Past Events

Abstract:

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the most spectacular eruptions in the solar corona and have been recognized as primary drivers of interplanetary disturbances. Studies using in situ measurements and remote sensing observations have established that CMEs drive space weather effects typically in two ways. First, CMEs are often associated with a sustained southward magnetic field, which allows a strong coupling between the solar wind and the terrestrial magnetosphere. Second, fast CMEs can generate interplanetary shocks, a key source of energetic particles and radio bursts; the large momentum associated with CMEs can also significantly compress the magnetosphere. This talk will focus on the recent progress in developing strategies to predict these effects, specifically (1) Faraday rotation observations with implementation by the Mileura Widefield Array to determine the magnetic field orientation of CMEs; (2) combining MHD propagation of the solar wind with type II frequency drift to predict the arrival time of CME-driven shocks at the Earth; and (3) tracking and reconstruction of CMEs using coordinated in situ measurements and white-light observations that can image CMEs continuously out to 1 AU from vantage points off the Sun-Earth line. Event studies together with implications for instrumentation will be presented to demonstrate the capabilities with which the impact of a solar storm on the Earth can be predicted with small ambiguities.

Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.