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The Earth’s Ionosphere limits radio measurements on its surface, blocking out any radiation below 10 MHz. Valuable insight into many astrophysical processes could be gained by having a radio interferometer in space to image the low frequency window, which has never been achieved. One application for such a system is observing type II bursts that track solar energetic particle acceleration occurring at Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)-driven shocks. This is one of the primary science targets for SunRISE, a 6 CubeSat interferometer to circle the Earth in a GEO graveyard orbit. SunRISE is a NASA Heliophysics Mission of Opportunity that began Phase B (Formulation) in June 2020, and plans to launch for a 12-month mission in mid-2023. In this work we present an update to the data processing and science analysis pipeline for SunRISE and evaluate its performance in localizing type II bursts around a simulated CME.To create realistic virtual type II input data, we employ a 2-temperature MHD simulation of the May 13th 2005 CME event, and superimpose realistic radio emission models on the CME-driven shock front, and propagate the signal through the simulated array. Data cuts based on different plasma parameter thresholds (e.g. de Hoffman-Teller velocity and angle between shock normal and the upstream magnetic field) are tested to get the best match to the true recorded emission. This model type II emission is then fed to the SunRISE data processing pipeline to ensure that the array can localize the emission. We include realistic thermal noise dominated by the galactic background at these low frequencies, as well as new sources of phase noise from positional uncertainty of each spacecraft. We test simulated trajectories of SunRISE and image what the array recovers, comparing it to the virtual input, finding that SunRISE can resolve the source of type II emission to within its prescribed goal of 1/3 the CME width. This shows that SunRISE will significantly advance the scientific community’s understanding of type II burst generation, and consequently, acceleration of solar energetic particles at CMEs. This unique combination of SunRISE observations and MHD recreations of space weather events will allow an unprecedented look into the plasma parameters important for these processes.

The young magnetically active solar-like stars are efficient generators of ionizing radiation in the form of X-ray and Extreme UV (EUV) flux, stellar wind and eruptive events. These outputs are the critical factors affecting atmospheric escape and chemistry of (exo)planets around active stars. While X-ray fluxes and surface magnetic fields can be derived from observations, the EUV emission and wind mass fluxes, Coronal Mass Ejections and associated Stellar Energetic Particle events cannot be directly observed. Here, we present the results of a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model with inputs constrained by spectropolarimetric data, HST/STIS Far UV, X-ray data data and stellar magnetic maps reconstructed at two epochs separated by 11 months. The simulations show that over the course of the year, the global stellar corona had undergone a drastic transition from a simple dipole-like to a tilted dipole with multipole field components, and thus, provided favorable conditions for Corotating Interaction Events (CIRs) that drive strong shocks. The dynamic pressure exerted by CIRs are 1300 times larger than those observed from the Sun and can contribute to the atmospheric erosion of early Venus, Earth, Mars and young Earth-like exoplanets. Our data-constrained MHD model provides the framework to model coronal environments of G-M planet hosting dwarfs. The model outputs can serve as a realistic input for exoplanetary atmospheric models to evaluate the impact of stellar coronal emission, stellar winds and CIRs on their atmospheric escape and chemistry that can be tested in the upcoming JWST and ground-based observations., Comment: 28 pages, 8 figures

We investigate the wind of lambda And, a solar-mass star that has evolved off the main sequence becoming a sub-giant. We present spectropolarimetric observations and use them to reconstruct the surface magnetic field of lambda And. Although much older than our Sun, this star exhibits a stronger (reaching up to 83 G) large-scale magnetic field, which is dominated by the poloidal component. To investigate the wind of lambda And, we use the derived magnetic map to simulate two stellar wind scenarios, namely a polytropic wind (thermally-driven) and an Alfven-wave driven wind with turbulent dissipation. From our 3D magnetohydrodynamics simulations, we calculate the wind thermal emission and compare it to previously published radio observations and more recent VLA observations, which we present here. These observations show a basal sub-mJy quiescent flux level at ~5 GHz and, at epochs, a much larger flux density (>37 mJy), likely due to radio flares. By comparing our model results with the radio observations of lambda And, we can constrain its mass-loss rate Mdot. There are two possible conclusions. 1) Assuming the quiescent radio emission originates from the stellar wind, we conclude that lambda And has Mdot ~ 3e-9 Msun/yr, which agrees with the evolving mass-loss rate trend for evolved solar-mass stars. 2) Alternatively, if the quiescent emission does not originate from the wind, our models can only place an upper limit on mass-loss rates, indicating that Mdot, Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We carry out a study of the global three-dimensional (3D) structure of the electron density and temperature of the quiescent inner solar corona ( $r

