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Temporal Evolution of Flux Tube Entanglement at the Magnetopause as Observed by the MMS Satellites
Author(s) -
Qi Y.,
Russell C. T.,
Jia YingDong,
Hubbert M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl090314
Subject(s) - magnetosphere , magnetopause , physics , flux (metallurgy) , flux tube , interplanetary spaceflight , solar wind , quantum entanglement , interplanetary magnetic field , geophysics , magnetic reconnection , magnetic flux , magnetic field , quantum mechanics , materials science , metallurgy , quantum
Flux transfer events (FTEs), as flux ropes (FRs), are considered key agents for solar wind energy to enter the terrestrial magnetosphere. Recent observations identify entangled flux tubes that collide and pull against each other. Reconnection occurs to disentangle and produce a new pair of FRs with different connectivity. In this paper, we examine the entanglement interface and how such an entanglement process evolves in time by comparing 17 entanglements observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. The B y ‐dominated interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) distribution of the 17 events agrees with previous findings. We have identified three evolutionary stages characterized by the magnetic field and pressure enhancement. Our study confirms the FR nature of these events and explains how a disparate pair of ropes is formed from two entangled flux tubes, each initially connected to a different hemisphere of the magnetosphere.