A TIME-DEPENDENT MODEL OF MAGNETIC-FIELD ANNIHILATION

Quasi-periodic variations in the electric field intensity near the day side magnetopause are studied within a planar, dissipative MHD model o f a stagnation-line flow embedded in a rectilinear magnetic field. The model is based on an exact time-dependent solution of the resistive M HD equations applied to a Parker-type diffusion region of field-line m erging. The results lead to the prediction of certain relations betwee n physical parameters of the solar-wind plasma, and these are compared with actual measurements.