The dynamic response of Jovian magnetotail reconnection to enhanced
solar wind ram pressure
Abstract
In this study, we employ the Grid Agnostic Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) for
Extended Research Applications (GAMERA), a high-resolving power,
three-dimensional global MHD model, to simulate magnetotail reconnection
in Jupiter’s magnetosphere. While previous satellite observations have
provided initial statistics on magnetotail reconnection properties at
Jupiter, they have been limited in space-time coverage, leaving the
dynamic process of Jovian magnetotail reconnection and its response to
the solar wind (SW) poorly understood. Using MHD simulations, we
quantitatively analyze the temporal evolution and spatial dependence of
nightside reconnection in Jupiter’s magnetotail under ideal quiet and
enhanced SW conditions. Our results demonstrate that magnetotail
reconnection tends to occur in the midnight and post-midnight sectors,
with a low occurrence in the pre-midnight sector, consistent with both
Galileo and Juno observations and predictions by Delamere and Bagenal
(2013). The MLT-radial distribution of magnetotail reconnection is
broad, indicating that Jovian magnetotail reconnection is always dynamic
rather than steady-state. Enhanced SW ram pressure can decrease the MLT
coverage of magnetotail reconnection by compressing Jupiter’s
magnetosphere. However, the occurrence and radial distribution of
magnetotail reconnection near the midnight and post-midnight sectors are
augmented by SW compression beyond ~60 RJ, but are not
significantly impacted by SW compression within ~60 RJ.
Conversely, SW compression suppresses reconnection in the pre-midnight
sector, leading to a stronger dawn-dusk asymmetry in the occurrence and
location of magnetotail reconnection. This study validates the
applicability of the GAMERA code for simulating Jupiter’s magnetosphere
and provides complementary insights into the dynamic structure and the
SW response of Jupiter’s magnetosphere.