Open AccessValidating a magnetic reconnection model for the magnetopause
Author(s) -
Schultz Colin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2012eo030028
Subject(s) - magnetopause , physics , solar wind , mercury's magnetic field , interplanetary magnetic field , coronal mass ejection , magnetosphere , magnetic reconnection , dipole model of the earth's magnetic field , nanoflares , geomagnetic storm , earth's magnetic field , geophysics , ionospheric dynamo region , magnetosheath , magnetosphere of jupiter , polar wind , corona (planetary geology) , magnetic field , astrobiology , quantum mechanics , venus
Originating in the Sun's million‐degree corona, the solar wind flows at supersonic speeds into interplanetary space, carrying with it the solar magnetic field. As the solar wind reaches Earth's orbit, its interaction with the geomagnetic field forms the magnetosphere, a bubble‐like structure within the solar wind flow that shields Earth from direct exposure to the solar wind as well as to the highly energetic charged particles produced during solar storms. Under certain orientations, the magnetic field entrained in the solar wind, known as the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), merges with the geomagnetic field, transferring mass, momentum, and energy to the magnetosphere. The merging of these two distinct magnetic fields occurs through magnetic reconnection, a fundamental plasma‐physical process that converts magnetic energy into kinetic energy and heat.