Key Parameter for the Mass and Energy Transfer at the Magnetopause Determined from Cusp Structures

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This project will examine the processes that are involved with magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause of the Earth. It will determine the relative occurrence of anti-parallel reconnection versus component reconnection as a function of the parameters of the solar wind that control the interaction. It will also examine the transition from one mode of reconnection to the other and will determine under what conditions magnetic reconnection becomes quasi-continuous and under what conditions it becomes intermittent. The project will analyze the nature of structures in the magnetic cusp using the low-velocity cutoff method to determine the location of the reconnection site. The data to be used in this study come from a number of space missions, in particular the European Space Agency's Cluster Mission and the NASA THEMIS mission.Magnetic reconnection at the magnetopuse is the dominant mechanism by which plasma mass and energy is transported from the solar wind into the magnetopause and eventually to the upper atmosphere. In order to provide quantitative predictions about the mass and energy transfer, several paramters need to be known as a function of the solar wind conditions. Among these parameters is the relative occurrence of anit-parallel reconnection versus component reconnection. In addition to the senior personnel involved with this research, during the summer months high school science teachers will participate in the project through the Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education (IISME) program.