The most intense solar energetic particle events are produced by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) accompanied by intense type II radio bursts below 15 MHz. Understanding where these type II bursts are generated relative to an erupting CME would reveal important details of particle acceleration near the Sun, but the emission cannot be imaged on Earth due to distortion from its ionosphere. Here, a technique is introduced to identify the likely source location of the emission by comparing the observed dynamic spectrum observed from a single spacecraft against synthetic spectra made from hypothesized emitting regions within a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) numerical simulation of the recreated CME. The radio-loud 2005 May 13 CME was chosen as a test case, with Wind/WAVES radio data used to frame the inverse problem of finding the most likely progression of burst locations. An MHD recreation is used to create synthetic spectra for various hypothesized burst locations. A framework is developed to score these synthetic spectra by their similarity to the type II frequency profile derived from Wind/WAVES data. Simulated areas with 4x enhanced entropy and elevated de Hoffmann Teller velocities are found to produce synthetic spectra similar to spacecraft observations. A geometrical analysis suggests that the eastern edge of the entropy derived shock around (-30, 0) degrees in heliocentric coordinates was emitting in the first hour of the event before ceasing emission, and that the western/southwestern edge of the shock centered around (6, -12) degrees was a dominant area of radio emission for the 2 hours of simulation data out to 20 solar radii., Comment: 29 pages, 17 figures, accepted to the Astrophysical Journal

We perform a validation study of the latest version of the Alfv\'{e}n Wave Solar atmosphere Model (AWSoM) within the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). To do so, we compare the simulation results of the model with a comprehensive suite of observations for Carrington rotations representative of the solar minimum conditions extending from the solar corona to the heliosphere up to the Earth. In the low corona ($r < 1.25$ \Rs), we compare with EUV images from both STEREO-A/EUVI and SDO/AIA and to three-dimensional (3-D) tomographic reconstructions of the electron temperature and density based on these same data. We also compare the model to tomographic reconstructions of the electron density from SOHO/LASCO observations ($2.55 < r < 6.0$\Rs). In the heliosphere, we compare model predictions of solar wind speed with velocity reconstructions from InterPlanetary Scintillation (IPS) observations. For comparison with observations near the Earth, we use OMNI data. Our results show that the improved AWSoM model performs well in quantitative agreement with the observations between the inner corona and 1 AU. The model now reproduces the fast solar wind speed in the polar regions. Near the Earth, our model shows good agreement with observations of solar wind velocity, proton temperature and density. AWSoM offers an extensive application to study the solar corona and larger heliosphere in concert with current and future solar missions as well as being well suited for space weather predictions.

The history and present state of large-scale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling of the solar corona and the solar wind with steady or quasi-steady coronal physics is reviewed. We put the evolution of ideas leading to the recognition of the existence of an expanding solar atmosphere into historical context. The development and main features of the first generation of global corona and solar wind models are described in detail. This historical perspective is also applied to the present suite of global corona and solar wind models. We discuss the evolution of new ideas and their implementation into numerical simulation codes. We point out the scientific and computational challenges facing these models and discuss the ways various groups tried to overcome these challenges. Next, we discuss the latest, state-of-the art models and point to the expected next steps in modeling the corona and the interplanetary medium., Comment: Accepted for publication, Living Reviews in Solar Physics, 2018

We examine a three-dimensional (3-D) numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation describing a very fast interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) propagating from the solar corona to 1 AU. In conjunction with its high speed, the ICME evolves in ways that give it a unique appearance at 1 AU that does not resemble a typical ICME. First, as the ICME decelerates far from the Sun in the solar wind, filament material at the back of the flux rope pushes its way forward through the flux rope. Second, diverging nonradial flows in front of the filament transport poloidal flux of the rope to the sides of the ICME. Third, the magnetic flux rope reconnects with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). As a consequence of these processes, the flux rope partially unravels and appears to evolve to an entirely unbalanced configuration. At the same time, filament material at the base of the flux rope moves forward and comes in direct contact with the shocked plasma in the CME sheath. We find evidence that such remarkable behavior has actually occurred when we examine a very fast CME that erupted from the Sun on 2005 January 20. In situ observations of this event near 1 AU show very dense cold material impacting the Earth following immediately behind the CME sheath. Charge state analysis shows this dense plasma is filament material. Consistent with the simulation, we find the poloidal flux (Bz) to be entirely unbalanced, giving the appearance that the flux rope has eroded. The dense solar filament material and unbalanced positive IMF Bz produced a number of anomalous features in a moderate magnetic storm already underway, which are described in a companion paper by Kozyra et al. (2014).

We have developed a new three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar wind model coupled to the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) that solves for the different electron and proton temperatures. The collisions between the electrons and protons are taken into account as well as the anisotropic thermal heat conduction of the electrons. The solar wind is assumed to be accelerated by the Alfven waves. In this paper, we do not consider the heating of closed magnetic loops and helmet streamers but do address the heating of the protons by the Kolmogorov dissipation of the Alfven waves in open field-line regions. The inner boundary conditions for this solar wind model are obtained from observations and an empirical model. The Wang-Sheeley-Arge model is used to determine the Alfven wave energy density at the inner boundary. The electron density and temperature at the inner boundary are obtained from the differential emission measure tomography applied to the extreme-ultraviolet images of the STEREO A and B spacecraft. This new solar wind model is validated for solar minimum Carrington rotation 2077 (2008 November 20 through December 17). Due to the very low activity during this rotation, this time period is suitable for comparing the simulated corotating interaction regions (CIRs) with in situ ACE/WIND data. Although we do not capture all MHD variables perfectly, we do find that the time of occurrence and the density of CIRs are better predicted than by our previous semi-empirical wind model in the SWMF that was based on a spatially reduced adiabatic index to account for the plasma heating.

