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Reconnection voltage as a function of IMF clock angle
Author(s) -
Fedder J. A.,
Mobarry C. M.,
Lyon J. G.
Publication year - 1991
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 - 10.1029/90gl02722
Subject(s) - physics , interplanetary magnetic field , magnetosphere , solar wind , magnetic reconnection , earth's magnetic field , magnetohydrodynamics , magnetohydrodynamic drive , geophysics , magnetic field , computational physics , quantum mechanics
Magnetic reconnection between the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the geomagnetic field is thought to play a major role in the transfer of solax wind momentum and energy to the magnetosphere. Both analytic modeling and analysis of geophysical data have shown that this coupling process should be a sensitive function of the clock angle of the IMF. In this letter we present results from a 3‐dimensional, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), global numerical simulation code for the reconnection voltage between the closed geomagnetic field and the IMF as a function of the IMF clock angle. These results are consistent with a sin (θ/2) functional behavior.