Reverse convection potential: A statistical study ofthe general properties of lobe reconnection andsaturation effects during northward IMF

摘要

The saturation tendency of the cross-polar potential for southward interplanetarymagnetic fields (IMFs) has been the subject of numerous studies; however, thebehavior of the reverse convection potential when the IMF is northward remains lessclear. In this study, we present a thorough statistical analysis of the four-cellconvection pattern associated with northward IMF and lobe reconnection based on alarge set of DMSP F 13 satellite data. Results show a behavior much similar to thesouthward IMF case, with a clear saturation tendency of the reverse convectionpotential for strong solar wind electric fields both seen in the data and validated in thestatistical analysis. The saturated potential level reaches a limit of about 60 kV, on theorder of a fourth of the saturated potential seen for dayside reconnection duringsouthward IMF