We have begun a series of laboratory experiments focused on understanding how coronal mass ejections (CME) interact and evolve in the solar wind. The experiments make use of the Helicon-Cathode (HelCat) plasma facility, and the Plasma Bubble eXperiment (PBeX). PBeX can generate CME-like structures (sphereomak geometry) that propagate into the high-density, magnetized background plasma of the HelCat device. The goal of the current research is to compare CME evolution under conditions where there is sheared flow in the background plasma, versus without flow; observations suggest that CME evolution is strongly influenced by such sheared flow regions. Results of these studies will be used to validate numerical simulations of CME evolution, in particular the 3D BATS-R-US MHD code of the University of Michigan. Initial studies have characterized the plasma bubble as it evolves into the background field with and without plasma (no shear).

On 13 February 2009, a coronal wave -- CME -- dimming event was observed in quadrature by the STEREO spacecraft. We analyze this event using a three-dimensional, global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model for the solar corona. The numerical simulation is driven and constrained by the observations, and indicates where magnetic reconnection occurs between the expanding CME core and surrounding environment. We focus primarily on the lower corona, extending out to $3R_{\odot}$; this range allows simultaneous comparison with both EUVI and COR1 data. Our simulation produces a diffuse coronal bright front remarkably similar to that observed by STEREO/EUVI at 195 \AA. It is made up of \emph{two} components, and is the result of a combination of both wave and non-wave mechanisms. The CME becomes large-scale quite low ($

This study examines the tail disconnection event on April 20, 2007 on comet 2P/Encke, caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) at a heliocentric distance of 0.34 AU. During their interaction, both the CME and the comet are visible with high temporal and spatial resolution by the STEREO-A spacecraft. Previously, only current sheets or shocks have been accepted as possible reasons for comet tail disconnections, so it is puzzling that the CME caused this event. The MHD simulation presented in this work reproduces the interaction process and demonstrates how the CME triggered a tail disconnection in the April 20 event. It is found that the CME disturbs the comet with a combination of a $180^\circ$ sudden rotation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), followed by a $90^\circ$ gradual rotation. Such an interpretation applies our understanding of solar wind-comet interactions to determine the \textit{in situ} IMF orientation of the CME encountering Encke.

We present three-dimensional numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) initiated by the breakout mechanism. The initial steady state consists of a bipolar active region embedded in the solar wind. The field orientation of the active region is opposite to that of the overarching helmet streamer, so that this pre-eruptive region consists of three arcades with a magnetic null line on the leading edge of the central arcade. By applying footpoint motion near the polarity inversion line of the central arcade, the breakout reconnection is turned on. During the eruption, the plasma in front of the breakout arcade gets swept up. The latter effect causes a pre-event swelling of the streamer. The width of the helmet streamer increases in time and follows a "bugle" pattern. In this paper, we will demonstrate that if this pre-event streamer swelling is insufficient, reconnection on the sides of the erupting breakout arcade/flux rope sets in. This will ultimately disconnect the helmet top, resulting in a streamer blowout CME. On the other hand, if this pre-event swelling is effective enough, the breakout reconnection will continue all the way to the top of the helmet streamer. The breakout mechanisms will then succeed in creating a breakout CME.

Observations of type II radio bursts and energetic electron events indicate that shocks can form at 1Y3 solar radii and are responsible for the GeV nucleon � 1 energies observed in ground level solar energetic particle (SEP) events. Hereweprovidethefirststudyof thelowercoronaproducedfrom10state-of-the-artmodels.Inparticular,welookto the Alfven speed profiles as the criterion for shock formation, independent of exciting agent (e.g., flares and CMEs). GlobalmagnetohydrodynamicmodelsproduceAlfvenspeedprofilesthatareinconflictwithobservations:(1)multiple SEP events are observed with a single exciting agent, but most profiles are missing the ''hump'' required to form multiple shocks; and (2) few slow CMEs cause large SEP events, but most profiles drop very quickly, allowing all slow CMEs to drive strong shocks to form between 1 and 3 R� . Simplified Alfven wave-driven wind models have steeper profiles, but are still in disagreement with multiple shock formation. Only studies that include Alfven waves with physically based damping are in agreement with observations. This implies the results of these one-dimensional local studies must be included in global models before we can study shock formation in the lower corona.

