Continuous reconnection line and pressure-dependent energy conversion on the magnetopause in a global MHD model

We present results on magnetopause reconnection processes in the Gumics-4 global MHD simulation model. The reconnection line on the magnetopause is identified using a topological method, and its behavior as a function of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction is shown to be consistent with the component reconnection hypothesis. Energy conversion associated with reconnection is quantified using integrals of Poynting vector divergence. The efficiency of energy conversion depends on both the IMF direction and the solar wind dynamic pressure. We vary the solar wind speed and density separately and show that while both affect the appearance of magnetopause processes, speed has a much stronger effect on the total reconnection efficiency.