ENERGETICS OF RECONNECTION - A REPLY

In this article we address several criticisms of Petschek-type reconne ction models which have recently been raised by Heikkila. We discuss f eatures of the time-dependent Petschek-type models in the context of t he solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, and point out that such model s can incorporate and reproduce observed features at the magnetopause, such as plasma jets and erosion of the current sheet. We argue that s ome of Heikkila's criticisms can be attributed to weaknesses a in the analysis due to incomplete experimental information, rather than to fl aws in the concept of reconnection per se; in this category we include the question of which instability lends to the localised breakup of t he magnetopause current sheet. Other criticisms are based on an adhere nce to steady-state models, and cannot be sustained within the extende d time-dependent theory. We discuss, for example, how the time-depende nt model can provide a consistent picture of how energy from the incom ing solar wind is transferred and converted as it enters the magnetosp here.