Multi-scale Analysis of Magnetopause Reconnection Using ANGIE3D: Structure and Reconnection Rate

 

This work investigates magnetopause reconnection and its associated reconnection rates using a global hybrid simulation model, the Auburn Global Hybrid Code in 3D (ANGIE3D). This hybrid model treats ions as fully kinetic particles while treating electrons as a massless fluid, enabling the resolution of ion kinetic-scale physics within global-scale dynamics. By simulating the TRICE-2 event, characterized by a strong dawn-dusk component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), we examine magnetopause reconnection occurring at multiple sites in the northern-dawn, southern-dusk, and lower latitude regions. We first compare the simulated reconnection structures with the MMS observations at the magnetopause (with the magnetopause structure as observed by MMS, doi.org/10.1029/2023JA032263). Local reconnection rates are calculated from the electric field near the X-lines. Additionally, the global reconnection rate along the dayside magnetopause is calculated. We discuss the spatial and temporal variations of the reconnection rates, providing insights into the complex dynamics of solar wind-magnetosphere interactions.