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Zhang J, Temmer M, Gopalswamy N, Malandraki O, Nitta NV, Patsourakos S, Shen F, Vršnak B, Wang Y, Webb D, Desai MI, Dissauer K, Dresing N, Dumbović M, Feng X, Heinemann SG, Laurenza M, Lugaz N, Zhuang B. Earth-affecting solar transients: a review of progresses in solar cycle 24. PROGRESS IN EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE 2021; 8:56. [PMID: 34722120 PMCID: PMC8550066 DOI: 10.1186/s40645-021-00426-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This review article summarizes the advancement in the studies of Earth-affecting solar transients in the last decade that encompasses most of solar cycle 24. It is a part of the effort of the International Study of Earth-affecting Solar Transients (ISEST) project, sponsored by the SCOSTEP/VarSITI program (2014-2018). The Sun-Earth is an integrated physical system in which the space environment of the Earth sustains continuous influence from mass, magnetic field, and radiation energy output of the Sun in varying timescales from minutes to millennium. This article addresses short timescale events, from minutes to days that directly cause transient disturbances in the Earth's space environment and generate intense adverse effects on advanced technological systems of human society. Such transient events largely fall into the following four types: (1) solar flares, (2) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) including their interplanetary counterparts ICMEs, (3) solar energetic particle (SEP) events, and (4) stream interaction regions (SIRs) including corotating interaction regions (CIRs). In the last decade, the unprecedented multi-viewpoint observations of the Sun from space, enabled by STEREO Ahead/Behind spacecraft in combination with a suite of observatories along the Sun-Earth lines, have provided much more accurate and global measurements of the size, speed, propagation direction, and morphology of CMEs in both 3D and over a large volume in the heliosphere. Many CMEs, fast ones, in particular, can be clearly characterized as a two-front (shock front plus ejecta front) and three-part (bright ejecta front, dark cavity, and bright core) structure. Drag-based kinematic models of CMEs are developed to interpret CME propagation in the heliosphere and are applied to predict their arrival times at 1 AU in an efficient manner. Several advanced MHD models have been developed to simulate realistic CME events from the initiation on the Sun until their arrival at 1 AU. Much progress has been made on detailed kinematic and dynamic behaviors of CMEs, including non-radial motion, rotation and deformation of CMEs, CME-CME interaction, and stealth CMEs and problematic ICMEs. The knowledge about SEPs has also been significantly improved. An outlook of how to address critical issues related to Earth-affecting solar transients concludes this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University, 4400 University Dr., MSN 3F3, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA
| | | | | | - Olga Malandraki
- National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, Penteli, Athens Greece
| | - Nariaki V. Nitta
- Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA USA
| | | | - Fang Shen
- SIGMA Weather Group, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Bojan Vršnak
- Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Kaciceva 26, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Yuming Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 PR China
| | - David Webb
- ISR, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 USA
| | - Mihir I. Desai
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonia, TX 78023 USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249 USA
| | - Karin Dissauer
- Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- NorthWest Research Association, Boulder, CO USA
| | - Nina Dresing
- Institut fuer Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Mateja Dumbović
- Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb, Kaciceva 26, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Xueshang Feng
- SIGMA Weather Group, State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190 China
| | - Stephan G. Heinemann
- Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Justus-von-Liebig-Weg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Monica Laurenza
- INAF-Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Noé Lugaz
- Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
| | - Bin Zhuang
- Space Science Center and Department of Physics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH USA
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Hu Q, He W, Qiu J, Vourlidas A, Zhu C. On the Quasi-Three Dimensional Configuration of Magnetic Clouds. GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS 2021; 48:e2020GL090630. [PMID: 33678925 PMCID: PMC7900963 DOI: 10.1029/2020gl090630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We develop an optimization approach to model the magnetic field configuration of magnetic clouds, based on a linear force-free formulation in three dimensions. Such a solution, dubbed the Freidberg solution, is kin to the axisymmetric Lundquist solution, but with more general "helical symmetry." The merit of our approach is demonstrated via its application to two case studies of in situ measured magnetic clouds. Both yield results of reduced χ 2 ≈ 1. Case 1 shows a winding flux rope configuration with one major polarity. Case 2 exhibits a double-helix configuration with two flux bundles winding around each other and rooted on regions of mixed polarities. This study demonstrates the three-dimensional complexity of the magnetic cloud structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Hu
- Department of Space Science, and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR)The University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsvilleALUSA
- Department of Space ScienceThe University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsvilleALUSA
| | - Wen He
- Department of Space ScienceThe University of Alabama in HuntsvilleHuntsvilleALUSA
| | - Jiong Qiu
- Physics DepartmentMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
| | - Angelos Vourlidas
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics LaboratoryLaurelMDUSA
- IAASARS, National Observatory of AthensPenteliGreece
| | - Chunming Zhu
- Physics DepartmentMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
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Ulrich RK, Riley P, Tran T. Solar Sources of Interplanetary Magnetic Clouds Leading to Helicity Prediction. SPACE WEATHER : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS 2018; 16:1668-1685. [PMID: 30774567 PMCID: PMC6360450 DOI: 10.1029/2018sw001912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
