Simulated Solar Mass Ejection Imager and "Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-like" views of the solar wind following the solar flares of 27-29 May 2003

Space Weather 6, S03006, 2008

Simulated Solar Mass Ejection Imager and "Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-like" views of the solar wind following the solar flares of 27-29 May 2003

W. Sun and C.S. Deehr
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

M. Dryer
Exploration Physics International, Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, USA
NOAA Space Environment Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA

C.D. Fry
Exploration Physics International, Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, USA

Z. K. Smith
NOAA Space Environment Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA

S.-I. Akasofu
International Arctic Research Center, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

Abstract

The three-dimensional Hakamada-Akasofu-Fry (HAFv.2) kinematic solar wind model can be extended to predict what the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft might expect in observing large-scale plasma clouds ejected from the Sun. In order to demonstrate this capability, the HAFv.2 model was used to simulate the first observations of a halo coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) instrument on the Coriolis spacecraft, acquired after the solar events of 27-29 May 2003. Projections of the Thomson-scattered white light intensity on the plane of sky, as observed by the SMEI cameras, were calculated from the three-dimensional simulations. These simulations of the background solar wind and two shock fronts compare favorably with the white light observations of plasma clouds by the SMEI instrument. The method thus developed is then applied to hypothetical locations of the STEREO spacecraft in a later phase of the STEREO mission. It is shown that the model can be a valuable aid and guide in the identification of multiple shock-induced variations of the solar wind.