NUMERICAL AND OBSERVATIONAL ANALYSIS ON THE MACROSCOPIC ASPECT OF THE MAGNETIC RECONNECTION PROCESS AT EARTH'S DAYSIDE MAGNETOPAUSE

• Grant number: 14/21229-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2015
• Effective date (End): February 01, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Walter Demetrio Gonzalez Alarcon
• Grantee: Vitor Moura Cardoso e Silva Souza
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/16983-4 - A conjunction of electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations and in situ observations to investigate magnetic reconnection-related signatures at the Earth's dayside magnetopause: the tripolar magnetic field, BE.EP.PD 15/20104-0 - Numerical and observational approaches of magnetic reconnection at the Earth's MAGNETOPAUSE in light of the magnetospheric multi scale mission, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Magnetic reconnection is a process which regulates solar wind's energy entry into the inner magnetosphere. Also, it modulates the intensity of the so-called geomagnetic storms and substorms. Their effects may cause fluctuations of signals on telecommunication systems; disruptions of the electrical systems at the Earth's surface by the action of geomagnetically induced currents, and also increase the radiation level aboard aircraft flying at high latitudes which may directly impact human health. Due to the potential universality of the magnetic reconnection phenomena, as well as its importance in acting as a physical mechanism capable to set in motion a chain of potentially harmful events to modern society, it is of great merit to seek to understand its underlying physical characteristics. Considering the Earth's magnetosphere context, this project aims to analyze some large scale characteristics of the magnetic reconnection process, namely: where does magnetic reconnection occur along the Earth's dayside magnetopause surface; how does it is spatially structured, and what are the conditions on both local and interplanetary plasmas which dictate its location. Despite of more than 50 years of ongoing research these questions still remain elusive. In order to address these topics, it is made use of in situ satellite observations of magnetic reconnection along with both analytical and numerical models which predict the reconnection location at the magnetopause. By increasing the number of models and the amount of spacecraft data used to validate them, it will be possible to accurately determine the plasma parameters that govern the reconnection location at Earth's dayside magnetopause.

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MEDEIROS, CLAUDIA; SOUZA, V. M.; VIEIRA, L. E. A.; SIBECK, D. G.; HALFORD, A. J.; KANG, S. -B.; DA SILVA, L. A.; ALVES, L. R.; MARCHEZI, J. P.; DALLAQUA, R. S.; et al. On the Contribution of EMIC Waves to the Reconfiguration of the Relativistic Electron Butterfly Pitch Angle Distribution Shape on 2014 September 12-A Case Study. ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL, v. 872, n. 1, FEB 10 2019. (14/21229-9)

SOUZA, V. M.; LOPEZ, R. E.; JAUER, P. R.; SIBECK, D. G.; PHAM, K.; DA SILVA, L. A.; MARCHEZI, J. P.; ALVES, L. R.; KOGA, D.; MEDEIROS, C.; et al. Acceleration of radiation belt electrons and the role of the average interplanetary magnetic field B-z component in high-speed streams. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 122, n. 10, p. 10084-10101, OCT 2017. (15/20104-0, 14/21229-9)

ALVES, L. R.; SOUZA, V. M.; JAUER, P. R.; DA SILVA, L. A.; MEDEIROS, C.; BRAGA, C. R.; ALVES, M. V.; KOGA, D.; MARCHEZI, J. P.; DE MENDONCA, R. R. S.; et al. The Role of Solar Wind Structures in the Generation of ULF Waves in the Inner Magnetosphere. SOLAR PHYSICS, v. 292, n. 7, JUL 2017. (14/21229-9, 14/24711-6)

V.M. SOUZA; M.V.D. SILVEIRA; D. KOGA; P.R. JAUER. Bases teóricas da reconexão magnética. Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física, v. 38, n. 2, 2016-04-19. (14/21229-9)

SOUZA, V. M.; VIEIRA, L. E. A.; MEDEIROS, C.; DA SILVA, L. A.; ALVES, L. R.; KOGA, D.; SIBECK, D. G.; WALSH, B. M.; KANEKAL, S. G.; JAUER, P. R.; et al. A neural network approach for identifying particle pitch angle distributions in Van Allen Probes data. SPACE WEATHER-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS, v. 14, n. 4, p. 275-284, APR 2016. (14/21229-9)

SOUZA, VITOR MOURA; DOMINGUES, MARGARETE OLIVEIRA; MENDES, ODIM; PAGAMISSE, AYLTON; STENBORG, GUILLERMO ADRIAN. Enhancement of Space Plasma Images by Complex Wavelets. Brazilian Journal of Physics, v. 45, n. 5, p. 510-517, OCT 2015. (07/07723-7, 14/21229-9)

SOUZA, V. M.; GONZALEZ, W. D.; SIBECK, D. G.; KOGA, D.; WALSH, B. M.; MENDES, O.. Comparative study of three reconnection X line models at the Earth's dayside magnetopause using in situ observations. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS, v. 122, n. 4, p. 4228-4250, APR 2017. (15/20104-0, 14/21229-9)

SOUZA, VITOR M.; KOGA, DAIKI; GONZALEZ, WALTER D.; CARDOSO, FLAVIA R.. Observational Aspects of Magnetic Reconnection at the Earth's Magnetosphere. Brazilian Journal of Physics, v. 47, n. 4, p. 447-459, AUG 2017. (15/20104-0, 14/21229-9)