Magnetopause erosion: A global view from MHD simulation

In this paper we use a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the magnetosphere to examine the behavior of the magnetopause position when the interplanetary magnetic field suddenly changes from northward to southward. The inward motion of the magnetopause under the influence of a southward IMF is generally referred to as magnetopause "erosion." Physical models to explain erosion have been proposed, notably the "onion" peeling model, a model based on the effects of fringe fields from the Region 1 Birkeland currents and the nightside cross-tail current. The simulation shows behavior consistent with aspects of these models, but it also shows behavior that is most consistent with the major driver of erosion being the growth of the nightside cross-tail current. In particular, the simulation exhibits a marked delay between the arrival of the southward IMF at the magnetopause and the inward motion of the magnetopause. We attribute this delay to the delay in the growth of the nightside current system in response to the southward turning of the IMF.