Modelling signatures of pulsed magnetopause reconnection in cusp ion dispersion signatures seen at middle altitudes

Lockwood, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7397-2172, Davis, C. J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6411-5649, Onsager, T. G. and Scudder, J. D. (1998) Modelling signatures of pulsed magnetopause reconnection in cusp ion dispersion signatures seen at middle altitudes. Geophysical Research Letters, 25 (5). pp. 591-594. ISSN 0094-8276 doi: 10.1029/98GL00185

Abstract/Summary

It is shown that the open magnetosphere model can reproduce both the down-going and the up-going magnetosheath ions seen in the cusp and mantle regions by the Polar satellite at middle altitudes. ?he pass studied shows a series of discontinuities in the ion dispersion, most of which are shown to arise from pulses of magnetopause reconnection rate. A total of 9 pulses are detected in an interval estimated to be about 30 min long, giving a mean repetition period of about 3 min: they vary in length between 0.5 min and 3.5 min and are separated by periods of much slower reconnection of duration 1-3 min. One step is not as predicted for reconnection rate pulses but is explained in terms of compressive motions caused by a pulse of solar wind dynamic pressure. The reconnection site is found to be 16 +/- 3 R-E from the ionosphere along the separatrix field line, placing it at low latitudes on the dayside magnetopause.

Additional Information	First published online 2012
Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/38758
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Science > School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences > Department of Meteorology
Additional Information	First published online 2012
Publisher	American Geophysical Union
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