This study identifies the solar origins of magnetic clouds that are observed at 1 AU and predicts the helical handedness of these clouds from the solar surface magnetic fields. We started with the magnetic clouds listed by the Magnetic Field Investigation (MFI) team supporting NASA's Wind spacecraft in what is known as the MFI table and worked backward in time to identify solar events that produced these clouds. Our methods utilize magnetograms from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft so that we could only analyze MFI entries after the beginning of 2011. This start date and the end date of the MFI table gave us 37 cases to study. Of these we were able to associate only eight surface events with clouds detected by Wind at 1 AU. We developed a simple algorithm for predicting the cloud helicity that gave the correct handedness in all eight cases. The algorithm is based on the conceptual model that an ejected flux tube has two magnetic origination points at the positions of the strongest radial magnetic field regions of opposite polarity near the places where the ejected arches end at the solar surface. We were unable to find events for the remaining 29 cases: lack of a halo or partial halo coronal mass ejection in an appropriate time window, lack of magnetic and/or filament activity in the proper part of the solar disk, or the event was too far from disk center. The occurrence of a flare was not a requirement for making the identification but in fact flares, often weak, did occur for seven of the eight cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger K. Ulrich
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
| | - Pete Riley
- Predictive Science IncorporatedSan DiegoCAUSA
| | - T. Tran
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesCAUSA
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Möstl C, Amerstorfer T, Palmerio E, Isavnin A, Farrugia CJ, Lowder C, Winslow RM, Donnerer JM, Kilpua EKJ, Boakes PD. Forward Modeling of Coronal Mass Ejection Flux Ropes in the Inner Heliosphere with 3DCORE. SPACE WEATHER : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS 2018; 16:216-229. [PMID: 29780287 PMCID: PMC5947730 DOI: 10.1002/2017sw001735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Forecasting the geomagnetic effects of solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), is currently severely limited by our inability to predict the magnetic field configuration in the CME magnetic core and by observational effects of a single spacecraft trajectory through its 3-D structure. CME magnetic flux ropes can lead to continuous forcing of the energy input to the Earth's magnetosphere by strong and steady southward-pointing magnetic fields. Here we demonstrate in a proof-of-concept way a new approach to predict the southward field B z in a CME flux rope. It combines a novel semiempirical model of CME flux rope magnetic fields (Three-Dimensional Coronal ROpe Ejection) with solar observations and in situ magnetic field data from along the Sun-Earth line. These are provided here by the MESSENGER spacecraft for a CME event on 9-13 July 2013. Three-Dimensional Coronal ROpe Ejection is the first such model that contains the interplanetary propagation and evolution of a 3-D flux rope magnetic field, the observation by a synthetic spacecraft, and the prediction of an index of geomagnetic activity. A counterclockwise rotation of the left-handed erupting CME flux rope in the corona of 30° and a deflection angle of 20° is evident from comparison of solar and coronal observations. The calculated Dst matches reasonably the observed Dst minimum and its time evolution, but the results are highly sensitive to the CME axis orientation. We discuss assumptions and limitations of the method prototype and its potential for real time space weather forecasting and heliospheric data interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Möstl
- Space Research InstituteAustrian Academy of SciencesGrazAustria
| | - T. Amerstorfer
- Space Research InstituteAustrian Academy of SciencesGrazAustria
| | - E. Palmerio
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - A. Isavnin
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - C. J. Farrugia
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | - C. Lowder
- Department of Mathematical SciencesDurham UniversityDurhamUK
- Southwest Research InstituteBoulderCOUSA
| | - R. M. Winslow
- Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceUniversity of New HampshireDurhamNHUSA
| | - J. M. Donnerer
- Space Research InstituteAustrian Academy of SciencesGrazAustria
| | | | - P. D. Boakes
- Space Research InstituteAustrian Academy of SciencesGrazAustria
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Priest ER, Longcope DW. Flux-Rope Twist in Eruptive Flares and CMEs: Due to Zipper and Main-Phase Reconnection. SOLAR PHYSICS 2017; 292:25. [PMID: 32355368 PMCID: PMC7175706 DOI: 10.1007/s11207-016-1049-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The nature of three-dimensional reconnection when a twisted flux tube erupts during an eruptive flare or coronal mass ejection is considered. The reconnection has two phases: first of all, 3D "zipper reconnection" propagates along the initial coronal arcade, parallel to the polarity inversion line (PIL); then subsequent quasi-2D "main-phase reconnection" in the low corona around a flux rope during its eruption produces coronal loops and chromospheric ribbons that propagate away from the PIL in a direction normal to it. One scenario starts with a sheared arcade: the zipper reconnection creates a twisted flux rope of roughly one turn ( 2 π radians of twist), and then main-phase reconnection builds up the bulk of the erupting flux rope with a relatively uniform twist of a few turns. A second scenario starts with a pre-existing flux rope under the arcade. Here the zipper phase can create a core with many turns that depend on the ratio of the magnetic fluxes in the newly formed flare ribbons and the new flux rope. Main phase reconnection then adds a layer of roughly uniform twist to the twisted central core. Both phases and scenarios are modeled in a simple way that assumes the initial magnetic flux is fragmented along the PIL. The model uses conservation of magnetic helicity and flux, together with equipartition of magnetic helicity, to deduce the twist of the erupting flux rope in terms the geometry of the initial configuration. Interplanetary observations show some flux ropes have a fairly uniform twist, which could be produced when the zipper phase and any pre-existing flux rope possess small or moderate twist (up to one or two turns). Other interplanetary flux ropes have highly twisted cores (up to five turns), which could be produced when there is a pre-existing flux rope and an active zipper phase that creates substantial extra twist.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. R. Priest
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9SS Scotland UK
| | - D. W. Longcope
- Dept. of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT USA
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