A Modular Capability for Community Modeling of Flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and their Interplanetary Impacts

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This grant is for partial support of a project selected and funded under the 2012 NASA-NSF partnership for Space Weather Modeling Collaborations. It is a collaborative effort between NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and University of Michigan. The objective is to develop a new generation of numerical simulation codes and tools for community-wide investigation of Solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CME), and solar energetic particles (SEP) to test theories of solar eruptions against observed events and work towards a predictive capability. The Modular Solar Eruptions Capability (MSEC) to be developed will consist of a set of interchangeable modules and libraries, including an observables and a training library, which will enable the user to model a complete solar eruption event, from energy build-up by flux emergence to space weather impact at Earth. The new capability builds on recent advances by the proposing team in understanding the physics of flares and CMEs and in modeling space weather. The team has developed some of the leading theories for solar activity and has delivered some of the most widely used space weather models that is currently available to the community. Specific defining objectives for the development of the MSEC include: utilizing a two-temperature model for the solar plasma and incorporating the necessary physics important for the energy state of the solar atmosphere; utilizing a new phenomenological model for the solar wind-based Alfvén-wave acceleration and dissipation; exploring the physical connection between the upper convection zone and the solar corona by coupling two state-of-the-art models of flux emergence with the global model of the solar corona, thereby addressing the issue of energy build-up and CME initiation in a self-consistent manner. The team forms a strong collaboration between internationally recognized experts in basic solar and heliospheric theory, in the modeling and data analysis of observed events, and in computational physics. When completed, the MSEC will be delivered to the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) for access by the scientific community and eventual transition to use for operational space weather forecasting. The state-of-the-art simulation codes and tools comprising the final MSEC constitute an innovative and potentially transformative capability that will be used by the whole community to attack the solar eruption problem. While the team will pursue an exciting science program that uses the new models to attack the core science problems in solar eruptions, it is envisioned that the bulk of the science results ultimately will be obtained by the outside community. The results of this effort will help advance our understanding and modeling of solar eruptions, which are high priority national space weather needs. Educational components of the project include the participation of postdocs and graduate students. The collaboration builds on and greatly strengthens a longstanding partnership between the partners. Amongst others, this will provide the opportunity for students of University of Michigan to work with leading NASA scientists and have access to the unique resources at GSFC, a national facility.