001-01, Vol.53 (6), p.619-625
Main Authors: PHAN, T. D, FREEMAN, M. P, DILELLIS, A. M, FORNACON, K.-H, FRANK, L. A, FUJIMOTO, M, GEORGESCU, E, KOKUBUN, S, MOEBIUS, E, MUKAI, T, PATERSON, W. R, REME, H, KISTLER, L. M, KLECKER, B, HAERENDEL, G, PASCHMANN, G, SONNERUP, B. U. Ö, BAUMJOHANN, W, BAVASSANO-CATTANEO, M. B, CARLSON, C. W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Equator
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Interaction between magnetosphere and interplanetary space
Interplanetary magnetic field
Magnetic fields
Magnetic reconnection
Magnetopause
Magnetospheres
Physics of the magnetosphere
Radar
Solar magnetic field
Solar wind
Solar wind magnetic fields
Spacecraft
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Summary:We report in-situ detection by two spacecraft of oppositely directed jets of plasma emanating from a magnetic reconnection site at the Earth’s dayside magnetopause, confirming a key element inherent in all reconnection scenarios. The dual-spacecraft (Equator-S and Geotail) observations at the flank magnetopause, together with SuperDARNHalley radar observations of the subsolar cusp region, reveal the presence of a rather stable and extended reconnection line which lies along the equatorial magnetopause. These observations were made under persistent southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions, implying that under these conditions the reconnection sites are determined by the large-scale interactions between the solar wind magnetic field and the dayside magnetosphere, rather than by local conditions at the magnetopause. Control by local conditionswould result in patchy reconnection, distributed in a less well-organized fashion over the magnetopause surface.
ISSN:1343-8832
1880-5981
1880-5981
DOI:10.1186/BF03353281