HR: 1340h
AN: SM43A-1153    [Abstracts]
TI: Global MHD Simulation of Three-dimensional Time Dependent Magnetic Reconnection in the Magnetosphere
AU: Larson, D J
EM: douglas.larson@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS-Space Science Center 39 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: * Dorelli, J C
EM: john.dorelli@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS-Space Science Center 39 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Fogal, T
EM: tfogal@thetis.sr.unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS-Space Science Center 39 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AU: Raeder, J
EM: jraeder@unh.edu
AF: University of New Hampshire, EOS-Space Science Center 39 College Road, Durham, NH 03824 United States
AB: Results from investigating 3d reconnection of magnetic fields using the Geospace General Circulation Model (GGCM) [Raeder, JGR, 104, 1999] are presented. A single long run was done with IMF orientation varying from north to south for the purpose of the studying clock angle dependence of reconnection topology. At the start of the simulation the initial northward IMF conditions show evidence of dayside null-null separator reconnection [Lau and Finn, Astro. Journal, 350, 1990]. As the simulation progresses, a change in magnetic field topology occurs in which the two nulls migrate to the nightside (about 15 - 20 RE down the tail), where new nulls form. The nulls are tracked using Greene's algorithm [Greene, Comp. Phys., 98, 1992] and the time evolution of the magnetic field skeleton is visualized.
UR: http://apollo.sr.unh.edu/
DE: 2753 Numerical modeling
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting