Physics of Magnetopause Reconnection: A Study of the Combined Effects of Density Asymmetry, Velocity Shear, and Guide Field
Figure 1
A schematic diagram showing why an -line should move in the magnetopause reconnection situation. (a) Shift of stagnation point towards the magnetospheric side in the presence of density asymmetry. Here, neither a velocity shear nor a guide field is imposed. (b) The effect of a velocity shear in a density symmetric case. The inflow towards the -line is slanted from the current sheet normal direction. (c) The ion flow pattern at the -line when density asymmetry and velocity shear are combined. The -line site is occupied by magnetosheath ions having nonzero component along the current sheet. (d) The effect of nonzero guide field in a density symmetric case. Due to the Lorentz force near the diffusion region, the inflow towards the -line becomes slanted from the current sheet normal direction.
