Interfacing MHD Single Fluid and Kinetic Exospheric Solar Wind Models and Comparing Their Energetics |
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| Authors: | Sofia-Paraskevi Moschou " target="_blank">Viviane Pierrard " target="_blank">Rony Keppens Jens Pomoell |
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| Institution: | 1.Centre for Mathematical Plasma Astrophysics, Department of Mathematics,KU Leuven,Heverlee,Belgium;2.Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy,Brussels,Belgium;3.Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics,Cambridge,USA;4.Université Catholique de Louvain,Louvain-La-Neuve,Belgium;5.Department of Physics,University of Helsinki,Helsinki,Finland |
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| Abstract: | An exospheric kinetic solar wind model is interfaced with an observation-driven single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model. Initially, a photospheric magnetogram serves as observational input in the fluid approach to extrapolate the heliospheric magnetic field. Then semi-empirical coronal models are used for estimating the plasma characteristics up to a heliocentric distance of 0.1 AU. From there on, a full MHD model that computes the three-dimensional time-dependent evolution of the solar wind macroscopic variables up to the orbit of Earth is used. After interfacing the density and velocity at the inner MHD boundary, we compare our results with those of a kinetic exospheric solar wind model based on the assumption of Maxwell and Kappa velocity distribution functions for protons and electrons, respectively, as well as with in situ observations at 1 AU. This provides insight into more physically detailed processes, such as coronal heating and solar wind acceleration, which naturally arise from including suprathermal electrons in the model. We are interested in the profile of the solar wind speed and density at 1 AU, in characterizing the slow and fast source regions of the wind, and in comparing MHD with exospheric models in similar conditions. We calculate the energetics of both models from low to high heliocentric distances. |
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