Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions01:28

Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions

1.1K
An electric field suffers a discontinuity at a surface charge. Similarly, a magnetic field is discontinuous at a surface current. The perpendicular component of a magnetic field is continuous across the interface of two magnetic mediums. In contrast, its parallel component, perpendicular to the current, is discontinuous by the amount equal to the product of the vacuum permeability and the surface current. Like the scalar potential in electrostatics, the vector potential is also continuous...
1.1K
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges01:23

Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges

9.2K
A stationary charge creates and interacts with the electric field, while a moving charge creates a magnetic field.
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
9.2K
Magnetic Field Lines01:19

Magnetic Field Lines

4.3K
The representation of magnetic fields by magnetic field lines is very useful in visualizing the strength and direction of the magnetic field. Each of the magnetic field lines forms a closed loop. The field lines emerge from the north pole (N), loop around to the south pole (S), and continue through the bar magnet back to the north pole.
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
4.3K
Potential Due to a Magnetized Object01:24

Potential Due to a Magnetized Object

350
Magnetic dipoles in magnetic materials are aligned when placed under an external magnetic field. For paramagnets and ferromagnets, dipole alignment occurs in the direction of the magnetic field. However, the dipoles align opposite to the field in the case of diamagnets. This state of magnetic polarization due to the external field is called magnetization. Magnetization is defined as the dipole moment per unit volume. It plays a similar role to polarization in electrostatics.
The vector...
350
Magnetism01:30

Magnetism

6.6K
Magnets are commonly found in everyday objects, such as toys, hangers, elevators, doorbells, and computer devices. Experimentation on these magnets shows that all magnets have two poles: one is labeled north (N) and the other south (S). Magnetic poles repel if they are alike and attract if unlike. Moreover, both poles of a magnet attract unmagnetized pieces of iron.
An individual magnetic pole cannot be isolated. No matter how small, every piece of a magnet contains a north pole and a south...
6.6K
Magnetic Field Of A Current Loop01:16

Magnetic Field Of A Current Loop

4.9K
Consider a circular loop with a radius a, that carries a current I. The magnetic field due to the current at an arbitrary point P along the axis of the loop can be calculated using the Biot-Savart law.
4.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Quantification of ion scattering by solar-wind current sheets: Pitch-angle diffusion rates.

Physical review. E·2025
Same author

The Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) Mission.

Space science reviews·2025
Same author

Anomalous transient enhancement of planetary ion escape at Mars.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Compound electron acceleration at planetary foreshocks.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Cross-Scale Energy Transfer from Fluid-Scale Alfvén Waves to Kinetic-Scale Ion Acoustic Waves in the Earth's Magnetopause Boundary Layer.

Physical review letters·2024
Same author

Simulation of the charged particle deflection from the sweeping magnet array in the Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray imager.

The Review of scientific instruments·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 4, 2025

A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster
11:47

A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster

Published on: December 22, 2018

9.2K

Unsteady Magnetopause Reconnection Under Quasi-Steady Solar Wind Driving.

Ying Zou1, Brian M Walsh2, Li-Jen Chen3

  • 1Department of Space Science University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville AL USA.

Geophysical Research Letters
|July 22, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Magnetic reconnection at Earth's magnetopause is not steady. Fluctuations in the magnetosheath, driven by foreshock waves, cause intermittent bursts of reconnection, impacting the magnetosphere.

More Related Videos

Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity
11:30

Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity

Published on: March 6, 2017

11.8K
Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing
08:54

Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing

Published on: February 13, 2018

8.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 4, 2025

A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster
11:47

A 100 KW Class Applied-field Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster

Published on: December 22, 2018

9.2K
Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity
11:30

Recombination Dynamics in Thin-film Photovoltaic Materials via Time-resolved Microwave Conductivity

Published on: March 6, 2017

11.8K
Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing
08:54

Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing

Published on: February 13, 2018

8.8K

Area of Science:

  • Space Physics
  • Plasma Physics
  • Geophysics

Background:

  • Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process transferring energy into Earth's magnetosphere.
  • Previous studies reported both steady and intermittent magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the temporal characteristics of magnetic reconnection under quasi-steady solar wind conditions.
  • To determine if magnetopause reconnection is steady or intermittent using space-ground observations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized space-ground conjunctions to observe magnetic reconnection.
  • Analyzed spacecraft data for reconnection activity and electric field variations.
  • Employed ground-based radar to monitor ionospheric signatures of reconnection.

Main Results:

  • Spacecraft data indicated an initial inactive phase followed by reconnection activation.
  • Radar observations revealed continuous but unsteady reconnection post-activation.
  • Reconnection electric fields exhibited low-frequency variations (peaks at 3 and 5 mHz) with significant amplitudes.

Conclusions:

  • Magnetopause reconnection is intrinsically unsteady, even under steady solar wind driving.
  • Turbulent magnetosheath magnetic field fluctuations, driven by foreshock waves, modulate reconnection.
  • These findings highlight the dynamic nature of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction.