Merging of Coronal and Heliospheric Models

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Heliospheric Computations
Dusan Odstrcil University of Colorado/CIRES and
NOAA/Space Environment Center
Solar MURI Team Meeting, Berkeley CA, December 5,
2002
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Outline

• Programming Activities
• Merging of Coronal and Heliospheric Models
• - requirements for coupled simulations
• - first 3-D coupled simulations
• Incorporation of More Realistic Ambient Solar
  Wind
• - validation and calibration studies
• Interfacing with Other Models
• - driving magnetospheric LFM model (Mike
  Wiltberger)
• - providing results for SEP computations (Ilan
  Roth)
• - acceleration of electrons (Marek Vandas)

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Programming Activities

• (A) Graphical User Interface
• - Model specification and compilation
• - Initial and boundary conditions
• - Remote computations, pre-views, data
  transfers
• (B) Code modernization
• - New FORTAN standard
• - HDF-5 data format
• - CVS for source code

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Coronal Heliospheric Computations
SDSC, San Diego, CA
NCAR/SCD, Boulder, CO
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Requirements for Coupled Simulations

• Input Data
• - 8 variables (2x120x180 cells) 2.7
  MBytes
• - 400 time levels (1h interval) 1 GByte
• Output Data
• - 8 variables (256x120x180 cells) 340
  Mbytes
• - 50 time levels (2h interval) 17 GByte
• - visualization 10-30 GByte

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Interplanetary Transient Disturbance
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Magnetic Field Disturbance
Solar eruption evolves into a traveling
disturbance of interplanetary magnetic field that
significantly exceeds its original angular size
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Interplanetary Magnetic Flux Rope
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Disturbed Magnetic Field
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Interplanetary Magnetic Flux Rope
Flux rope (white lines) is initially connected to
the Sun, but magnetic field lines reconfigure
during its propagation. Color shows density in
the equatorial plane. Black circle is boundary
between the coronal and heliospheric regions (30
Rs).
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Flux Rope Connected to Sun
N, T, and Bphi in the equatorial plane and model
interface seen from below. (Computations are not
performed for -30 deg from the poles). Magnetic
field is traced back to Sun.
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Flux Rope Disconnects
The same but 20 hours later. Magnetic field lines
(tracing starts from the heliosphere) does not
reach the Sun they reconfigure in the coronal
region.
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Connectivity of Magnetic Field Lines
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Ambient Solar Wind
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Ambient Solar Wind
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Ambient Solar Wind
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Shock-Cloud Interaction