Collaborative Research: Reconnection in the Dayside Magnetosphere

这个项目将使用全球和局部磁流体动力学（MHD）模拟相结合，以研究三个问题，磁重联在地球磁层的昼侧。 这三个问题是：（1）全球重连率是由本地条件还是外部条件控制的？(2)重连的位置是否取决于导致重连的物理学？(3)磁层顶的重联过程是连续的还是间歇的？ 模拟将耦合局部电阻MHD和霍尔MHD代码的全球MHD代码。 模拟结果将与Cluster和THEMIS航天器飞行任务的现场观测结果进行比较。 为耦合局部和全局代码而开发的技术将使研究多尺度耦合成为可能，并具有潜在的变革性。 虽然研究是针对地球磁层昼侧的磁重联，但磁重联专题和将局部模拟与全球模拟相结合的技术将对地球夜侧磁尾重联、太阳风和日冕重联的研究产生影响，并有可能影响天体物理和实验室等离子体过程的研究。

This project will use a combination of global and local magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to examine three questions concerning magnetic reconnection on the dayside of Earth's magnetosphere. The three questions are: (1) Is the global reconnection rate controlled by local or external conditions? (2) Is the site of reconnection dependent on the physics that causes reconnection? (3) Is the reconnection process at the magnetopause continuous or intermittent? The simulations will couple local resistive MHD and Hall MHD codes to a global MHD code. The results of the simulatons will be compared to in situ observations from the Cluster and THEMIS spacecraft missions. The techniques that will be developed for coupling the local and the global codes will make it possible to study multi-scale coupling and is potentially transformative. Although the research is directed toward magnetic reconnection on the dayside of Earth's magnetosphere, the topic of magnetic reconnection and the techniques for coupling local to global simulations will have impacts on studies of reconnection in Earth's night-side magnetotail, reconnection in the solar wind and in the sun's corona and has the potential to impact studies of astrophysical and laboratory plasma processes.