IPS and SMEI Analyses Using Tomographic 3-D Reconstructions

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Principal Investigator (PI) has developed a tomographic technique that uses data from multiple lines-of-sight at a single observing location to reconstruct the three dimensional plasma density and velocity distribution of coronal mass ejections and co-rotating plasma structures in the heliosphere. In this effort, the PI will apply his tomography technique using real-time heliospheric observations from Japan's Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, white-light observations from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) spacecraft, and interplanetary scintillation (IPS) radio data from the Ooty Radio Telescope in India and other observatory sites in Mexico and Russia. The PI also anticipates the availability of similar radio data during this project from the NSF-funded Murchison Widefield Array radiotelescope being constructed in Western Australia. Using ground-based and space-based data, he plans to determine the global heliospheric plasma configuration, to reconstruct the shapes of plasma structures observed remotely and in situ, and to evaluate and refine his tomographic analysis technique. Finally, the PI will incorporate solar wind models including magnetic fields into this tomographic reconstruction of solar wind velocity and plasma density. The PI notes that his tomographic analysis technique provides an entirely new way of viewing interplanetary space from Earth and will have a broad impact on the field of solar-terrestrial physics. This investigation will directly impact space weather predictions by making visible the difficult-to-depict region of space between the Sun and the Earth. The heliospheric plasma reconstructions produced by this tomographic method result in colorful images and movies that are easily accessible to the layman, and provide a valuable tool for research and education.