Exploring the radial evolution of interplanetary coronal mass ejections using EUHFORIA

Scolini, Camilla; Dasso, S.; Rodriguez, L.; Zhukov, A. N.; Poedts, Stefaan

doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202040226

Cited by 19 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…For obtaining additional uncertainty estimates we use Helios results from previous studies and add upper and lower boundaries for the ME density (Liu et al 2005; Wang et al 2005;Leitner et al 2007). For an uncertainty estimate of the density evolution of the ambient solar wind, we apply results from observations (Venzmer & Bothmer 2018) as well as recent model results from e.g., Scolini et al (2021), and use the standard deviation for the uncertainty estimate of the sheath density. Inspecting the linear fits for ME and sheath density, we obtain three intersection sectors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and evolution of sheath and leading edge structures of interplanetary coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere based on Helios and Parker Solar Probe observations

Temmer

Bothmer

2022

A&A

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Context. We investigated the plasma and magnetic field characteristics of the upstream regions of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their evolution as function of distance to the Sun in the inner heliosphere. Results are related both to the development of interplanetary shocks, sheath regions, and compressed solar wind plasma ahead of the magnetic ejecta (ME). Aims. From a sample of 45 ICMEs observed by Helios 1/2 and the Parker Solar Probe, we aim to identify four main density structures; namely shock, sheath, leading edge, and ME itself. We compared characteristic parameters (proton particle density, plasma-beta, temperature, magnetic field strength, proton bulk speed, and duration) to the upstream solar wind in order to investigate the interrelation between the different density structures. Methods. For the statistical investigation, we used plasma and magnetic field measurements from 40 well-observed Helios 1/2 events from 1974-1981. Helios data cover the distance range from 0.3-1 au. For comparison, we added a sample of five ICMEs observed with the Parker Solar Probe from 2019-2021 over the distance range of 0.32-0.75 au. Results. It is found that the sheath structure consists of compressed plasma as a consequence of the turbulent solar wind material following the shock and lies ahead of a region of compressed ambient solar wind. The region of compressed solar wind plasma is typically found directly in front of the magnetic driver and seems to match the bright leading edge commonly observed in remote sensing observations of CMEs. From the statistically derived density evolution over distance, we find the CME sheath becomes denser than the ambient solar wind at about 0.06 au. From 0.09-0.28 au, the sheath structure density starts to dominate over the density within the ME. The ME density seems to fall below the ambient solar wind density over 0.45-1.18 au. Besides the well-known expansion of the ME, the sheath size shows a weak positive correlation with distance, while the leading edge seems not to expand with distance from the Sun. We further find a moderate anti-correlation between sheath density and local solar wind plasma speed upstream of the ICME shock. An empirical relation is derived connecting the ambient solar wind speed with sheath and leading edge density. We provide constraints to these results in this paper. Conclusions. The average starting distance for actual sheath formation could be as close as 0.06 au. The early strong ME expansion quickly ceases with distance from the Sun and might lead to a dominance in the sheath density between 0.09 and 0.28 au. The leading edge can be understood as a separate structure of compressed ambient solar wind directly ahead of the ME and is likely the bright leading edge of CMEs often seen in coronagraph images. The results allow for better interpretation of ICME evolution and possibly the observed mass increase due to enlargement of the sheath material. The empirical relation between sheath and leading edge density and ambient solar wind speed...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and evolution of sheath and leading edge structures of interplanetary coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere based on Helios and Parker Solar Probe observations

Temmer

Bothmer

2022

A&A

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“…At 0.3 au (Figure 4, second row) the CME crosssection has expanded to an effective half-width of ∼ 60 • , indicating an over-expansion in the early stage of the propagation (Scolini et al 2019(Scolini et al , 2021. By the time the CME reaches 0.3 au, significant differences are visible in the CME cross-section and in the spatial distribution of the classification types between the two runs.…”

Section: Spatial Distribution Of Cme Complexity As a Function Of Distancementioning

confidence: 97%

“…The following initial parameters are used: radial speed equal to 800 km s −1 ; initial halfwidth of 45 • ; positive chirality (H = +1) with axial tilt (γ) of 90 • with respect to the northward direction (corresponding to a SWN flux-rope type; see Bothmer & Schwenn 1998); toroidal magnetic flux (ϕ t ) equal to 10 14 Wb (corresponding to a magnetic field strength of ∼ 25 nT at 1 au). Because of the pressure imbalance between the CME and the surrounding solar wind upon insertion in the heliospheric domain (leading to an expansion of the CME structure, as shown by Scolini et al 2019Scolini et al , 2021, the effective initial CME speed is ∼ 1100 km s −1 , which results in a fast CME that drives an interplanetary shock and sheath, as discussed in Section 3. Such a combination of initial parameters is representative of those of a typical fast CME with a reconnected flux of the order of 10 14 Wb (Pal et al 2018).…”