We simulate the May 12, 1997 space weather event from the Sun to the Earth. The initiation of the coronal mass ejection (CME) was done by superimposing a semi-circular, out-of-equilibrium magnetic flux rope onto a semi-empirical, steady-state solar corona model (SCM). The result at 1 AU was obtained by coupling the SCM with an inner heliosphere model (IHM). Our results demonstrate that the CME parameters can be obtained from magnetogram data and white-light observations and that the results at 1 AU can be simulated faster than the real time, even with the use of a relatively moderate computation resources. This particular event, however, is found to be very difficult to model, despite the fact that it is temporarily isolated in time from other CME events and it occurred during a solar minimum period. We found that the active region flux rope should be resolved with higher resolution in order to maintain its integrity while propagating into space. This way we can obtain a better agreement with measurements at 1 AU.

Recent theoretical and numerical works have shown that shearing motions observed during magnetic flux emergence are driven by the Lorentz force. The Lorentz force results from the nonuniform expansion of the magnetic field in a highly pressure-stratified atmosphere. This deformation of the flux system causes the axial component of the field to become weaker (along field lines) in the corona than in the lower atmosphere, which produces the shearing Lorentz force. The shear flows result in the magnetic field being drawn parallel to the polarity inversion lines of active regions as observed at the photosphere and in filaments. In order to arrive at an equilibrium state after flux emergence, the axial field must evolve to be constant along field lines. This nonlocal requirement for force balance results in a coupling by shear flows that act to equilibrate the axial magnetic field. This paper will elaborate on the dynamic coupling such shearing flows cause between the layers of the solar atmosphere. This coupling occurs by way of self-organized flows that transport magnetic flux and energy from below the photosphere into the corona. This work explains how coronal magnetic fields become energized to produce coronal mass ejections and two-ribbon flares.

We describe a method to measure the magnetic field orientation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using Faraday rotation (FR). Two basic FR profiles, Gaussian-shaped with a single polarity or "N"-like with polarity reversals, are produced by a radio source occulted by a moving flux rope depending on its orientation. These curves are consistent with the Helios observations, providing evidence for the flux-rope geometry of CMEs. Many background radio sources can map CMEs in FR onto the sky. We demonstrate with a simple flux rope that the magnetic field orientation and helicity of the flux rope can be determined 2-3 days before it reaches Earth, which is of crucial importance for space weather forecasting. An FR calculation based on global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of CMEs in a background heliosphere shows that FR mapping can also resolve a CME geometry curved back to the Sun. We discuss implementation of the method using data from the Mileura Widefield Array (MWA)., Comment: 22 pages with 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophys. J

We present a three-dimensional compressible magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) simulation of the three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) of 2000 November 24, originating from NOAA active region 9236. These three ejections, with velocities around 1200 km s-1 and associated with X-class flares, erupted from the Sun in a period of about 16.5 hr. In our simulation, the coronal magnetic field is reconstructed from MDI magnetogram data, the steady-state solar wind is based on a varying polytropic index model, and the ejections are initiated using out-of-equilibrium semicylindrical flux ropes with a size smaller than the active region. The simulations are carried out with the Space Weather Modeling Framework. We are able to reproduce the shape and velocity of the CMEs as observed by the LASCO C3 coronograph. The complex ejecta resulting from the interaction of the three CMEs is preceded at Earth by a single shock wave, which, in our simulation, arrives at Earth 10 hr later than the shock observed by the Wind spacecraft. This article discusses the three-dimensional aspects of the propagation, interaction, and merging of the forward shock waves associated with the three ejections. Synthetic images from the Heliospheric Imagers onboard the STEREO spacecraft are produced, and we predict that the large density jump associated with the interaction of the shocks should be observed by those coronographs in the near future.

The higher charge states found in slow ($, Comment: Submitted to the Astrophysical Journal

We present a new MHD model for simulating the large-scale structure of the solar corona and solar wind under "steady state" conditions stemming from the Wang-Sheeley-Arge empirical model. The processes of turbulent heating in the solar wind are parameterized using a phenomenological, thermodynamical model with a varied polytropic index. We employ the Bernoulli integral to bridge the asymptotic solar wind speed with the assumed distribution of the polytropic index on the solar surface. We successfully reproduce the mass flux from Sun to Earth, the temperature structure, and the large-scale structure of the magnetic field. We reproduce the solar wind speed bimodal structure in the inner heliosphere. However, the solar wind speed is in a quantitative agreement with observations at 1 AU for solar maximum conditions only. The magnetic field comparison demonstrates that the input magnetogram needs to be multiplied by a scaling factor in order to obtain the correct magnitude at 1 AU.

