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Ann. Geophys., 23, 2889-2895, 2005
www.ann-geophys.net/23/2889/2005/
© European Geosciences Union 2005
Double Star TC-1 observations of component reconnection at the dayside magnetopause: a preliminary study
Pu1,3, Xiao2, Zhang1, Huang1, Fu1, Liu3, Dunlop4, Zong5, Carr6, Réme7, Dandouras7, Fazakerley8, Phan9, Zhang10, Zhang1, and Wang11
1School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
2National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100012, China
3Center for Space Science and Applied Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100080, China
4Space Science and Technology Department, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX, UK
5Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, Mass 02215, USA
6SAPG, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, UK
7Centre d’Etudes Spatiale des Rayonnements, BP 4346, 31028 Toulouse cedex 4, France
8Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
9Space Science Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA100080, China
10Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, OAW, Graz, A-8010, Austria
11Center for Plasma Physics, Dalian Univerity of Science and Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Abstract. In spring 2004 Double Star TC-1 measured a number of reconnection
signatures at the dayside low-latitude magnetopause (MP) when
there was a notable By component in the magnetosheath. In a
number of events we can show that reconnection was operating
nearby TC-1 in the subsolar MP region. In this paper we describe
three representative events: (a) event on 21 March 2004 in which
the reconnection site can be remotely monitored, the spacecraft
was passing by the X-line; (b) event on 12 March 2004 in which TC-1
observed the magnetospheric part of the quadrupolar field,
together with a consistent flow reversal; (c) event on 26 March 2004
which occurred for northward IMF, TC-1 observed a reversal of
vy across the equatorial MP. In these events the shear angles
across the MP were considerably smaller than 180°; a
noticeable guide field was present. These observations are
consistent with near equatorial component merging, suggesting that
component reconnection preferably occurs at the dayside
low-latitude MP. There is evidence that when a pronounced magnetic
shear across the MP exists in the By component, reconnection
may operate at the dayside low-latitude MP for northward IMF
Bz.
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