Statistical comparison of various dayside magnetopause reconnection x‐line prediction models
Date
2023-10
Authors
Qudsi, Ramiz A.
Walsh, Brian M.
Broll, Jeffrey M.
Atz, Emil A.
Haaland, Stein
Version
Published version
OA Version
Published version
Citation
R.A. Qudsi, B.M. Walsh, J. Broll, E. Atz, S. Haaland. 2023. "Statistical Comparison of Various Dayside Magnetopause Reconnection X‐Line Prediction Models" Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Volume 128, Issue 10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023ja031644
Abstract
Reconnection at Earth's magnetopause drives magnetospheric convection and provides mass and energy input into the magnetosphere/ionosphere system thereby driving the coupling between solar wind and terrestrial magnetosphere. Despite its importance, the factors governing the location of dayside magnetopause reconnection are not well understood. Though a few models can predict X‐line locations reasonably well, the underlying physics is still unresolved. In this study we present results from a comparative analysis of 274 magnetic reconnection events as observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to determine what quantities affect the accuracy of such models and are most strongly associated with the occurrence of dayside magnetopause reconnection. We also attempt to determine under what upstream solar wind conditions each global X‐line model becomes least reliable.
Description
License
© 2023. The Authors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivsLicense, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.