Time-Varying Magnetopause Reconnection during Sudden Commencement: Global MHD Simulations

Abstract

The dayside reconnection line responds dynamically to the compression and distortion of the magnetopause by an interplanetary shock • The reconnection rate is enhanced near the shock as it propagates, and appears to be modulated by large-scale magnetopause motions • The complex time-dependence of dayside coupling during SC deviates significantly from steady models of reconnection