No Magnetic Reconnection at the Magnetopause: A New 3-D MHD Model

We have developed a new 3-D MHD simulation model of the magnetosphere. One of the main features of this model is that it can “close” the magnetic reconnection on the magnetopause by a method of dealing with IMF and the dipole magnetic field separately. By introducing the anti-parallel theory, this method can show the possible reconnection sites on the magnetopause distinctly like the gas-dynamic model. The results show that the IMF Bx component also has important influence on the magnetic reconnection on the magnetopause like the other two components. We suggest that this model may be helpful to the study of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction from a different point of shutting down the magnetic reconnection, and to reveal some important physical processes of the magnetosphere.