Statistical Relationship between Interplanetary Magnetic Field
Conditions and the Helicity Sign of Flux Transfer Event Flux Ropes
Abstract
Flux Transfer Events (FTEs) are transient phenomena produced by magnetic
reconnection at the dayside magnetopause typically under southward
interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. They are usually thought
of as magnetic flux ropes with helical structures forming through
patchy, unsteady, or multiple X-line reconnection. While the IMF often
has a non-zero $B_Y$ component, its impacts on the FTE flux rope
helicity remain unknown. We survey Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS)
observations of FTE flux ropes during the years 2015 – 2017 and
investigate the solar wind conditions prior to the events. By fitting a
force-free flux rope model, we select 84 events with good fits and
obtain the helicity sign (i.e., handedness) of the flux ropes. We find
that positive (negative) helicity flux ropes are mainly preceded by a
positive (negative) $B_Y$ component. This finding is compatible with
flux ropes formed through a multiple X-line mechanism.