Section: Modeling Set-upmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection Complexity: A Numerical Study through a Swarm of Simulated Spacecraft

Scolini

Winslow

Lugaz

et al. 2021

ApJL

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In-situ measurements carried out by spacecraft in radial alignment are critical to advance our knowledge on the evolutionary behavior of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and their magnetic structures during propagation through interplanetary space. Yet, the scarcity of radially aligned CME crossings restricts investigations on the evolution of CME magnetic structures to a few case studies, preventing a comprehensive understanding of CME complexity changes during propagation. In this paper, we perform numerical simulations of CMEs interacting with different solar wind streams using the linear force-free spheromak CME model incorporated into the EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA) model. The novelty of our approach lies in the investigation of the evolution of CME complexity using a swarm of radially aligned, simulated spacecraft. Our scope is to determine under which conditions, and to what extent, CMEs exhibit variations of their magnetic structure and complexity during propagation, as measured by spacecraft that are radially aligned. Results indicate that the interaction with large-scale solar wind structures, and particularly with stream interaction regions, doubles the probability to detect an increase of the CME magnetic complexity between two spacecraft in radial alignment, compared to cases without such interactions. This work represents the first attempt to quantify the probability of detecting complexity changes in CME magnetic structures by spacecraft in radial alignment using numerical simulations, and it provides support to the interpretation of multi-point CME observations involving past, current (such as Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter), and future missions.

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“…The dashed vertical line in Fig. 2 indicates the arrival time of the simulated flux rope, which was determined following the methodology of Scolini et al (2021). At the entry into the CME flux rope, the measured magnetic field exhibited a sudden increase, whereas in the simulation the arrival of the flux rope occurred ∼9 h later, showing a much more gradual increase in the magnetic field magnitude.…”

Section: Simulating the Cme With Euhforiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation-based modelling of the energetic storm particle event of 14 July 2012

Wijsen

Aran

Scolini

et al. 2022

A&A

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Aims. We model the energetic storm particle (ESP) event of July 14, 2012 using the energetic particle acceleration and transport model named 'PArticle Radiation Asset Directed at Interplanetary Space Exploration' (PARADISE), together with the solar wind and coronal mass ejection (CME) model named 'EUropean Heliospheric FORcasting Information Asset' (EUHFORIA). The simulation results illustrate both the capabilities and limitations of the utilised models. We show that the models capture some essential structural features of the ESP event; however, for some aspects the simulations and observations diverge. We describe and, to some extent, assess the sources of errors in the modelling chain of EUHFORIA and PARADISE, and discuss how they may be mitigated in the future.Methods. The PARADISE model computes energetic particle distributions in the heliosphere by solving the focused transport equation in a stochastic manner. This is done using a background solar wind configuration generated by the ideal MHD module of EUHFORIA. The CME generating the ESP event is simulated by using the spheromak model of EUHFORIA, which approximates the CME by a linear force-free spheroidal magnetic field. In addition, a tool was developed to trace CME-driven shock waves in the EUHFORIA simulation domain. This tool is used in PARADISE to (i) inject 50 keV protons continuously at the CME-driven shock and (ii) include a foreshock and a sheath region, in which the energetic particle parallel mean free path, λ , decreases towards the shock wave. The value of λ at the shock wave is estimated from in-situ observations of the ESP event.Results. For energies below ∼1 MeV, the simulation results agree well with both the upstream and downstream components of the ESP event observed by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). This suggests that these low energy protons are mainly the result of interplanetary particle acceleration. In the downstream region, the sharp drop in the energetic particle intensities is reproduced at the entry into the following magnetic cloud, illustrating the importance of a magnetised CME model.

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Exploring the radial evolution of interplanetary coronal mass ejections using EUHFORIA

Cited by 19 publications

References 121 publications

Characteristics and evolution of sheath and leading edge structures of interplanetary coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere based on Helios and Parker Solar Probe observations

Characteristics and evolution of sheath and leading edge structures of interplanetary coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere based on Helios and Parker Solar Probe observations

Evolution of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection Complexity: A Numerical Study through a Swarm of Simulated Spacecraft

Observation-based modelling of the energetic storm particle event of 14 July 2012

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