Distribution of FTE Periods on the Dayside Magnetopause under Constant Solar Wind Condition: Global MHD Simulation Results

Abstract:

Flux transfer event (FTE) is a transient phenomenon caused by magnetic reconnection. On the dayside magnetopause, it is previously reported that FTE reoccurs with a time scale of ~8 min on the average. However, whether the period of FTE is constant under fixed solar wind condition is not well understood. According the our recent results based on the global MHD simulations, the periods of FTE in different regions of the dayside magnetopause can be apparently different under constant solar wind condition. Further investigation shows that the distribution of FTE periods is closely related to anti-parallel/component reconnections. Component reconnection favors the formation of FTE.