We present a three-dimensional (3-D) numerical ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model describing the time-dependent propagation of a CME from the solar corona to Earth in just 18 h. The simulations are performed using the BATS-R-US (Block Adaptive Tree Solarwind Roe Upwind Scheme) code. We begin by developing a global steady-state model of the corona that possesses high-latitude coronal holes and a helmet streamer structure with a current sheet at the equator. The Archimedian spiral topology of the interplanetary magnetic field is reproduced along with fast and slow speed solar wind. Within this model system, we drive a CME to erupt by the introduction of a Gibson–Low magnetic flux rope that is embedded in the helmet streamer in an initial state of force imbalance. The flux rope rapidly expands, driving a very fast CME with an initial speed of in excess of 4000 km/s and slowing to a speed of nearly 2000 km/s at Earth. We find our model predicts a thin sheath around the flux rope, passing the earth in only 2 h. Shocked solar wind temperatures at 1 astronomical unit (AU) are in excess of 10 million degrees. Physics based AMR allows us to capture the structure of the CME focused on a particular Sun–Earth line with high spatial resolution given to the bow shock ahead of the flux rope.

We present results from a coupled magnetospheric and ionospheric simulation of a very strong solar wind shock and coronal mass ejection (CME). The solar wind drivers that are used for this simulation were output from the Sun-to-Earth MHD simulation of the Carrington-like CME reported in Manchester et al. [Manchester IV, W., Ridley, A., Gombosi, T., De Zeeuw, D. Modeling the Sun–Earth propagation of a very fast cme. Adv. Space Res. 38 (this issue), 2006]. We use the University of Michigan’s BATS-R-US MHD code to model the global magnetosphere and coupled height integrated ionosphere. As the interplanetary shock swept over the magnetosphere, a wave is observed to propagate through the system. This is evident both in the magnetosphere and ionosphere. On the dayside, the magnetospheric bowshock is shown to bifurcate. The inner shock is pushed close to the inner boundary, where it “bounces” and propagates back outwards to meet the outer bowshock, which is propagating inwards. The inward and outward motion of the bowshocks can be observed propagating down the flanks of the magnetosphere. In the ionosphere, the wave is manifested as two pairs of field-aligned currents moving antisunward. The first pair is opposite of the normal region-1 current system, while the second pair is in the same sense as the normal region-1 system. The ionospheric potential shows a behavior consistent with the field-aligned current pattern, given the strong gradient in the conductance from the dayside to the nightside. As the magnetic cloud flows over the system, the entire magnetopause boundary is observed to move inside of geosynchronous orbit (6.6 R e ). At the time of the most extreme solar wind conditions, the magnetopause boundary encounters the inner edge of the magnetospheric simulation domain. During the magnetic cloud, the ionospheric cross-polar cap potential is shown to match the Siscoe et al. [Siscoe, G.L., Erickson, G., Sonnerup, B., Maynard, N., Schoendorf, J., Siebert, K., Weimer, D., White, W., Wilson, G. Hill model of transpolar potential saturation: comparisons with MHD simulations. J. Geophys. Res. 107, 1321, doi:10.1029/2001JA009176 , 2002] formulation relating the ionospheric potential to the solar wind and IMF conditions. It is shown that by using this formulation, the extremely large potentials observed in the MHD results are most likely saturated.

We present a discussion of the time evolution of the mass and energy of a model coronal mass ejection (CME), analyzing both synthetic coronograph images and three-dimensional data of the numerical ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation. Our global steady state coronal model possesses high-latitude coronal holes and a helmet streamer structure with a current sheet near the equator, reminiscent of near solar minimum conditions. Within this model system, we drive a CME to erupt by the introduction of a Gibson-Low magnetic flux rope that is embedded in the helmet streamer in an initial state of force imbalance. The flux rope rapidly expands and is ejected from the corona with maximum speeds in excess of 1000 km s-1 driving a fast-mode shock that propagates from the inner corona to a distance of 1 AU. We study the mass and energetics of the CME inferred from the three-dimensional results of the simulation, as well as calculated from synthetic coronograph images produced at different times. The two-dimensional plane-of-sky density structure of a CME is discussed for wide-angle coronographs, such as the Heliospheric Imager (HI-2) on board STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory), and compared with the three-dimensional density structure. We found that the CME mass derived from the synthetic coronographic images is an underestimate by about 50% of the total mass of the CME according to the three-dimensional data. Two main reasons can be invoked: the poor assumption that all the mass of the CME is in the plane of the sky and the wrapping of the front shock around the density-depleted cavity, which leads to an apparent decrease in brightness of the front shock.

The diffusive acceleration of solar protons at a shock wave driven by a realistic coronal mass ejection is modeled using a new field line advection model for particle acceleration coupled with a global MHD code. The new model described in this Letter includes effects important for the particle acceleration and transport, by means of diffusive shock acceleration, and employs Lagrangian meshes. We performed a frequent dynamical coupling between two numerical codes in order to account for the time-dependent history of an evolving shock wave driven by a solar eruption. The numerical results discussed here demonstrate that this mechanism can account for the production of high-energy solar protons observed during the early stages of gradual events.

To model the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar wind, magnetic fields must be included. Recently Opher et al. 2003 found that, by including the solar magnetic field in a 3D high resolution simulation using the University of Michigan BATS-R-US code, a jet-sheet structure forms beyond the solar wind Termination Shock. Here we present an even higher resolution three-dimensional case where the jet extends for $150AU$ beyond the Termination Shock. We discuss the formation of the jet due to a de Laval nozzle effect and it's su bsequent large period oscillation due to magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. To verify the source of the instability, we also perform a simplified two dimensional-geometry magnetohydrodynamic calculation of a plane fluid jet embedded in a neutral sheet with the profiles taken from our 3D simulation. We find remarkable agreement with the full three-dimensional evolution. We compare both simulations and the temporal evolution of the jet showing that the sinuous mode is the dominant mode that develops into a velocity-shear-instability with a growth rate of $5 \times 10^{-9} sec^{-1}=0.027 years^{-1}$. As a result, the outer edge of the heliosphere presents remarkable dynamics, such as turbulent flows caused by the motion of the jet. Further study, e.g., including neutrals and the tilt of the solar rotation from the magnetic axis, is required before we can definitively address how this outer boundary behaves. Already, however, we can say that the magnetic field effects are a major player in this region changing our previous notion of how the solar system ends., Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal (2004)

Space-environment simulations, particularly those involving space plasma, present significant computational challenges. Global computational models based on magnetohydrodynamics equations are essential to understanding the solar system's plasma phenomena, including the large-scale solar corona, the solar wind's interaction with planetary magnetospheres, comets, and interstellar medium, and the initiation, structure, and evolution of solar eruptive events.

We present a new compressible MHD model for simulating the three-dimensional structure of the solar wind under steady state conditions. The initial potential magnetic field is reconstructed throughout the computational volume using the source surface method, in which the necessary boundary conditions for the field are provided by solar magnetogram data. The solar wind in our simulations is powered by the energy interchange between the plasma and large-scale MHD turbulence, assuming that the additional energy is stored in the "turbulent" internal degrees of freedom. In order to reproduce the observed bimodal structure of the solar wind, the thermodynamic quantities for the initial state are varied with the heliographic latitude and longitude depending on the strength of the radial magnetic field.

A physical analysis is presented of two distinct families of two-dimensional (2D) analytical solutions for isothermal periodic magnetostatic atmospheres in uniform gravity, one arrived at by Dungey and the other arrived at by Low and Manchester. It is demonstrated that particular members of the two families of 2D equilibria may be generated from the same planar state by plasma displacements which move the system through continuous sequences of equilibria while ensuring flux freezing. The two families of solutions both possess undulating magnetic field lines but geometrically different flux surfaces. The Dungey solutions can be created from a planar state by an undulating deformation whose spatial variation is along the field lines. By contrast, the 2D plane of variation of the Low-Manchester solutions lies at an angle to the field lines of the planar state. As a result, a mixed mode of undulating, interchange and shearing displacements must be made to the planar state to produce the more complex 2D state. Finally, the physical properties of these topologically equivalent states, including the magnetic and electrical helicities and the hydromagnetic potential energy, as introduced by Mouschovias, are discussed in terms of the variational principles of Kruskal and Kulsrud.

We simulate the buoyant rise of a magnetic flux rope from the solar convection zone into the corona to better understand the energetic coupling of the solar interior to the corona. The magnetohydrodynamic model addresses the physics of radiative cooling, coronal heating, and ionization, which allow us to produce a more realistic model of the solar atmosphere. The simulation illustrates the process by which magnetic flux emerges at the photosphere and coalesces to form two large concentrations of opposite polarities. We find that the large-scale convective motion in the convection zone is critical to form and maintain sunspots, while the horizontal converging flows in the near-surface layer prevent the concentrated polarities from separating. The footpoints of the sunspots in the convection zone exhibit a coherent rotation motion, resulting in the increasing helicity of the coronal field. Here, the local configuration of the convection causes the convergence of opposite polarities of magnetic flux with a shearing flow along the polarity inversion line. During the rising of the flux rope, the magnetic energy is first injected through the photosphere by the emergence, followed by energy transport by horizontal flows, after which the energy is subducted back to the convection zone by the submerging flows.

We examine the upstream meridional deflection flows of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) in an effort to investigate their cross-sectional shape and the magnetic field orientation in their sheath regions. Eight out of 11 magnetic clouds (MCs) near solar minimum identified for the curvature study are concave outward as indicated by the elevation angle of the MC normal with respect to the solar equatorial plane; an inverse correlation is observed between the meridional deflection flow and the spacecraft latitude for these concave-outward MCs, which suggests that the upstream plasma is deflected toward the equatorial plane. MHD simulations, however, show that the meridional deflection flow moves poleward for a concave-outward CME. The poleward flow deflection is observed only ahead of convex-outward MCs. Possibilities leading to this discrepancy are discussed. The deflection flow speed in sheath regions of ICMEs increases with the ICME speed relative to the ambient solar wind, which together with the coupling between the meridional magnetic field and deflection flow yields a positive linear correlation between the sheath meridional field and the ICME relative speed. This empirical relationship could predict the sheath meridional field based on the observed CME speed, which may be useful for space weather forecasting as ICME sheaths are often geoeffective. Implications of the deflection flows and ICME curvature are also discussed in terms of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in ICME sheaths.

