HR: 09:06h
AN: SH21D-04 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: 3D Density Structure and LOS Observations of a Model CME
AU: * Manchester, W B
EM: chipm@umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: Lugaz, N
EM: nlugaz@umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: Gombosi, T
EM: tamas@umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: De Zeeuw, D
EM: darrens@umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: Sokolov, I
EM: igorsok@umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: Toth, G
EM: gtoth@grid.engin.umich.edu
AF: Center for Space Environment Modeling, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
AU: Toth, G
EM: gtoth@grid.engin.umich.edu
AF: Dept. of Atomic Physics, Eotvos University, Pazmany setany 1/A, Budapest, 1117 Hungary
AB: We present synthetic Thomson-scattered white-light images of a simulated coronal mass ejection (CME). The simulations are based on a 3-D MHD model of a CME propagating through a bimodal solar wind characteristic of solar minimum. The CME is driven by a 3-D Gibson-Low flux rope inserted in the helmet streamer of the steady-state corona. Synthetic coronograph images are produced that follow the evolution of the CME to 1 AU from several points of view. The white light images provide a basis for comparison with wide angle coronographs, like those of SMEI or STEREO. We find that a large amount of plasma is swept up from the solar wind by the CME-driven shock wave, which dominates the density structure far from the Sun. We also find that the shape of this compressed plasma is highly distorted by the variation in speed of the ambient solar wind. Comparisons of 2-D integrated images to the 3-D density structure show that the viewing angle severely effects the line-of-sight appearance of the CME, as well as the estimated mass of the CME from such 2D images.
DE: 7513 Coronal mass ejections
DE: 7811 Discontinuities
DE: 7839 Nonlinear phenomena
DE: 7843 Numerical simulation studies
DE: 7851 Shock waves
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting