Global MHD Modeling of the Solar Corona and Inner Heliosphere for the Whole Heliosphere Interval

By P. Riley, Roberto Lionello, Jon A. Linker, Z. Mikić, J. Luhmann, J. Wijaya. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2008

140 citations recorded by the source corpus.

In an effort to understand the three-dimensional structure of the solar corona and inner heliosphere during the Whole Heliosphere Interval (WHI), we have developed a global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) solution for Carrington rotation (CR) 2068. Our model, which includes energy-transport processes, such as coronal heating, conduction of heat parallel to the magnetic field, radiative losses, and the effects of Alfvén waves, is capable of producing significantly better estimates of the plasma temperature and density in the corona than have been possible in the past. With such a model, we can compute emission in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray wavelengths, as well as scattering in polarized white light. Additionally, from our heliospheric solutions, we can deduce magnetic-field and plasma parameters along specific spacecraft trajectories. In this paper, we present a general analysis of the large-scale structure of the solar corona and inner heliosphere during WHI, focusing, in particular, on i) helmet-streamer structure; ii) the location of the heliospheric current sheet; and iii) the geometry of corotating interaction regions. We also compare model results with i) EUV observations from the EIT instrument onboard SOHO; and ii) in-situ measurements made by the STEREO-A and B spacecraft. Finally, we contrast the global structure of the corona and inner heliosphere during WHI with its structure during the Whole Sun Month (WSM) interval. Overall, our model reproduces the essential features of the observations; however, many discrepancies are present. We discuss several likely causes for them and suggest how model predictions may be improved in the future.

Subfields: Astronomy and Astrophysics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/4ec464f7a0e1701d8e0ad27f9e28ff403ef44c51

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Astronomy and Astrophysics

Citations in the corpus

Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather (2017, background): “…projects—e.g., three “Whole Sun Months” in 1996, 1998, and 1999 (Galvin and Kohl 1999; Riley et al. 1999; Breen et al. 2000) and a “Whole Heliosphere Interval” in 2008 (Gibson et al. 2009, 2011; Riley et al. 2011; Thompson et al. 2011)—to improve our understanding of Sun-heliosphere connectivity.”
The magnetic field in the solar atmosphere (2014, background): “or a review see Mackay and Yeates (2012), see also section 2.3). If employed, they deliver properties beyond the coronal magnetic ﬁeld, normally the density and temperature of the coronal structures. Riley et al. (2011) showed that such models have the ability to quantitatively reproduce the signatu”