We numerically model the coronal mass ejection (CME) event of October 28, 2003 that erupted from active region 10486 and propagated to Earth in less than 20 hours causing severe geomagnetic storms. The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model is formulated by first arriving at a steady state corona and solar wind employing synoptic magnetograms. We initiate two CMEs from the same active region, one approximately a day earlier that preconditions the solar wind for the much faster CME on the 28th. This second CME travels through the corona at a rate of over 2500 km s$^{-1}$ driving a strong forward shock. We clearly identify this shock in an image produced by the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) C3, and reproduce the shock and its appearance in synthetic white light images from the simulation. We find excellent agreement with both the general morphology and the quantitative brightness of the model CME with LASCO observations. These results demonstrate that the CME shape is largely determined by its interaction with the ambient solar wind and may not be sensitive to the initiation process. We then show how the CME would appear as observed by wide-angle coronagraphs onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft. We find complex time evolution of the white-light images as a result of the way in which the density structures pass through the Thomson sphere. The simulation is performed with the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF)., Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures

[1] We present the results of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the nonlinear development of instabilities of magnetically sheared arcades and show how they relate to plasmoid ejections and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). To model the arcade disruptions, we capitalize on a family of analytical solutions for initial states; these describe magnetic arcades in uniform gravity that are characterized by magnetic shear. Two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5-D) time-dependent simulations were performed with the ZEUS-2D code to show the response of the arcades to small velocity perturbations. The model arcades respond by rising and expanding, and most significantly, we find shearing motions naturally arise in conjunction with the instability. This field line shearing is in response to the Lorentz force, which drives large-amplitude Alfven waves, which in turn transport magnetic shear from the lower to the upper extremities of the arcades. The self-induced shear Alfven waves, coupled with magnetic buoyancy, provide a feedback mechanism that drives the arcades to a loss of equilibrium and disruption following a long period of slow rise and expansion. These simulations of arcade disruptions may be relevant with regard to CME initiation for three major reasons. First, the arcade disruptions are the result of undriven magnetic buoyancy instabilities. Second, magnetic field line shearing is an intrinsic aspect of the instability that occurs spontaneously and is driven only by the magnetic tension force. (No imposed shear motions are specified.) Third, the arcade disruption process has been found to repeat without prompting.

The Voyager spacecraft is now approaching the edge of the solar system. Near the boundary between the solar system and the interstellar medium we find that an unstable ``jet-sheet'' forms. The jet-sheet oscillates up and down due to a velocity shear instability. This result is due to a novel application of a state-of-art 3D Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code with a highly refined grid. We assume as a first approximation that the solar magnetic and rotation axes are aligned. The effect of a tilt of the magnetic axis with respect to the rotation axis remains to be seen. We include in the model self-consistently magnetic field effects in the interaction between the solar and interstellar winds. Previous studies of this interaction had poorer spatial resolution and did not include the solar magnetic field. This instability can affect the entry of energetic particles into the solar system and the intermixing of solar and interstellar material. The same effect found here is predicted for the interaction of rotating magnetized stars possessing supersonic winds and moving with respect to the interstellar medium, such as O stars., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

We present a new version of the Alfven Wave Solar Model (AWSoM), a global model from the upper chromosphere to the corona and the heliosphere. The coronal heating and solar wind acceleration are addressed with low-frequency Alfven wave turbulence. The injection of Alfven wave energy at the inner boundary is such that the Poynting flux is proportional to the magnetic field strength. The three-dimensional magnetic field topology is simulated using data from photospheric magnetic field measurements. This model does not impose open-closed magnetic field boundaries; those develop self-consistently. The physics includes: (1) The model employs three different temperatures, namely the isotropic electron temperature and the parallel and perpendicular ion temperatures. The firehose, mirror, and ion-cyclotron instabilities due to the developing ion temperature anisotropy are accounted for. (2) The Alfven waves are partially reflected by the Alfven speed gradient and the vorticity along the field lines. The resulting counter-propagating waves are responsible for the nonlinear turbulent cascade. The balanced turbulence due to uncorrelated waves near the apex of the closed field lines and the resulting elevated temperatures are addressed. (3) To apportion the wave dissipation to the three temperatures, we employ the results of the theories of linear wave damping and nonlinear stochastic heating. (4) We have incorporated the collisional and collisionless electron heat conduction. We compare the simulated multi-wavelength EUV images of CR2107 with the observations from STEREO/EUVI and SDO/AIA instruments. We demonstrate that the reflection due to strong magnetic fields in proximity of active regions intensifies the dissipation and observable emission sufficiently., 26 pages, 5 figures; submitted to the Astrophysical Journal

