Key issues on magnetic reconnection at Mercury

Magnetic reconnection processes and their impact on planetary magnetospheric dynamics exhibit significant differences due to differences in upstream solar wind conditions and internal planetary environments. Current understanding of reconnection phenomena at Mercury is rooted in the MESSENGER mission. However, direct detection of reconnection remains rare. Here, we aim to assess the limitations of MESSENGER in detecting reconnection in Mercury’s space and to discuss key issues of reconnection that will be addressed by BepiColombo, including the dynamics of magnetic flux ropes, particle acceleration, density asymmetric reconnection, IMF-driven near-tail structures, and potential modes of magnetospheric convection.