Externally driven magnetic reconnection

Abstract

A model is presented in which externaly driven reconnection is simulated by solving the MHD equations in an initially plane current sheet. Magnetic reconnection in the earth's magnetotail is widely believed to be the direct cause of magnetospheric substorms. Both 2-D and 3-D versions of the model have been developed. It is postulated that connection in the tail is triggered by a local compression of the plasma sheet which results from an invasion of the solar wind into the magnetotail. Thus, the simulation is started by introducing flow from the lobes normal to the plasma sheet. When resistivity is generated in a local region of the neutral sheet, reconnection develops and magnetic energy is converted into plasma bulk flow. Although the driven reconnection model is highly simplified, it can aid in understanding many features of substorms in the tail; in particular, results show that rapid flows both earthward and tailward of the neutral line and the nightside substorm current system are natural consequences of driven magnetic reconnection.