We report on a numerical investigation of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) which interact as they propagate in the inner heliosphere. We focus on the effect of the orientation of the CMEs relative to each other by performing four different simulations with the axis of the second CME rotated by 90 degrees from one simulation to the next. Each magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is performed in three dimensions (3-D) with the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) in an idealized setting reminiscent of solar minimum conditions. We extract synthetic satellite measurements during and after the interaction and compare the different cases. We also analyze the kinematics of the two CMEs, including the evolution of their widths and aspect ratios. We find that the first CME contracts radially as a result of the interaction in all cases, but the amount of subsequent radial expansion depends on the relative orientation of the two CMEs. Reconnection between the two ejecta and between the ejecta and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) determines the type of structure resulting from the interaction. When a CME with a high inclination with respect to the ecliptic overtakes one with a low inclination, it is possible to create a compound event with a smooth rotation in the magnetic field vector over more than 180 degrees. Due to reconnection, the second CME only appears as an extended "tail", and the event may be mistaken for a glancing encounter with an isolated CME. This configuration differs significantly from the one usually studied of a multiple-magnetic cloud event, which we found to be associated with the interaction of two CMEs with the same orientation., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 1 table; revised version to ApJ

During Carrington rotation (CR) 2107, a fast coronal mass ejection (CME; >2000 km s −1 ) occurred in active region NOAA 11164. This event is also associated with a solar energetic particle event. In this study, we present simulations of this CME with one-temperature (1T) and two-temperature (2T: coupled thermodynamics of the electron and proton populations) models. Both the 1T and 2T models start from the chromosphere with heat conduction and radiative cooling. The background solar wind is driven by Alfv´ en-wave pressure and heated by Alfv´ en-wave dissipation in which we have incorporated the balanced turbulence at the top of the closed field lines. The magnetic field of the inner boundary is set up using a synoptic map from Solar Dynamics Observatory/ Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager. The Titov–D´ emoulin flux-rope model is used to initiate the CME event. We compare the propagation of fast CMEs and the thermodynamics of CME-driven shocks in both the 1T and 2T CME simulations. Also, the synthesized white light images are compared with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/ Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph observations. Because there is no distinction between electron and proton temperatures, heat conduction in the 1T model creates an unphysical temperature precursor in front of the CME-driven shock and makes the shock parameters (e.g., shock Mach number, compression ratio) incorrect. Our results demonstrate the importance of the electron heat conduction in conjunction with proton shock heating in order to produce the physically correct CME structures and CME-driven shocks.

We present a new global model of the solar corona, including the low corona, the transition region, and the top of the chromosphere. The realistic three-dimensional magnetic field is simulated using the data from the photospheric magnetic field measurements. The distinctive feature of the new model is incorporating MHD Alfven wave turbulence. We assume this turbulence and its nonlinear dissipation to be the only momentum and energy source for heating the coronal plasma and driving the solar wind. The difference between the turbulence dissipation efficiency in coronal holes and that in closed field regions is because the nonlinear cascade rate degrades in strongly anisotropic (imbalanced) turbulence in coronal holes (no inward propagating wave), thus resulting in colder coronal holes, from which the fast solar wind originates. The detailed presentation of the theoretical model is illustrated with the synthetic images for multi-wavelength EUV emission compared with the observations from SDO AIA and STEREO EUVI instruments for the Carrington rotation 2107.

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), a kind of energetic solar eruptions, are an integral subject of space weather research. Numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling, which requires powerful computational resources, is one of the primary means of studying the phenomenon. With increasing accessibility of such resources, grows the demand for user-friendly tools that would facilitate the process of simulating CMEs for scientific and operational purposes. The Eruptive Event Generator based on Gibson-Low flux rope (EEGGL), a new publicly available computational model presented in this paper, is an effort to meet this demand. EEGGL allows one to compute the parameters of a model flux rope driving a CME via an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI). We provide a brief overview of the physical principles behind EEGGL and its functionality. Ways towards future improvements of the tool are outlined.

We present a first-principles-based coronal mass ejection (CME) model suitable for both scientific and operational purposes by combining a global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) solar wind model with a flux rope-driven CME model. Realistic CME events are simulated self-consistently with high fidelity and forecasting capability by constraining initial flux rope parameters with observational data from GONG, SOHO/LASCO, and STEREO/COR. We automate this process so that minimum manual intervention is required in specifying the CME initial state. With the newly developed data-driven Eruptive Event Generator Gibson-Low (EEGGL), we present a method to derive Gibson-Low (GL) flux rope parameters through a handful of observational quantities so that the modeled CMEs can propagate with the desired CME speeds near the Sun. A test result with CMEs launched with different Carrington rotation magnetograms are shown. Our study shows a promising result for using the first-principles-based MHD global model as a forecasting tool, which is capable of predicting the CME direction of propagation, arrival time, and ICME magnetic field at 1 AU (see companion paper by Jin et al. 2016b)., Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables, accepted by ApJ